Indiana Parts Law: Repair Choice, Standards, and Penalties

Indiana’s auto parts law does two separate jobs. It gives you the right to pick what kind of replacement parts go on your car when an insurer pays for collision repair, and it sets minimum equipment standards every vehicle on the road has to meet. Under Indiana Code 27-4-1.5-8, an insurer covering exterior repairs on a vehicle within five model years has to give you written notice and let you choose among original manufacturer parts, aftermarket parts, or used parts before any shop starts work. Separately, Title 9, Article 19 lays out specifications for brakes, lights, tires, and other components, with most violations classified as a Class C infraction carrying a fine of up to $500.

Your Right to Choose Repair Parts After a Collision

When your insurer is paying part of the cost to repair your vehicle’s exterior after a crash, it cannot send the car to a body shop until it hands you a written notice with three options: new parts from the original manufacturer (OEM), new aftermarket parts made by a different company, or used parts. You get to put your choice in writing, and the shop has to install what you picked.¹

The right has a cutoff. It applies only to vehicles within five model years. A 2021 model is covered through 2026; once a vehicle ages past that window, the insurer no longer has to send the notice or honor your selection.¹

Most drivers never see the notice because they don’t know to ask for it. If your insurer set up the repair and no parts-choice form ever crossed your desk, that’s a problem on the insurer’s side, not yours. OEM parts usually cost more, which is why some insurers steer toward aftermarket. For a newer vehicle, the choice is yours to make.

When an Insurer Doesn’t Follow the Rule

Indiana Code 27-4-1.5-9 through 27-4-1.5-11 treat each type of violation as its own unfair claims settlement practice. An insurer that skips the notice, refuses to let you choose, or tells the shop to install something different from what you approved has committed a violation, and an insurer that does two of those things has committed two.² Enforcement runs through the Indiana Department of Insurance, which can impose administrative penalties and require corrective action.

Practically, keep a copy of any signed selection form. If you want OEM parts and think fit and resale value are worth the price difference, say so in writing and hold onto the paper.

Minimum Equipment Standards for Indiana Vehicles

Title 9, Article 19 covers equipment requirements across more than 20 chapters, including brakes, lights, tires, mirrors, horns, mufflers, and restraints.³ Every vehicle on Indiana roads has to comply, and any replacement part installed during a repair has to keep the vehicle in compliance.

Brakes

Indiana sets stopping distances by vehicle type. A passenger car has to stop within 25 feet with the service brake applied, developing braking force equal to at least 53% of the vehicle’s weight. Single-unit vehicles rated under 10,000 pounds have to stop within 30 feet, and heavier vehicles or multi-vehicle combinations get 40 to 50 feet depending on configuration.⁴ These figures apply at all times and under all loading conditions. Trucks and truck-tractors with at least three axles don’t need service brakes on the front wheels but still have to hit the overall stopping-performance thresholds.⁵

Lights

Every motor vehicle, trailer, and semitrailer has to carry at least one red tail lamp visible from 500 feet to the rear. Vehicles registered in Indiana and manufactured after January 1, 1956 need at least two. Tail lamps have to sit between 20 and 72 inches off the ground, and a separate lamp has to illuminate the rear registration plate so the plate is readable from 50 feet.⁶ Replacement lighting components have to meet the same visibility and mounting rules.

Tires

Metal tires are banned on Indiana highways. Solid rubber tires need at least one inch of rubber above the flange across the whole surface. Tires with metal studs, cleats, or other non-rubber projections are generally prohibited, with a seasonal exception: studded tires are allowed from October 1 through May 1, provided the studs don’t project more than 3/32 of an inch beyond the tread and are designed to keep road damage down. Retractable-stud tires can stay on year-round as long as the studs are retracted during the restricted months.⁷

Penalties for Equipment Violations

Violating Indiana’s lighting, reflector, and turn signal rules is a Class C infraction.⁸ Tire violations get the same classification.⁹ A Class C infraction carries a maximum fine of $500.¹⁰

There’s a federal-compliance carve-out. If your vehicle’s parts and accessories already meet U.S. Department of Transportation standards, the state infraction classification under the lighting chapter doesn’t apply.⁸ When you buy replacement lighting, look for the DOT marking. That marking is what keeps you on the right side of both the federal standard and Indiana’s classification rule.

