Kia program helps dealers lock down elusive parts

General Motors has had a similar program in place, known as Service Parts Resolved in No Time, or SPRINT, since 2005. GM spokesman Sabin Blake said it is a voluntary program for dealerships, wholesale dealers and ACDelco suppliers. The program allows GM to move special orders as quickly as possible using parts already in a dealership’s parts department pipeline.

Honda has a dealership-to-dealership program to support Honda and Acura customers. The program was updated last year following the realization that supply chain issues would not end in the immediate future. According to Honda spokesman Chris Abbruzzese, the company facilitates a parts transfer when a customer’s car is at the shop waiting for service. If another dealership has the needed part, Honda will reimburse that store up to 20 percent and pay for expedited shipping.

Stellantis has a dedicated cross-functional team “that meets daily in order to closely monitor all situations and apply timely solutions,” spokesman Bryan Zvibleman said. The company is utilizing dealership-to-dealership and supplier-to-dealership transfers to secure needed parts.

Since Kia implemented D2D Express about seven months ago, more than 10,000 back-ordered parts orders have been filled for dealerships across the country. That means potentially about the same number of Kia customers got back on the road sooner than they would have if the service department had had to wait for the part from the factory.

Said Luther Kia’s Huffman: “We’re just trying to help everyone’s customers get back on the road.”