Idaho governor signs counterfeit and non-functional airbag prohibition bill
An Idaho House bill has been signed into law, making it a misdemeanor to manufacture, import, distribute, offer for sale, sell, lease, install, or reinstall counterfeit or non-functional airbags, effective July 1.
Gov. Brad Little signed HB 688 on March 20 following a 54-13-3 vote in the House and 29-5-1 vote in the Senate.
It also applies to automobile supplemental restraint systems (SRS) or other objects that replace an automobile supplemental restraining component that fails to meet the federal motor vehicle safety standards for the make, model, and year of the vehicle.
“Automobile supplemental restraint system” is defined as “a passive inflatable crash protection system that a vehicle manufacturer designs to protect occupants of a motor vehicle in conjunction with a seatbelt assembly, as defined in 49 CFR 571.209, that has one or more airbags.”
And all components are required to ensure that each airbag operates as designed in a crash under federal motor vehicle safety standards for the specific make, model, and year of manufacture of the vehicle in which the airbag is installed.
It will be a misdemeanor if any SRS object, component, part, or device is installed or reinstalled and causes the vehicle’s diagnostic system to fail to warn the vehicle operator that an airbag is not installed, a nonfunctional airbag is installed, or a counterfeit automobile’s SRS component is installed.
The law also clarifies that a “nonfunctional airbag” is a replacement airbag that:
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- Was previously deployed or damaged;
- Has a fault that a motor vehicle’s diagnostic system detects once the airbag is installed;
- May not be sold or leased pursuant to federal law;
- Includes a counterfeit automobile supplemental restraint system component or other part or object that is installed for the purpose of misleading a motor vehicle owner or operator into believing that a functional airbag is installed.
Wisconsin passed similar legislation earlier this month, effective March 13.
It was already illegal in the state to sell, install, reinstall, or distribute a previously deployed airbag or to conceal a missing or previously deployed airbag. The amended law expands the prohibitions to include importing, manufacturing, or offering for sale a previously deployed airbag and creates similar prohibitions relating to nonfunctional and counterfeit airbags.
New findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released Thursday increased 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.
Safety inspections were a hot topic at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, with hours of discussion on four different Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) panels.
During the 2025 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit sessions, Collision Advice owner Mike Anderson and a panel of speakers worked their way through the complex world of steering column, airbag, and seatbelt inspections.
The panelists reflected on OEM safety inspection procedures, struggles with third-party involvement, and the need for correct tooling and training.
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