Toyota warns 50,000 drivers on potentially fatal issues
Toyota urged the 50,000 owners of elderly vehicles to get repairs to airbag inflators that could explode and kill road users.
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Did you know that some airbags can be more deadly than others?
That is, a fake airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told USA Today it is investigating five deaths in seven incidents, including DTN airbag inflator, a secondary market airbag that is prohibited from being sold in the US.
“My message to the auto repair industry is clear: Anyone who brings this false Chinese equipment into the country and installs them is putting American families at risk and commits serious crimes,” U.S. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “The auto repair industry needs to be looking for these counterfeit inflators and should immediately alert the NHTSA with additional information.”
Fake airbags are not new. In 2024, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized more than 211,000 counterfeit car parts, almost twice the parts confiscated in 2023, according to a September 2024 press release from US immigration and customs enforcement.
“The rise in counterfeited auto parts and equipment continues to be an astonishing upward trend,” said Ivan Albero, then director of the National Center for Intellectual Property Regulation in a press release.
According to an NHTSA press release, airbags replaced by “substandard inflators” during normal survivable crashes “sent pieces of metal to the driver’s chest, neck, eyes and face, killing or seriously injured.”
“As consumers, we believe our vehicles are equipped with safety features that protect us at key moments,” said Robert Stewart, president of the Council on Anti-Air Prevention. “Countered airbags and other replacement parts undermine this trust and pose a serious risk to life by failing in critical circumstances.”
How to protect against fake airbags
Historically, these replacement parts have come from foreign manufacturers, and according to the NHTSA, they are sold “far lower” to the prices of traditional equipment.
According to the NHTSA, new vehicle owners are not affected by fake airbags, but consumers who own used cars and lack the full history of the car are at risk at best.
NHTSA has released a framework that advises consumers on mitigation tactics to reduce the risk of fake airbags.
- Get a history report before purchasing a used car. Even if a consumer already owns a used car and doesn’t know its history, they still need to get a vehicle history report. In the case of previous crashes before ownership, they will need to get an airbag inspection from a reputable outlet.
- Do business with manufacturer dealers or famous independent mechanisms.
- When considering a vehicle from a private seller, you will request a vehicle history report and have the vehicle inspected by a reliable mechanic.
- During vehicle service, we probe replacement parts, including brands and procurement.
- If you are purchasing parts online from an international retailer, or if the prices are far below your competitors, be careful to buy.
“Remember, if it’s too good to be untrue, it’s probably – and it could be fatal,” the NHTSA warned.
