A U.S. traffic fatality last month has been tied to banned replacement air bag inflators manufactured in China, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Thursday, marking the first such death since the federal ban took effect in April.
NHTSA reported that the motorist died on August 27 in Dallas in a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox involved in a crash the agency characterized as otherwise survivable. The agency has linked the death to substandard replacement inflators it says were the cause of multiple prior incidents.
The inflators at the center of the probe are identified by the agency as products of Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co Ltd, also known as DTN. NHTSA has banned the components it blames for the crashes and says they malfunctioned in otherwise survivable collisions - sending large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes and faces.
According to the agency, there have been 13 reported incidents since May 2023 involving these replacement inflators. The reported incidents include three fatalities in Hyundai Sonata vehicles and 10 crashes involving General Motors vehicles that resulted in eight deaths and two serious injuries. NHTSA noted that all but the most recent GM crash involved Chevrolet Malibus.
GM did not immediately comment on the agency’s announcement.
DTN issued a response contesting the agency’s attribution. The company stated it "cannot be proven that the inflators in question" were manufactured by DTN, and said it also "cannot be proven that the accidents were caused by defective inflators." DTN added that it has never directly sold the inflators in question to the U.S. market.
NHTSA previously issued an urgent warning to vehicle owners and repair shops in January. Before the Dallas fatality, the most recent death attributed to these inflators occurred in February in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu.
In a pointed statement, NHTSA said: "Whoever is bringing them into the country and installing them is putting American families in danger." The agency is urging owners of vehicles that experienced an air bag deployment since 2020 to have their vehicles inspected, highlighting continuing safety concerns tied to the aftermarket inflators.
Context and implications
This development keeps attention focused on the safety of aftermarket replacement parts and the channels through which they enter and are installed in U.S. vehicles. The disagreement between NHTSA and the named manufacturer, DTN, also leaves open questions about provenance and liability that could influence repair-shop practices and consumer confidence.