Auto industry experts: Coronavirus likely to lead to car part shortages

Auto industry experts said drivers may soon start having trouble getting car parts they need because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The spread of the virus has led to factories around the world shutting down, halting much of the production.

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"It creates a hardship very, very quickly when you talk about shutting down a plant,” President and CEO of Center for Automotive Safety (CAR) Carla Bailo said.

Bailo said auto supply warehouses typically keep a two-month supply of backup materials on hand, but the problem is we don’t know how long the crisis will last.

"In today's convoluted supply chain, it won't be long until that starts to catch up and we'll see those parts shortages coming through,” Bailo said. “If we're not already. The longer this continues, the more the backlog will grow."

Bailo said parts needed for recalls are generally in high demand so there is usually a bigger supply available.

The wait for a new part can depend on the age of your car and how often the part needs to be replaced.

CAR said the coronavirus outbreak is costing the auto industry billions of dollars.

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