Take Brendan Lane’s striker plates, which move between the United States and Canada four times before they’re installed. The common component — one of the roughly 30,000 individual parts that go into a single vehicle — is a small metal loop attached to a slab of steel allowing car doors to latch securely in place.

American automakers have largely outsourced their parts manufacturing, mainly building only high-value components like engines, transmissions and bodies within the United States. Most other components — especially minor parts such as hoses, springs and striker plates — come from external suppliers, many of them abroad.

This one auto part crosses the border four times on its way to your car