Four Things to Know About the Deadly Counterfeit Air-Bag Parts in U.S. Cars

[question everything]

Since 2023, at least 10 deaths in the U.S. have been linked to air-bag parts with markings of a Chinese manufacturer called Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology, also known as DTN Airbag.

The air bags—sometimes labeled with the counterfeit logos of various carmakers—contain components called inflaters that are defective. In the event of a crash, those inflaters might send large metallic shards flying into the cabin, potentially wounding or killing someone inside. DTN has said it believes the inflaters identified are counterfeits of its own product.

Here are four things to know about the situation, including how drivers can assess whether their cars may have had an air-bag replacement.

- The faulty air-bag components are only found on used cars

- Drivers can check whether their car has had an air-bag replacement free online

- Don’t check the air bag yourself

- The faulty air-bag components have been banned—but that doesn’t solve the problem

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/four-things-to-know-about-the-deadly-counterfeit-air-bag-parts-in-u-s-cars-de439e56?st=y8TLEs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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[Old Crank]

1. So these are replacement airbags

Not OEM.
My question is why are the OEM bags being replaced by cheap knock offs?
I would think that if your airbag(s) deployed you would have an insurance claim of some sort. The insurance company pays for the repair or most of it. You would likely have more damage to fix than just the airbag.

[question everything]

2. The story was about someone driving a used car with a used bag

Eui Seok Kang lost control of his Chevrolet Malibu in torrential rain late one night in October 2023, spun sideways across two lanes of a Texas road and was struck by a pickup truck. When his air bag deployed, it tore apart his jaw.

“I couldn’t breathe, I felt like something was stuck in my throat,” Kang recalled in an interview. He lost half of his lower jaw, most of his lower teeth and some upper teeth. Over the next month, he underwent three surgeries, including for an infection and facial reconstruction.

The air bag, it turned out, had been purchased on eBay and installed by the Texas dealership that sold him the used car. When he crashed, it sent metal shards flying into Kang’s face.

More..


https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/counterfeit-air-bag-parts-deaths-regulators-6eddfdd4?st=P6z9xT&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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