FCA/Stellantis Guidelines For Composite Reinforcements
2016 Chrysler Town And Country B-Pillar Composite Reinforcement Stringent crash test ratings and fuel economy standards are making OEMs get creative with strengthening vehicles while maintaining or even lessening overall weight. Different materials are being used along with adding additional reinforcements. If you have repaired recent model year FCA/Stellantis vehicles, you may have noticed the usage of composite reinforcements.
While these composite reinforcements may seem insignificant, FCA/Stellantis repair manuals stress that they absolutely must be replaced. Warnings can be found in Collision Information ➤ Standard Procedures ➤ Sectioning Locations and Procedures stating: "Composite Reinforcements must be installed to maintain component strength standards.” The manual also states, “Failure to follow these directions may result in serious or fatal injury."
Depending on where the reinforcement is used, different rules apply to how it is serviced and installed. Some composite reinforcements can be replaced separately, and some come as an assembly requiring replacement of the component they are attached to. For composite reinforcements that are serviceable, or that are being reinstalled, structural adhesive is used to attach them. If the reinforcement itself is removed or any component that touches the reinforcement is removed the composite reinforcement must be reattached.
The 2019 Ram 1500 (DT) front door utilizes a composite reinforcement that is not serviceable by itself. The manual states "If the front door composite reinforcement is damaged the front door must be replaced."
Look for these reinforcements on many FCA/Stellantis vehicles. Common areas that composite reinforcements are used include but are not limited to:
- Doors
- A-pillar
- B-pillar
- Windshield frame
- Passenger compartment floor
- D-pillar
- Roof rail
Make sure to closely follow the vehicle-specific body repair manual when handling composite reinforcements. Guidelines for replacing these can vary from model to model.
For additional FCA/Stellantis information, check out the following pages:
Alfa Romeo OEM Information
Chrysler OEM Information
Dodge OEM Information
Fiat OEM Information
Jeep OEM Information
RAM OEM Information
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