NHTSA uncovers more crashes, deaths linked to illegally imported airbags; mulls permanent ban

New findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released Thursday increase the number of deaths and crashes involving substandard Chinese airbag inflators, likely illegally imported into the U.S.

NHTSA is still investigating how many of the inflators have illegally entered the U.S. and will determine whether a permanent ban on U.S. sales of the inflator is required, according to a press release from NHTSA.

NHTSA says the inflators are to blame for 10 fatalities and two serious injuries in 12 crashes over the past three years.

All 12 crashes involved Chinese frontal driver airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd. (DTN) that ruptured during a crash, according to the release.

Instead of inflating the airbag to protect the driver, the inflators exploded, sending large metal fragments into the drivers’ chests, necks, eyes, and faces.

NHTSA opened the investigation into the DTN inflators in October 2025. The initial decision concludes that the inflators contain a safety-related defect.

“Our initial investigation into the use of illegal Chinese airbags in auto shops has revealed a disturbing trend: these substandard parts are killing American families,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy in the release. “The Trump Administration will continue to fight to keep you and your family safe on our roads.”

By law, NHTSA must seek public comment and allow DTN to present information challenging the decision.

“Airbags, when properly deployed, provide significant safety benefits. NHTSA estimates that frontal airbags have saved more than 50,000 lives over the past 30 years,” NHTSA’s initial decision document states. “The rupture of an air bag inflator during deployment is rare and extremely dangerous. Instead of remaining intact within the module and releasing gas into the cushion, the metal inflator explodes — ejecting metal shrapnel from the module in a manner likely to kill or severely injure any human with which it makes direct contact.

“Identifying the root cause of a failure is not necessary to make a safety defect determination… A defect that leads to failure of a vital component, such as an air bag rupturing rather than protecting the driver, presents an unreasonable risk to safety.”

NHTSA is accepting public comments on this initial decision until April 17 via regulations.gov, Docket No. NHTSA-2026-0793.

Although all known crashes have occurred in Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata vehicles, NHTSA does not have information to confirm the risk is limited to these makes and models.

“NHTSA urges used vehicle owners and buyers to learn their vehicle’s history and ensure the vehicle has genuine airbag inflators,” the release states. “Owners or buyers not familiar with their vehicle’s history should obtain a history report. A vehicle should be inspected if it was in a previous crash with an airbag deployment since 2020 and was not repaired by one of the manufacturer’s dealerships.

“If a vehicle has been in a previous crash where the airbag deployed, it should be inspected by a reputable mechanic immediately to ensure the airbag is a legitimate replacement equivalent to the original.”

Vehicles equipped with a DTN inflator should not be driven until the inflator is replaced with genuine parts, NHTSA said.

If an owner has a vehicle with one of the inflators, they 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.

Owners may also 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. EST.

Morgan & Morgan partner, Andrew Parker Felix, has filed three wrongful death lawsuits related to counterfeit airbag components allegedly manufactured in China and have found their way into U.S. vehicles.

In all three cases, the plaintiffs were allegedly involved in survivable collisions but were killed when the counterfeit airbag inflator detonated and propelled metal shrapnel into their bodies, according to a statement released by Morgan & Morgan law firm on Thursday.

“NHTSA’s acknowledgment of the dangers posed by these airbag inflators is a critical first step toward preventing these illegal, counterfeit devices from entering the stream of commerce and making their way into vehicles,” the statement says. “Morgan & Morgan has received a disturbing number of reports involving fatal incidents allegedly tied to these inflators, suggesting this may be only the tip of the iceberg. In each case we’ve reviewed, the collision should have been survivable. Instead, the airbag inflator allegedly acted like a grenade, turning what should be a life-saving device into a death sentence. We are pursuing justice for everyone who has been affected by these dangerous airbags and will work to ensure that this deadly and preventable practice is ended.”

One of the cases was filed by the family of a Utah teen who was killed by a counterfeit airbag. Their wrongful death lawsuit is against a national used car dealership that repaired the salvaged vehicle, according to Morgan & Morgan.

A complaint, filed with the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake County, Utah, alleges the teen’s driver-side airbag exploded when the car was involved in a minor crash on July 30, 2025.

It alleges that AutoSavvy sold a 2019 Hyundai Sonata to the teen’s family with a counterfeit airbag manufactured in China.

In January, NHTSA issued an “urgent warning” to used car buyers and owners after an additional two drivers were killed in crashes in December by “substandard and dangerous” Chinese replacement DTN airbag inflators that are likely illegally imported.

At that time, NHTSA said all known crashes had occurred in Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata vehicles. Most had salvage or rebuilt titles. NHTSA noted that it didn’t have information to confirm the risk is limited to these makes and models.

“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,” a January NHTSA press release stated. “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.”

Last May, the family of a Florida mother, killed in a 2023 crash from a DTN airbag, filed a lawsuit against a rental company, auto auction company, used car retailer, manufacturer, and a body shop.

Many OEM manufacturers state that airbags should be removed and inspected after a collision. However, according to a recent “Who Pays for What?” survey, about 49% of shops say they are getting reimbursed for airbag inspections most of the time.

An OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit Session at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas explored the importance of airbag safety inspections.

Images

Featured image: A DTN inflator installed in an airbag module and labeled with a distinctive number sequence and bar code, and a DTN inflator cap marked with a DTN serial number. (Provided by NHTSA)