ASE warns consumers about importance of airbag inspections

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has released a list of factors that consumers should consider when deciding if they need an airbag inspection following recent findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 

“By making vehicle owners aware of potential airbag issues, they can act by having their vehicles’ air bags inspected by an ASE Certified service professional,” Dave Johnson, ASE CEO, says in a release. “It is a simple step that can make a life-saving difference. Raising awareness about air bag safety aligns with ASE’s ongoing mission to promote best practices in vehicle maintenance and repair.”

The release states that airbags should be inspected if one of the following situations is a factor: 

• • Your airbag warning light is illuminated.
  • Your vehicle has been involved in a collision.
  • You are purchasing a used vehicle.
  • Your vehicle has had an air bag replaced in the past.
  • You are unsure of your vehicle’s repair history.
  • Your vehicle is under airbag warranty.

Airbag systems are complex safety components that should only be inspected by trained professionals, the release says. 

Many OEM manufacturers have procedures that state airbags should be removed and inspected post-collision, Mike Anderson, owner of Collision Advice, said during the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit Session II at the 2025 SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November. 

He said that in a recent “Who Pays for What?” survey, about 49% of shops say they are getting reimbursed for airbag inspections most of the time. However, he said there is a 10% decline in insurance companies refusing to pay for the operation.

Find SEMA coverage on safety inspections here. 

NHTSA has found that substandard Chinese airbag inflators, likely illegally imported into the U.S., have caused 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..

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. 

NHTSA issued an “urgent” industry alert in February that specifically asks the auto repair industry to look for dangerous airbag inflators that continue to kill consumers.

The NHTSA alert also asks dealers to know the history of vehicles in their inventory. 

“If a vehicle has been in a previous crash where the airbag deployed, it should be inspected immediately for one of these inflators, especially if it has a salvage or rebuilt title,” the alert says. “If you find a DTN inflator, the vehicle should not be driven until the inflator is replaced with genuine parts.”

Recently, an Automotive News opinion piece said standardizing and codifying the post-repair safety and roadworthy state-level inspection process should occur as more franchised dealerships retail branded or salvaged titles. 

The piece follows an Automotive News article that explores the shift in the market. 

About 2.5 million vehicles were declared totaled by insurers last year and returned to U.S. roadways, the article says.

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ASE logo courtesy of ASE.