Don’t be Had by Faulty Airbag Replacements

Feb. 25, 2013 - PRLog -- Have you recently replaced an airbag in your car after an accident for a price that seemed like a steal? Beware that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a warning against  counterfeit airbags manufactured in China that do not meet industry standards. There is a risk of the airbag injuring the driver and passengers in the vehicle.

The air bags appear to be the same as certified parts with the correct logos and branding to be passable at most repair shops. However, testing from the NHTSA proved that the airbags were consistently malfunctioning. The air bags were shown to fail by not deploying at all or exploding with such force as to send metal debris into the vehicle.

At this time, it's not completely clear how many cars could be affected by faulty air bags. There's insufficient data for the NHTSA to make a clear diagnosis of the entire problem. The administration believes that cars that had air bags replaced in the past three years by a repair shop not part of a new car dealership or consumers who ordered an air bag online are likely to have these problems.

The NHTSA considers these falsely advertised air bags to be a serious safety concern. Proper air bag deployment is key in surviving a car crash. Safety is greatly endangered when the device is improperly installed or malfunctions. More than ever, consumers who need to replace an air bag following a crash should go to a trusted, certified dealership to make sure their parts are reliable.

Multiple government agencies are working to prevent the import of the faulty air bags to the United States. The NHTSA is working with customs, border patrol and the Department of Justice to find how these parts are entering the United States and stop them from being distributed. Those who knowingly supply the bad air bags are considered criminals.

If negligence from an auto repair shop trying to save some money caused your air bag to malfunction and injure you in a crash, then you should speak with an accident attorney. The Accident Attorneys' Group has a legal team ready to answer your calls.