Investigation into Deadly Dangerous Parts
A new federal investigation highlights the potentially fatal danger of non-original airbag parts after a series of accidents revealed catastrophic failures. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation following seven incidents involving faulty inflators, five of which were fatal. This issue prompted a sharp warning from Secretary of Transportation Shawn Duffy, who called these devices “dangerous”.
Origin of the Dangerous Components
The components under investigation are believed to originate from the company Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology, better known as DTN Airbag. Investigators claim that this company’s inflators contain volatile chemicals that can ignite during deployment, causing the airbag to inflate excessively sharply and uncontrollably.
Counterfeit Products on the Market
It is reported that many repair shops and assemblers have imported cheap inflators from abroad, often unaware of it. DTN products are counterfeits that are very similar to original parts, yet sold for a fraction of their price, sometimes even for one-tenth of the cost.
These fakes are often made from poor-quality materials and are more likely to fail because they are merely an imitation of the engineering solutions embedded in genuine products,
– said Bob Stewart, President of the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council and Global Brand Protection Manager at General Motors.
The problem first became known in the USA when the family of 22-year-old Destiny Biaz filed a lawsuit in Florida. The young mother died in a crash while traveling at only 30 mph in her 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. Investigators claim that a counterfeit DTN inflator was installed, which exploded “like a grenade”, sending sharp fragments of metal and plastic into her neck.
Warning from Federal Authorities
My message to the auto repair industry is clear: anyone who imports this faulty Chinese equipment into the country and installs it is endangering American families and committing a serious crime,
– recently stated Secretary of Transportation Shawn Duffy. He urged repair shops and distributors to remain vigilant, emphasizing that DTN inflators pose a direct threat to public safety.
There is no data on how many cars in the USA might have been equipped with counterfeit DTN inflators. The company itself, for its part, claims that its products are banned for sale in the USA and insists that it does not do business in that country.
This situation once again raises questions about global automotive parts supply chains and the effectiveness of quality control. The lack of clear tracking of parts origin in the secondary market creates serious risks that are difficult to eliminate after the fact. Stricter international standards and verification mechanisms are needed for such safety-critical components to prevent future tragedies. The incident also demonstrates how vulnerable consumers can be when trusting repair services that may unknowingly use hazardous materials to reduce costs.