Counterfeit Air-Bag Parts Are Killing U.S. Drivers--and the Government Can't Stop It

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1. The U.S. Government Still Has No Idea Who's Making Deadly Aftermarket Airbags

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The U.S. Government Still Has No Idea Who's Making Deadly Aftermarket Airbags

BY LALITA CHEMELLO JULY 12, 2026 3:25 PM EST

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Back in April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration alerted the public to deadly airbag inflators linked to 10 deaths since 2023. These particular inflators, possibly manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd., or DTN, throw shrapnel when deployed on impact. And although the agency had a company name, a part number, and some vehicle models involved, according to The Wall Street Journal, it's been nearly impossible to track down who is putting these inflators in aftermarket airbags, let alone find how they're getting onto the market.

NHTSA's investigation into those 10 deadly crashes found each vehicle installed a replacement airbag with DTN-made airbag inflators, identified with the numbers DTN60DB on the inflator cap and manufactured between 2021 and 2022. In most cases, except one where there were no records of a prior accident, these airbags were aftermarket purchases to repair vehicles where the airbags had deployed. WSJ reports one individual whose used 2020 Chevrolet Malibu, which has been involved in a crash prior to his purchase, left him with disfiguring injuries after a crash. In another example, a woman died when her used 2020 Chevrolet Malibu crashed, it too had a replacement airbag after the original deployed in a prior accident.

None of this would have been found if not for the Takata airbag recall which prompted NHTSA to order automakers report any incident where an airbag ruptures, much like these DTN inflators.

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