Beyond the fine, a vehicle with non-compliant equipment can be pulled from service until the problem is fixed. If a defective part contributes to a crash, the owner can also face civil liability for injuries or property damage.

Rebuilt Salvage Vehicles

If you rebuild a salvage vehicle and want to title it for the road, the BMV won’t issue a “rebuilt” title until a state police officer inspects the vehicle and verifies proof of ownership for every major component and where each one came from. You also need a sworn affidavit from whoever restored the vehicle listing the name, identification number, and source of every part used.¹¹

State law caps the inspection fee at $5, with the exact amount set by local ordinance. The revenue goes either to a vehicle inspection fund or to a local law enforcement continuing education fund depending on which agency’s officer performed the inspection.¹¹ The inspection is aimed at tracing stolen parts, not certifying roadworthiness. Keep every receipt and parts document from the rebuild.

Aftermarket Parts and Your Manufacturer’s Warranty

A common assumption is that using aftermarket parts voids the factory warranty. It doesn’t. The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act bars a manufacturer from conditioning warranty coverage on the use of any specific branded part or service.¹² Aftermarket and recycled parts don’t strip your warranty on their own.¹³

A dealer or manufacturer can deny warranty coverage on a specific damaged part only if they can show that an aftermarket or recycled part actually caused that damage. The burden is on them.¹³ Install aftermarket brake pads and the transmission fails, the dealer can’t refuse the transmission repair because of the pads. The aftermarket part would have to be the actual cause of the actual failure.

The same rule protects routine maintenance done outside the dealer network. Changing your own oil, rotating tires at an independent shop, or getting brake pads at a chain doesn’t void the warranty. Skipping required maintenance entirely, or using fluids that don’t meet factory specifications, is a separate question and can affect coverage.¹³

Emission Control Parts

One boundary worth flagging: nothing in Indiana’s parts-choice rule or its equipment chapters lets you remove or bypass emission control equipment. Federal law prohibits removing, disabling, or bypassing any emission control device, including catalytic converters, oxygen sensors, and exhaust gas recirculation systems. Swapping a catalytic converter for a straight pipe is illegal under the Clean Air Act regardless of the vehicle’s age.¹⁴ Penalties reach $4,454 per vehicle for individuals and $44,539 per vehicle for manufacturers or dealers.¹⁵ Shops that install a pipe section where a customer’s converter used to be are treated as having participated in the tampering.

1
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 27-4-1.5-8 – Insurer Notice to Insured; Body Parts to Be Used in Repair
2
Justia. Indiana Code Title 27, Article 4, Chapter 1.5 – Auto Repair Claims Settlement
3
Justia. Indiana Code Title 9, Article 19 – Motor Vehicle Equipment
4
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-19-3-7 – Deceleration and Stopping Distance Requirements
5
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-19-3-4 – New Vehicle Requirements; Exceptions
6
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-19-6-4 – Tail Lamps
7
Justia. Indiana Code Title 9, Article 19, Chapter 18 – Tires
8
Justia. Indiana Code 9-19-6-24 – Classification of Violations
9
Justia. Indiana Code 9-19-18-5 – Classification of Violations
10
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-28-5-4 – Judgment Amounts for Infractions
11
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-22-3-15 – Rebuilt Salvage Motor Vehicles
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 2302 – Rules Governing Contents of Warranties
13
Federal Trade Commission. Auto Warranties and Auto Service Contracts
14
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Exhaust System Repair Guidelines
15
eCFR. 40 CFR Part 1068 Subpart B – Prohibited Actions