Upholstery Maker Sues Nissan

Katzkin Leather Inc., a major manufacturer of custom auto interiors, sued Nissan North America Inc. on Tuesday, alleging the automaker engaged in unfair business practices when it attempted to block its dealers from using Katzkin products.

Montebello-based Katzkin manufactures leather upholstery kits that are popular with motorists seeking a custom look for their vehicles. Some new-car dealers sell the kits in their parts departments.

But so-called aftermarket equipment suppliers such as Katzkin long have battled carmakers over the suitability of their products. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges that Nissan Motor Co.’s Gardena-based North American operation has no basis in fact for promoting “sales of its own leather interiors over those manufactured by Katzkin.”

The suit seeks to bar Nissan from telling dealers that they are opening themselves to increased liability if they use Katzkin’s leather upholstery on seats equipped at the factory with special sensors that activate air bags and other safety devices.

Seat sensors that adjust the function of air bags based on a passenger’s weight have been mandated by the federal government for all passenger vehicles built after Sept. 1, 2006.

A Nissan spokesman declined to comment on Katzkin’s suit.