NHTSA Issues Alert Over Substandard Replacement Airbags

It’s been quite a few years since a variety of automotive airbags were found to be faulty – and potentially deadly, in some cases, leading to the largest recall in history. However, there are still vehicles out there equipped with these faulty airbags, which isn’t terribly surprising  given the scope of the problem, coupled with the fact that many of those vehicles have changed hands multiple times over the years, making it difficult to track them down. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is once again issuing a warning related to airbags, but this time, it isn’t for those faulty units.

Rather, this new warning pertains to substandard replacement airbags that have been installed in place of the originals. The agency notes that over the past year, five incidents have occurred as a result of those replacement pieces, resulting in three deaths and two life-altering, disfiguring injuries. In all five instances, the vehicles had previously been involved in a crash, and their original equipment air bags were replaced with defective, substandard inflators, in most cases confirmed to have been manufactured overseas.

Much like the aforementioned airbags – which were manufactured by companies like Takata – these replacement airbags can send large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes, and faces at high velocity, killing or severely injuring them in what otherwise could be survivable crashes. As such, the NHTSA is advising consumers to research a vehicle’s history before buying it. If that vehicle has been involved in an accident where the airbags were deployed, shoppers should visit a reputable independent mechanic or dealership for an air bag inspection to ensure the parts are genuine.

This alert comes on the heels of expanded efforts from the NHTSA to recall more vehicles that weren’t included in previous actions – 52 million, in fact, including those produced by Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, Toyota, Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles from the 2000-2018 model years. A recent investigation found that 41,600 Ford vehicles dating back to the 2004 model year may be still equipped with defective airbags, though Ford continues to work diligently to rectify that issue.

We’ll have more on this alert soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for non-stop Ford news coverage.