Counterfeit Airbags Prove Counter Productive: Nationwide Airbag Recall Affects Various Auto Manufacturers
A government automotive administration has uncovered multitudes of airbags that are not only defective but counterfeit as well. These airbags can increase the level of injury in a victim of an accident rather than reducing it, thus proving the contraption counterproductive.
The driver and passenger front airbags, after having been deployed, in a Peugeot 306 car. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The airbag is a modern safety device, which along with the seatbelt, are responsible for saving many lives yearly. Airbags in contrast to seatbelts have a few caveats, for one they are more complex and use an incendiary device to get them to open at the perfect time whence the vehicle collides. The productions of an airbag is a precarious one and needs to be produced with all the necessary precautions as to provide a potential life-saving solution to a victim of a crash.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has uncovered and tested numerous amounts of counterfeit airbags that can increase the level of severity of an accident rather than reducing it. NHTS has issued a consumer safety advisory to alert vehicle owners and repair professionals to the dangers of counterfeit air bags.
According to their press release:
“NHTSA has become aware of a problem involving the sale of counterfeit air bags for use as replacement parts in vehicles that have been involved in a crash. They claim that while these air bags look nearly identical to certified, original equipment parts—including bearing the insignia and branding of major automakers — NHTSA testing showed consistent malfunctioning ranging from non-deployment of the air bag to the expulsion of metal shrapnel during deployment.”
So far, the government auto safety agency claims that they have not become aware of any deaths or injuries directly connected to counterfeit air bags.
The problem however may be bigger than the data indicates. They believe that this issue affects only those vehicles that have had an airbag replaced in the past three years by a repair shop not associated with a new car dealership, or less than 0.1% of the U.S. vehicle fleets. The agency is strongly advising that vehicle that have been involved in a crash over the scope of the last three years, should contact their dealership and have their airbags replaced with authentic ones at the owners’ own expense. The full list of call centers and additional information are available at the Safer Car website.
If you have been injured in an accident involving counterfeit airbags contact us today.
Reviewed by Chris H. in 2012.