— Faulty replacement airbag inflators are killing people and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is warning consumers who shop for used cars to be aware of these disasters waiting to happen.
This also applies to consumers who already purchased used vehicles.
NHTSA says at least three people have been killed this year, and two vehicle occupants "have suffered life-altering, disfiguring injuries" because of the cheap replacement airbag inflators.
All five incidents occurred to vehicles that had already been involved in crashes that required replacing the original airbag inflators.
Those inflators are metal and explode like grenades, sending shards of metal into occupants.
In addition, the cheapo replacement airbag inflators may deploy partially or too slowly, so even if an occupant doesn't get shredded with metal fragments, the airbags won't properly protect people from hitting the steering wheels or dashboards.
Less-than-reputable repair shops order the defective airbag inflators online way cheaper than the genuine equipment, typically from outside the U.S.
A vehicle owner should be safe if they know the history of the vehicle, but anyone else should obtain a vehicle history report or let a qualified technician inspect the airbags and inflators.
This is especially important if you're considering buying a used vehicle.
A consumer should contact their FBI field office if it's determined the airbag inflator is fake.
