After an accident, your car is immobilized for several weeks, even months, in the garage or body shop. After a while, you have to pay out of pocket for the rental of a replacement car.
“We have had several complaints recently from consumers who have been waiting for months for replacement parts, even though their auto insurance contract only provides 30 days of compensation for a replacement vehicle. So they have to pay the difference. And it is often not cheap, ”says George Iny, director of the Association for the Protection of Motorists (APA).
Mr. Iny mentions that the complaints mainly concern Volkswagen, Chrysler (particularly for Jeep models), Toyota, Kia and Tesla.
Some consumers can’t get back on the road because the vehicle just isn’t safe, or can’t run without the overdue part(s).
Between the tree and the bark
The problem is that manufacturers are embroiled in a supply chain crisis, which has been exacerbated by factory closures during the pandemic. These shutdowns are still happening today in China, which has zero tolerance for COVID-19.
Yet manufacturers supply their manufacturing plants with the same parts. Why can’t they send some to dealerships or repair shops? Mystery.
The problem affects both the parts and the vehicles that will be offered for short-term rental. Because new car inventories have never been so low.
“These problems started in the summer of 2021, notes Anne Morin, head of public affairs at the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). Insurers are caught in this unprecedented situation, which is not their fault. As a result, several insurers have extended the coverage granted for the rental of courtesy vehicles. »
This protection is offered by an endorsement (an addition to the automobile insurance contract). In fact, the insurer is required to reimburse you for the rental costs of the replacement vehicle according to your contract, which provides for a certain number of days or weeks. But he doesn’t have to if you have to wait six months for a part…
