Safety article for February 2026

Warning Issued on Fake Air-Bag Parts That Can Explode and Kill in a Crash

From a WSJ article (Sept. 21, 2025), U.S. safety regulators believe a Chinese manufacturer is linked to counterfeit parts that are now involved in five deaths.

An example of a certified air-bag module, left, next to a counterfeit one filled with colored foam. 

Quick Summary

• U.S. regulators are investigating seven incidents, with five fatalities, involving aftermarket air-bag parts that ruptured during collisions.

• Two recent fatal accidents involving Chinese-made air bag parts are renewing warnings from regulators over counterfeit components that can explode during a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is looking into seven incidents, including five fatalities, involving aftermarket air-bag parts that failed and ruptured during collisions.

Federal regulators say they think the air bags in the incidents contain parts from a China-based company called Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology, also known as DTN Airbag. DTN makes air-bag inflators, which contain hazardous chemicals that ignite during a crash to rapidly fill an air bag with gas.

The regulator said it is actively working to address the safety concern and is coordinating with other federal agencies on the issue. 

Last year, NHTSA said it was aware of five incidents, including three fatalities, involving substandard air-bag inflators failing during a crash. Now the agency is connecting DTN to those incidents and the two additional fatalities—including a crash as recent as July.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that DTN’s inflators are dangerous and called on the auto repair industry to be on the lookout for the products. “My message to the auto repair industry is clear: whoever is bringing this faulty Chinese equipment into the country and installing them is putting American families in danger and committing a serious crime,” Duffy said. 

Air-bag replacements have been in focus since the 2014 recall of Takata air bags, which were linked to 28 deaths in the U.S. and tens of millions of vehicles recalled over the past decade. U.S. regulators and other federal agencies have been scrambling for years to understand how many drivers are at risk of substandard protection in a crash from a counterfeit or otherwise faulty air bag.

A deployed air bag at a Florida salvage yard in 2015.

The largest automotive recall in history centered around defective Takata air bags found in millions of vehicles. 

DTN didn’t respond to requests for comment. An attorney listed as the company’s lawyer in an ongoing lawsuit in Florida didn’t respond to a request for comment. A statement on DTN’s website says the company doesn’t do business in the U.S. and that its products are prohibited from being sold to the U.S.

Counterfeit buyers in the U.S., including repair shops and assemblers, have purchased air bags online and received them by mail. Auction sites like eBay have been the subject of past complaints about fake inflators making it into the country.

Regulators and investigators say it is difficult to precisely determine how many of these fake air bag components have been installed in cars in the U.S. Imitations can appear identical to genuine devices. Some counterfeits can sell for as little as $100 a piece, The Wall Street Journal has reported. An authentic air-bag module can cost upward of $1,000. Drivers in need of an air bag should seek out a manufacturer-certified replacement, car companies and regulators say.

Bob Stewart, president of the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council, an industry-led group that represents most major carmakers, said counterfeit auto parts are a growing problem in the U.S. Air bags are one of the most commonly counterfeited auto parts, he said.

“These fakes are often constructed with poor-quality materials and are more likely to fail because they’re only imitations of the engineering that goes into the real product,” said Stewart, who is also General Motors’ global brand protection manager. 

Beware of counterfeit airbags!

Paul Ziegenhorn