The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States issued an update on Friday, January 30, stating that defective and dangerous airbag inflators produced in China have caused casualties in the United States. So far, 9 people have died and 2 others have been seriously injured.
In their statement released on Friday, NHTSA stated that they are investigating the safety airbag inflators from China that have been installed on vehicles driven in the United States, leading to multiple casualties.
According to NHTSA, in 11 accidents, 9 people have died and 2 have been seriously injured. The vehicles involved in these accidents had airbag inflators that were produced in China and may have been illegally imported into the United States. These individuals were supposed to survive the related traffic accidents but tragically lost their lives.
The defective airbag inflators were manufactured by Dadianno Safety Technology Co., Ltd., located in Jilin Province, China. These devices are strictly prohibited from being sold in the United States, yet they were found to be installed in some American vehicles.
NHTSA mentioned that these vehicles involved had their original airbags replaced with modules containing the unauthorized and dangerous Dadianno inflators after previous accidents. During subsequent accidents, these Dadianno airbag inflators malfunctioned and ruptured, causing a large amount of metal fragments to penetrate the driver’s chest, neck, eyes, and face, resulting in fatalities or serious injuries.
The regulatory agency has issued a warning to the auto repair industry, urging them to pay attention to these airbag components and immediately report relevant information to the agency.
NHTSA explained that since these components are installed after the vehicles leave the factory, the standard Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) lookup cannot determine if your vehicle is equipped with Dadianno inflators. The agency urges used car buyers and owners to understand the vehicle’s history records and ensure that the vehicles use authentic OEM airbag inflators. If it is found that the vehicle is equipped with Dadianno inflators, do not drive the vehicle until it is replaced with original parts.
The regulatory agency had previously issued warnings regarding Dadianno airbag inflators. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, has also stated, “My warning to the auto repair industry is clear: anyone importing and installing these defective Chinese equipment in the U.S. is endangering the safety of American families and committing a serious crime.”
“Duplicitous airbag inflators should be dealt with vigilantly by the auto repair industry and additional information should be promptly provided to NHTSA,” Duffy said.