Chrysler threatens to pull plastic plug on “Playskool” interiors

Last week, the bankruptcy news of an auto parts supplier in Dearborn, Michigan, may have a direct impact on consumers. And it reveals some insight into what goes into the parts of the car that owners see and touch every day.

Plastech Engineered Products makes interior components for Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors vehicles. About a week ago, Plastech declared bankruptcy amidst a dispute with Chrysler, as widely reported. As a result, Plastech stopped supplying Chrysler interior components, causing the automaker to run short of parts and shut down four factories temporarily, with the potential to close many more.

The standoff didn’t last for long before a temporary agreement could be reached and production resumed. According to the trade paper Automotive News, the new arrangement will “allow the automaker to resume production at four idled plants and avoid shutdown of all its assembly operations.” Plastech has secured a line of credit to keep operations running for the time being.

Chrysler’s initial announcement of the four plant closings gives us an idea what cars have critical interior parts built by Plastech:
• The Belvidere, Ill., factory builds the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass, and Jeep Patriot SUVs.
• Newark, Delaware builds the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango SUVs.
• Sterling Heights, Michigan, builds the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger.
• The Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, and Jeep Wrangler are built in Toledo, Ohio.

Consumer Reports has tested the Caliber, Compass, Patriot, Durango, Sebring (three of them), Avenger, Nitro, and Wrangler, and we are currently testing a Jeep Liberty.

When we tested the Nitro, we said its interior “looks cheap, with hard plastics, rough-finished components, large gaps, and loose pieces.” Likewise the Patriot, we said, “is full of cheap plastics, some of which are poorly finished.” We said the Sebring’s interior, “looks cheap and insubstantial.”

All these vehicles came in for similar harsh criticism. (Of course, suppliers like Plastech build components to manufacturer specs.) Some automotive writers have referred to this generation of Chrysler interiors as looking like they come from Playskool toys. One of our engineers likened driving the Compass to “sitting in an Igloo ice chest.”

Last year Chrysler announced it would create a new “advanced” interior design studio to focus on building better interiors. The first product of that effort, according to the company, is the new Dodge Ram pickup displayed at the Detroit Auto Show. It certainly had the highest initial quality interior we’ve seen on a new Chrysler design in a long time.

The particulars in this dispute remain a bit unclear. If Plastech had collapsed, many people would have been in trouble. The same Automotive News article mentioned that the company “owns more than 35 plants in North America and generated $1.4 billion in sales last year, [and] employs 7,700 people.”

In the end, we hope future Chrysler products will offer consumers more comfortable, better-finished interiors. (In theory, that could be good for everyone’s business.) The 2009 Ram has us optimistic. Just hope more jobs aren’t lost, or threatened, in the process.

—Eric Evarts

Edited 2/12/08

Comments

[Anonymous]

Plastech is the supplier for the 2009 Ram interior hard trim.

[Anonymous]

For those that are not in the auto industry reading this blog/article -- keep in mind that the design offices of the respective car companies are the ones that solely specify the style, appearance of everything on the car -- interior, exterior, etc. The car companies, and not the suppliers, specify everything -- materials, grain, surface, styling or "look" of the interiors in this blog's example. The suppliers only build/manufacture what they are told to make by the car company's design office. Suppliers have no say in the matter.

[Proud of my job]

First of all, the supplier does not design the parts they make. The customer's (Chrysler, in this case) engineers do the design. We just make the parts to their specifications. So, if they look like "Playskool toys", that's the way Chrysler designed them. I am getting tired of reading that Plastech is to blame for shutting down the four Chrysler plants. If they hadn't backed out of their contract with us, we wouldn't have filed for bankruptcy and we wouldn't have to worry about whether we will still have a job. I have worked for Plastech for ten years (I started out with LDM Technologies, which got bought out by Plastech) and I take pride in the parts I produce.

[Jeff Bartlett]

Good points in the comments. I have added a line to the story:
(Of course, suppliers like Plastech build components to manufacturer specs.)

