PCTG Consumer Complaint Report Record ID#: 1354992732

Department of Insurance: Please review the claim handling practices of Nationwide Insurance in regards to claim # 5837E 07027911171201D/G1. I feel Nationwide has violated state law by failing to recognize the necessary part to restore the designed safety features of this vehicle. From the Appraiser's Act "Because an appraiser is charged with a high degree of regard for the public safety, the operational safety of the vehicle shall be paramount in considering the specification of new parts. This consideration is vitally important where the parts involved pertain to the drive train, steering gear, suspension units, brake system or tires." Nationwide has expressed zero regard for the safety of all future occupants of this vehicle. Facts of the matter: Nationwide prepared an estimate which included replacing the damaged front bumper reinforcement with a non-original bumper reinforcement. I have provided Nationwide with documentation from Chrysler stating their position on the replacement of structural components. Chrysler's position is as follows: Structural Repair Parts Usage Chrysler LLC Position Chrysler LLC vehicles, systems and components are engineered, tested and manufactured to protect vehicle occupants based upon both government mandated and internal corporate requirements relative to durability, NVH, vehicle safety and occupant protection. Chrysler LLC does not approve of or recognize structural repair procedures where authentic Mopar® parts are not used for Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles. Any repairs performed not using Mopar parts [and not following published guidelines and procedures] may expose current or future vehicle owners and occupants to unnecessary risk. When restoring a collision damaged vehicle to pre-loss condition, consideration must be given to the following: "¢ All structural distortion has been identified and corrected using appropriate structural straightening equipment ("frame rack") and a three-dimensional measuring system "¢ All damaged panels have been repaired or replaced "¢ All replaced panels provide the as-built structural equivalence and corrosion protection of the original panels "¢ Unless partial replacement procedures are documented in a Chrysler LLC publication, structural panels must be installed in their entirety " partial replacement or "sectioning" of panels may compromise vehicle structure "¢ Chrysler LLC does not support the use or re-use of any structural component which has been removed from a vehicle previously damaged, flooded, burned, scrapped or removed from use for any other reason " commonly referred to as "salvage parts." Mopar replacement parts are required to be equivalent to the originally installed parts and are tested to ensure these requirements are met. While some salvage parts may "appear" equivalent, there can be dramatic differences in the design and functional characteristics which cannot be determined by a visual inspection and which could have a negative affect on the vehicle occupants in a future collision event. "¢ Salvage components may have been affected by crash impact loads, incorrect, improper or inadequate disassembly and removal procedures, weathering or environmental exposure outside of that expected during normal use, flooding, smoke/heat damage, or abuse. "¢ Salvage components are not traceable should a component recall be required in the future. Nationwide's field adjuster was originally given documentation out of ALLDATA, which is a software provider that compiles OEM information. Nationwide told me that they did not recognize the document as an official document because it was from a 3rd party. I then provided Nationwide with the documentation directly from Chrysler, which reads verbatim to the original document I gave them. The field appraiser told me that he was not authorized to make this decision and he would have to turn it into his supervisor. At this point my supervisor Kei