What Stellantis’ Latest Reminder Really Means
Stellantis just reminded everyone about their collision repair procedures, especially when it comes to structural fasteners and radar components. Nothing in the update is brand new, but the fact they’re spelling it out again says a lot about what really happens in shops today.
Why This Reminder Matters
At Nylund’s Collision Center, we’ve seen this stuff play out too many times. Vehicle engineers build these cars with exact assumptions in mind. They count on you replacing certain bolts after you take them out. They expect radar sensors to get recalibrated if anything near them gets messed with. And they assume replacement parts match what went through crash testing.
Those assumptions only work if we follow the procedures to the letter.
The Truth About Structural Fasteners
Take structural fasteners. A lot of them are torque-to-yield bolts. They stretch on purpose when you tighten them the first time, creating the right clamping force. Once stretched, the metal changes. Put that same bolt back in and it won’t hold the same way, even if it feels snug.
From the outside, everything looks fine. No dash light comes on. The car drives normally. But in a real crash, that structure might not behave the way it was designed to.
That’s exactly why Stellantis had to clarify this. Reusing one-time-use fasteners isn’t a shortcut. It’s a risk.
Modern Bumpers Are More Than Cosmetic
Bumpers used to be simple. Fix the dents, match the paint, and send it out the door. Now the same bumper might hold radar sensors for blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alerts, or parking aids.
Stellantis pointed out clear rules: watch your paint thickness in radar zones, avoid certain repair materials near sensor mounts, and always scan and recalibrate afterward. These sound like small details. They’re not.
Radar systems work in tight tolerances. A little extra paint, a slight shift in angle, or the wrong filler nearby can throw off the signal. The system might still “work.” No warning light pops up. But its detection range or accuracy drifts. In everyday driving you might never notice. In that split-second moment when you need it most, it matters.
Where Insurance and Engineering Meet (and Sometimes Clash)
Insurance adjusters and body shops don’t always see eye to eye here. Engineers want the vehicle back to its exact engineered state. Insurance wants to keep claims reasonable and estimates straightforward.
That’s fair. But an estimate missing a step doesn’t make the step optional. If the manufacturer says it’s required, we do it. Period.
This Isn’t Just About Stellantis
This isn’t just a Stellantis thing. Every major brand counts on precise repairs to keep crash performance and safety systems reliable. Today’s vehicles are complex layers of metal, electronics, and software, all working together in narrow windows. Tiny changes can affect how force travels through the frame or how sensors read the road.
When customers pick up their car, they look at paint shine, panel gaps, and how clean the finish is. Those are easy to see. Replaced fasteners and calibration reports? Not so much. But they matter just as much, if not more.
Questions to Ask Your Collision Repair Shop
If your vehicle’s in the shop after a crash, ask a few straight questions:
- Are we following the Stellantis collision repair procedures for my exact model?
- Were any single-use parts removed? Did they get replaced with new ones?
- Are we using genuine factory parts where the manufacturer calls for them?
- Did you run all the required scans and recalibrations, and do you have the documentation?
Good shops won’t hesitate to answer. Straight talk builds trust.
Our Commitment at Nylund’s Collision Center
Insurance is supposed to put you back to pre-loss condition. That includes structural strength and full safety system function, not just making it look nice on the outside.
Here at Nylund’s Collision Center in Englewood, Colorado, we treat manufacturer procedures as the rule book. Single-use parts get replaced. Recalibrations happen and get documented. Genuine components go in when specified. We don’t cut corners for convenience. We do it to match what the engineers tested and validated.
This latest Stellantis reminder reinforces what we’ve always believed: real repairs respect the original design.
Want to dive deeper? Check out this week’s episode of The Airing of GRIEVEances. We break down the announcement and talk about how it hits the shop floor.
Nylund’s Collision Center 4495 S Santa Fe Dr Englewood, CO 80110
Body shop, collision repair, car accident repair Lexus Authorized, Toyota Certified, Lucid Certified
When a vehicle is built with precision, the repair should match that same care.