Warning issued on fake air-bag parts that can explode and kill in a crash

Tworecent fatal accidents Tinvolving Chinese-made air bag parts are renewing warnings from regulators over counterfeit components that can explodeduringa crash.

- Ryan Felton

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is looking into seven incidents, including five fatalities, involving aftermarket airbag 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 airbag inflators, which contain hazardous chemicals that ignite during a crash to rapidly fill an airbag with gas.

The regulator said it is actively working to address the safety concem 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 airbag inflators failing during a crash. Now the agency is connecting DTN to those incidents and the two additional fatalities, including a crash 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.