From AAIA Capital Report
 
On Oct. 10, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a consumer safety advisory regarding counterfeit replacement airbags that have been illegally branded with original equipment manufacturer logos and sold to mislead buyers. According to NHTSA tests, the counterfeit airbags may not inflate properly or potentially expel dangerous debris into the vehicle cabin. While many consumers may be concerned about the type of airbag used in their vehicle, it is important to note that the potential problem only affects less than 0.1 percent of U.S. automobiles on the road.
 
In its alert, NHTSA warned that vehicle owners should only use original equipment manufacturer airbags. However, it is important to remember that the air bags in question looked like original equipment air bags and therefore AAIA believes that it is more important to inspect any replacement airbag independently for installation and for collision shops to work with their trusted parts suppliers to confirm they are using safe replacement airbags, no matter which company’s name is on the label. Also unclear from the NHTSA alert is who will pay for the air bag inspection and replacement, the consumer or the independent shop?
 
NHTSA has not disclosed as to how it was alerted to the illegal airbag activity or why the advisory is just now being issued, but a company located in China that was responsible for marketing the airbags was indicted for these crimes in February 2012. An additional man also is awaiting trial on this crime.
 
The advisory includes a list of affected vehicle makes and model years that can be viewed at www.safercar.gov.