The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is warning drivers of the dangers of counterfeit airbags, which are often of substandard quality and pose a serious safety risk. The agency has become aware of a problem involving the sale of counterfeit airbags for use as replacement parts in vehicles following a crash. The counterfeit airbags look nearly identical to certified, original equipment parts but testing at NHTSA shows consistent malfunctioning. The range of malfunction is wide, with some not deploying at all, while others expel metal shrapnel during deployment. NHTSA is not aware of any deaths or injuries connected to counterfeit air bags.
“We expect all motor vehicle equipment to meet federal safety standards – and airbags in particular play a central role in keeping drivers and passengers safe in the event of a crash,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “That’s why it’s critical that vehicle owners work with their automotive dealers and repair professionals to ensure they use the appropriate, original equipment parts in the event they need to replace their airbag.”
Counterfeit parts has long been a concern, but the situation is now escalating. In August, law enforcement officials recently apprehended a counterfeit airbag ring in South Carolina and confiscated more than 1,500 counterfeit airbags for a number of different vehicle models.
NHTSA warns that the full scale of the situation is unclear. Only a very small percentage – 0.1% – of the entire US vehicle fleet is thought to be affected, and only vehicles that have had an airbag replaced within the past three years by a repair shop that is not part of a new car dealership are at risk.
For those owners whose vehicles have been in a crash and had their airbags replaced by a repair shop that is not part of a new car dealership within the past three years or who have purchased a replacement airbag online, NHTSA advises that they contact the call centre that has been established by their vehicle manufacturer to have their vehicle inspected. However, the owners have to pay for this inspection themselves – Automotive News puts the price of an inspection at about US$100. If the steering wheel airbag needs to be replaced, this will set buyers back between US$750 and US$1,000. The steering wheel airbag is the least expensive of all a vehicle’s airbags, and it could have up to eight.
“Anytime equipment that is critical to protecting drivers and passengers fails to operate properly, it is a serious safety concern,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We want consumers to be immediately aware of this problem and to review our safety information to see if their vehicle could be in need of inspection.”
NHTSA has been working with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), US Customs and Border Protection and the Intellectual Property Rights Division of the US Department of Justice to better understand the issue of counterfeit airbags and how to prevent their use in the market.
“Organised criminals are selling dangerous counterfeit and substandard airbags to consumers and suppliers with little to no regard to hazardous health and safety consequences,” said ICE Director John Morton. “We will continue to aggressively investigate criminal supply chains with our law enforcement and private industry partners and bring these criminals to justice.”
NHTSA says it is now gathering information from vehicle manufacturers about their systems for verifying the authenticity of replacement parts and is working to spread awareness of the safety risk posed by counterfeit airbags.
NHTSA has drawn up a draft list of the vehicle makes and models for which counterfeit airbags may be available. The list, below, is likely to be expanded over time.
