Faulty Air Bags Found in Hyundai and Chevrolet Cars Banned After Deadly Explosions

If you’ve been in a bad accident, you know firsthand that airbags can save lives. However, this is only true when they’re functioning properly. Unfortunately, there have been several fatal crashes recently in which a specific type of airbag malfunctioned. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put out a statement warning drivers. The organization has also said that they’re looking to ban these airbags.

Why Does the NHTSA Want to Ban These Air Bags?

According to the most recent brief, the NHTSA reports 12 crashes where “substandard Chinese air bag inflators” played a role. Per the report, “all 12 crashes involved Chinese frontal driver air bag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd. (DTN) that ruptured during a crash.” The accidents resulted in ten fatalities and two severe injuries.

Typically, if you’re in an accident bad enough that it triggers your airbags, they inflate to protect you. However, in these crashes, the “inflators exploded, sending large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes and faces.”

How to Know If Your Vehicle Is Safe?

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

In order to protect yourself, the NHTSA “urges used vehicle owners and buyers to learn their vehicle’s history and ensure the vehicle has genuine air bag inflators.” If you don’t know your vehicle’s history, the organization says you should get a history report.

Additionally, your vehicle “should be inspected if it was in a previous crash with an air bag deployment since 2020 and was not repaired by one of the manufacturer’s dealerships.” Take your vehicle to a “reputable mechanic immediately to ensure the air bag is a legitimate replacement equivalent to the original.”

Is There a Fix Yet?

Per the NHTSA, “if a vehicle is found to have one of these DTN inflators, it should not be driven until the inflator is replaced with genuine parts.” The organization also says that owners who have “a vehicle with one of these suspect inflators…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.”

When it comes to the big picture, the “NHTSA is still investigating how many of these inflators have illegally entered the United States.” Based on those findings, the organization “will determine whether a permanent ban on U.S. sales of the inflator is required.”

Source

Trump’s Transportation Department Weighs Permanent Ban on U.S. Sale of Chinese Air Bag Inflators Involved in Fatal Crashes, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2026.

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