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Product Warranties
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Product Warranty Disclosure [Text Block]
PRODUCT WARRANTIES

We record a liability for estimated warranty obligations at the dates our product are sold.  These estimates are established using sales volumes and internal and external warranty data where there is no payment history and historical information about the average cost of warranty claims for customers with prior claims.  We adjust our liability as necessary to reflect changes in estimates as additional information is gathered as part of our active management of warranty exposure with our customers.

As part of the 2009 Settlement and Commercial Agreement, AAM agreed to expanded warranty cost sharing with GM, which began on January 1, 2011.

The following table provides a reconciliation of changes in the product warranty liability:

 
 
Three Months Ended
 
Six Months Ended
 
 
June 30,
 
June 30,
 
 
2012
 
2011
 
2012
 
2011
 
 
(in millions)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Beginning balance
 
$
16.8

 
$
5.3

 
$
13.4

 
$
2.3

     Accruals
 
10.7

 
3.1

 
14.4

 
6.1

     Settlements
 
(0.1
)
 
(0.3
)
 
(0.4
)
 
(0.4
)
     Adjustment to prior period accruals
 
(2.8
)
 
(0.1
)
 
(2.8
)
 
—

     Foreign currency translation and other
 
(0.1
)
 
0.1

 
(0.1
)
 
0.1

Ending balance
 
$
24.5

 
$
8.1

 
$
24.5

 
$
8.1