In 2014, former Japanese automaker Takata initiated what would become the largest product recall in U.S. history. More than 67 million of its airbags contained components that could cause serious injury or death to drivers of cars made by a wide variety of manufacturers.
The culprit behind the ordeal was the airbag inflator, a propellant-filled metal cartridge designed to rapidly inflate the airbag in the event of an accident. Affected airbags carry the risk of the inflator housing rupturing in the event of a collision, causing metal fragments of the airbag to scatter throughout the passenger cabin and injure occupants.
Related: Toyota joins a group prepared to surpass Tesla's Supercharging
According The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)So far, 27 people have lost their lives and 400 have been injured due to these defective airbags.
As of April 2024, 88% of affected airbags have been repaired or replaced. However, NHTSA has issued a new warning that there may be a new hazard inside many of the used cars sitting in driveways, parking lots and dealerships across the country.
in a Statement of July 10NHTSA warned drivers and potential used car owners to beware of “cheap, substandard replacement air bag inflators that can cause death or serious injury in a crash.”
These dangerous replacement parts for these airbags pose risks similar to those manufactured by Takata almost 10 years ago, as large metal fragments can fly into the chest, neck, eyes and face of an occupant, causing death or serious injury.
According to the federal agency, three people have died and two more have suffered disfiguring injuries in the past year due to these defective parts.
These defective parts often end up in used vehicles because of their low cost and availability on the Internet. They are installed by technicians at trusted repair and maintenance shops and manufacturer dealerships. According to NHTSA, these parts are manufactured by foreign entities with “little or no reputation for quality manufacturing or experience.”
According CarFax DataNearly 2 million vehicles that have been involved in crashes that caused an airbag to deploy in the past two years remain on American roads. Each of these crashes represents an opportunity for enterprising individuals and scammers to install potentially lethal counterfeit airbags and profit in the name of safety.
“It's really scary,” Consumer Reports associate director of safety policy William Wallace told Automotive News. “People often don't realize how dominant the used car market is for most consumers.”
More about automotive:
- twitter.com/TheStreet/status/1810818171806384361″>Lawsuit alleges Hyundai pressured dealers into making dirty sales
- Ford CEO sends stark warning to American car buyers
- Analysts have a gloomy outlook for car dealers after CDK cyberattack
A desperate situation
Many of the cars on the road are old and getting older. According to S&P Global Mobility dataThe average age of cars, trucks and SUVs on American roads has risen to a record 12.6 years, an all-time high.
More and more Americans are turning to the used vehicle market due to lower prices amid high interest rates. With the average price of a new car nearing $47,000, According to Kelly Blue BookBuyers are incentivized to look elsewhere for a good deal.
NHTSA urges consumers who own or are considering owning a used vehicle to know the vehicle's repair history and to make sure the vehicle has air bag inflators manufactured by the automaker's OEM supplier.
They warn that vehicles with poor quality replacement parts can cause death or serious injury in a collision. Non-genuine inflators may inflate the airbag only partially or too slowly, which can cause an occupant's head or body to strike the steering wheel or dashboard in a collision.
Owners should check with car dealers or qualified mechanics to determine if their vehicles have aftermarket airbag inflators. If one is found, NHTSA recommends replacing it with an aftermarket part and notifying a local Homeland Security Investigations office or FBI field office.
Related: Veteran fund manager picks his favorite stocks for 2024
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″>
