National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a safety alert for consumers about the dangers of counterfeit air bags. The agency reports that these faulty air bags have been sold for use as replacement parts in vehicles that have been in a crash. NHTSA says these air bags look almost identical to original certified bags, but after testing, the counterfeits "showed consistent malfunctioning ranging from nondeployment of the air bag to the expulsion of metal shrapnel during deployment."
NHSTA urges those whose vehicles have been in a crash and have had their air bags replaced by a repair shop (that is not part of a new car dealership) within the past 3 years, to contact a call center to have their vehicle inspected.
In addition, NHSTA also provides consumers with a list of vehicles that it knows has counterfeit air bags available.
A Blog From the American Society of Safety Engineers