After two fatal crashes last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued an urgent warning Tuesday regarding “substandard, dangerous” Chinese air bag inflators. These crashes bring the death toll related to the inflators up to eight.
According to the NHTSA, these inflators are made in China by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co. Ltd., also known as DTN and were “likely illegally imported” into the U.S. They malfunctioned during crashes, sending large metal fragments into the chest, necks, faces and eyes of drivers.
“In 2012, [the Office of Defects Investigation] first became aware of substandard or counterfeit air bag modules sold through online marketplaces, such as auction sites,” the NHTSA said. “NHTSA obtained examples of these air bag modules and conducted testing. None of the inflators equipped in these modules were manufactured by DTN.”
That discovery, however, led the administration to issue a warning about substandard and counterfeit airbag components and it continuously monitors for them. Overall, the DTN air bag inflators it warned about this week have been linked to at least 10 crashes that killed eight drivers in “otherwise survivable” incidents and seriously injured two other drivers, with reported incidents going back to June 2023.
All of the airbag inflators linked to the fatal crashes have been in Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata vehicles, mostly with salvage or rebuilt titles, and all had their original airbags replaced with the substandard air bags after previous crashes. However, the NHTSA said it does not have information to confirm the risk is limited to these makes and models.
There is an open investigation into these DTN inflators, the NHTSA said. Through this safety investigation, the NHTSA is also working with appropriate authorities to address any illegal activities associated with these inflators entering the country.
“NHTSA has alerted the auto repair industry to be on the lookout for these dangerous inflators and to notify NHTSA immediately with any additional information they may have about these substandard inflators,” said the administration. “As DTN has acknowledged on its website, the inflators are prohibited from sale in the United States. Whoever is bringing them into the country and installing them is putting American families in danger.”
In particular, used vehicles with previous air bag deployments should be inspected by a reputable mechanic or dealership for the substandard inflators, the NHTSA said. It also urges all vehicle owners to learn about the history of their vehicles with a history report
“If a vehicle has a salvage or rebuilt title, it is especially urgent that it be inspected for one of these inflators,” the administration stressed. “If the vehicle is found to have one of these DTN inflators, it should not be driven until the inflator is replaced with genuine parts.”
Vehicle owners who find that their car has one of the suspect inflators should contact their local Homeland Security Investigations office or FBI field office to report it or submit an online complaint to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. Additionally, vehicle owners can contact NHTSA online or by calling the agency’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.