The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) warns of counterfeit gold “Certified Automotive Lift” labels being applied to automotive lifts found in the province of Ontario and possibly other jurisdictions.

The ALI has advised that certain automotive lifts from Budget Automotive Equipment Inc. installed in Ontari  and possibly other Canadian provinces or U.S. States may bear a fraudulent declaration of compliance and product certification intended to mislead lift purchasers, users, and authorities having jurisdiction.

Lift operators, shop owners, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction are advised that automotive lifts bearing the gold label depicted have not been evaluated by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) to the appropriate American National Safety Standard, ANSI/ALI ALCTV. 

Therefore, the claim “Conforms to the provisions of ANSI standards” is untrue. 

The ANSI certification mark depicted is only authorized to be used by accredited certification agencies. As of this safety bulletin, only the Automotive Lift Institute is accredited by ANSI for automotive lift evaluations. The use of ANSI’s mark is inappropriate and not authorized for use by Budget Automotive Equipment Inc.

The CE mark claiming “Tested and Certified to EN 13241.1” is false and misleading. EN 13241.1 is the standard for Industrial, commercial and garage doors and gates. Therefore, the claim is untrue and use of the CE mark is inappropriate and represents a counterfeit CE label. 

According to the ALI, as of this safety bulletin, Budget Automotive Equipment Inc. does not appear in the online CSA Group Product Listing.

Therefore, the claim “Certified to CAN/CSA STD C22.2 No.68” is also untrue and use of CSA’s certification mark is not authorized.

Fraudulent and Counterfeit Labels: 

Unauthorized use of these marks represent counterfeit product safety listing and labeling activities.

This fraudulent misrepresentation unethically leads shop owners, service technicians, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction, such as Ministry of Labour and Occupational Health and Safety officials to believe that product safety evaluations and listings have occurred in accordance with regulations, known standards and independent testing and certification requirements defined by national safety standards. 

Although not currently affiliated with ALI, Budget Automotive Equipment previously participated in ALI’s Lift Certification Program and is knowledgeable of the certification requirements and standards required to claim certification and demonstrate compliance. 

Remedy: 

The fraudulent label depicted in this Public Safety Notice resembles ALI’s gold certification label but has been applied to automotive lifts that are not certified by ALI or any of the organizations represented on the label. Automotive lifts bearing the label depicted should have this label removed immediately, and the lift should be inspected by a qualified lift inspector.

Lifts that have been tested by an approved NRTL and found to meet all the requirements outlined in the ANSI/ALI ALCTV standard receive an ALI Gold Certification Label and are listed in the ALI Directory of Certified Lifts found online at www.autolift.org. 

If a lift model one is considering purchasing is not listed in the directory, it is not certified.

If your lift bears a counterfeit certification label and you are concerned about the possibility of electrical or mechanical safety issues, please contact ALI and your employer’s health and safety representative.

Other resources for consumers to report automotive lift related concerns relating to counterfeit certification labels include the Provincial Ministry of Labour, CSA, and your nearest regional OSHA office.

Intentionally applying fraudulent product safety labels is irresponsible and violates public trust. This public safety notice supports ALI’s mission to promote the safe design, construction, installation, inspection, and use of automotive lifts.

For more information, visit www.autolift.org.