In fairness, our published criticisms are for the final products sold by Chrysler and the responsibility of Chrysler.

[Joe Blow]

Plastech molds interior trim components for plenty of other OEM's which seem to have no problems with us. Chrysler needs a scapegoat right niw and unfortunately timing is everything.

[vLane]

Great. Now if they'd pull the plug on the ear-splitting engines, pig-headed transmissions, uncomfortable seats, and octogenarian styling, maybe they'd have something.

[JoeBlog]

The portions of the interiors that consumers or Consumer Reports touch and view on a regular basis are primarily the instrument panel, door panel and console.
Of those I've listed, Plastech makes only consoles and one of them is the high-end Minivan.
Plastech primarily makes the parts that are plastic in every vehicle such as pillars, scuffs and quarter panels.
The problem is with the IP & doors that have straight line designs that showcase the parting lines on plastic, the proliferation of a-surface components that drive poor fit & finish, the unpainted cheap plastics (PP & TPO) and no soft touch surfaces.

Honda and Toyota have no problem selling painted PC-ABS interiors, because they look like foam ones.

Would a soft door panel bolster be out of the question?

I was recently in an Avenger and I was appalled at the fit & finsh of the IP, which is made by a "good" supplier, Faurecia.

BTW, guess who makes the hard trim for 2009 Dodge Ram?

Plastech-for now.

This posting by CR really shocks me at how little you know about the products and processes.

Would you be shocked to know that steaks come from cows and not steak trees?

[Sandra Jackson]

I am very upset and displeased with my 2003 Sebring. I purchased my car new August 2003 with four miles on it. November 2007, the dash board fell off and by February 2008 my "plastic" door handles broke all four of them. Now, I tried to get Chrysler to look into replacing these lovely plastic parts but they wouldn't fix it. I was told that I had to get it fix it myself and was quoted a price of $2800. I thought that was unfair than becasue if driver's door broke was the only part that broke than I could blame myself but all four plastic door handles and the dash? No, that's a manufactor defect. After reading the Consumer Report, Chrysler should have recalled those cars and at their expense fixed the cars that had problems.

You got me this time Chrysler but it won't happen again. I am done with your cars. When I was in college my mother purchased me an Omni and that was a waste of a car. I tried to go Chrysler again but don't worry not again. You tricked me once,"shame on you but you trick me twice, "SHAME ON ME".

[Marney Grace Olson]

I absoltley agree with this article and I used to prefer Dodge over Ford. But now taking a good look at the Chrysler interiors, they do look like they came from "Playskool". In my personal taste, I think that when it comes to American car interiors, I find that Ford and GM, ( especially GM ) have the upper hand in their design specifications. You'd think that just because Chrysler may be the luxury brand of Dodge and Jeep vehicles, they'd put a little effort into making it look luxurious. Cadillac and Lincoln have way better looking interiors than Chrysler. Chrysler interiors look sooo stark compared to the competion and I'd be put to shame if I was the president of Chrysler. The interiors that Chrysler puts into their vehicles are terrible and from what I heard is that they scratch really easily and that the seats are rock hard and are extremely stiff. Trust me, I sat in a Compass in the back and was leaning so far back and I could'nt find a comfy position. The seats were just too stiff. I also find that Chrysler lies about their mpg and they say that the Caliber can get 41 mpg which in my opinion it does'nt. I don't mind exterior design of some their products but the Sebring, Compass, and Avenger need new looks, inside and out, or they simply just have to be canned. I could'nt believe that from JD Power and Associates gave the Avenger 2 out of 5. But then again, its not to hard to belive because it looks like crap. Just like the interior of the Challenger and the new Charger. And I thought that the Challenger was supposed to be a competitor to the Mustang and the upcoming Camaro. Compared to those two, the Challenger's interior's looks stick out like a sore thumb. I'm starting to prefer Ford over Chrysler now when before, it was vice-versa.