Nearly 2M US vehicles at risk of counterfeit airbags, Carfax says

Carfax is warning that scores of cars could be at risk for having a counterfeit air bag. While its rare, experts say its unclear how many substandard air bags are in cars today.

Tens of thousands of vehicles in the U.S. are at risk of getting a counterfeit air bag, according to a recent report from Carfax. 

According to the auto company's data, nearly 2 million cars on the road today were involved in an accident where an air bag deployed over the last 2 years. 

Each of those instances provided scammers with the opportunity to potentially install a counterfeit air bag as a replacement, potentially causing severe injuries and even death, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

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In fact, Carfax data revealed that ten states have over 40,000 vehicles currently on the road after an air bag deployment, although some have over 100,000.

Texas is leading with 206,000 vehicles, followed by Florida and North Carolina with 106,000 and 100,000 respectively. Michigan has 81,000 followed by Georgia with 74,000 and Ohio with 59,000.

While this is believed to be a "rare" occurrence, the auto regulator as well as federal law enforcement officials say "there’s no way to know for sure just how many counterfeit air bags are being installed in U.S. cars today."

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In the last year alone, three people were killed and two others "suffered life-altering, disfiguring injuries due to these faulty aftermarket replacement air bag inflators," according to the NHTSA.

In all five cases, the vehicles had been involved in a crash, and the air bags were replaced with defective, substandard inflators, most of which were confirmed to have been manufactured overseas. 

In subsequent crashes, the replacement parts malfunctioned, "sending large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes and faces, killing or severely injuring drivers in otherwise survivable crashes," the NHTSA said. 

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The NHTSA also warned that these inflators could also deploy only partially or too slowly, failing to protect an occupant’s head from striking the steering wheel or dashboard. 

The NHTSA urges consumers looking to buy a used vehicle to learn about a vehicle's history and ensure that it does have genuine air bag inflators.