A group of state and national aftermarket associations filed a lawsuit versus the California Air Resources Board, aka-CARB that challenged their proposed regulations that requires vehicle manufacturers to extend auto warranties on emissions parts to 10 years and 120,000 miles which would keep replacements running through their dealer networks.

One of the plaintiffs, the Automotive Service Association aka-ASA, said the action by CARB to extend auto warranties for this extended term will cause massive economic damage to independent aftermarket auto warranty providers and service facilities in the California and is not likely to provide any clean air or consumer benefits.  Another plaintiff in the case, Automotive Service Councils of California, said because vehicle owners will not know whether a needed repair indicated by the malfunction indicator light is covered by the extended auto warranty, they will need to return to the dealer for almost all repairs. 

The lawsuit states that CARB provides no real evidence that extending emissions auto warranties will effectively motivate manufacturers to build a more durable emission system, or that it will motivate a driver to seek emissions-related repairs when they are indicated.