— The U.S. government is again warning about the dangers of steering wheel bling, especially aftermarket steering wheel decals made with rhinestones.
Drivers are warned not to buy or use any type of metal or rhinestone steering wheel emblems following another injury caused to a driver by the decal.
Some months ago the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a warning about the aftermarket emblems when a driver suffered what was described as a severe injury that caused blindness in one eye.
A driver's side airbag will deploy and turn the steering wheel bling into a dangerous fast-moving object that can injure and even kill a driver.
In the previous crash, the aftermarket rhinestone steering wheel decal detached from the steering wheel and hit the driver in the face, causing a loss of sight in one eye.
In the latest crash involving a metal aftermarket decal with rhinestones, the airbag deployed and sent two pieces of shrapnel into the driver's neck and face. The pieces of metal caused the driver severe injuries, all due to the emblem.
Commonly called "steering wheel bling," the aftermarket emblems are typically made of metal or hard plastic, and the most bling-ish emblems are covered with rhinestones or other shiny materials.
Owners of all vehicle makes and models are warned of the danger and advised not only to skip using the emblems, but if the steering wheel already has an aftermarket decal, you should remove it to remove the danger.
Vehicle manufacturers do what they can to make sure the original steering wheel emblems stay in place when the airbags deploy, but even the permanently affixed emblems can sometimes have problems.
Check out a Nissan steering wheel logo recall and a Mazda steering wheel logo recall.
