A U.S. auto safety regulator warned car owners to avoid cheap, substandard replacement airbag inflators after the automotive parts were tied to three deaths and two life-altering injuries in the last year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday said the replacement parts are often manufactured by foreign companies “with little to no reputation of quality manufacturing or experience” and installed by disreputable establishments in vehicles previously involved in a crash. 

While sold at a low cost, the NHTSA says the replacement inflators are dangerous. They may deploy partially or too slowly, and have killed or severely injured drivers by “sending large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes and faces.” The crashes would have otherwise been survivable, the agency said.  

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The NHTSA advised drivers to:

  • Check a used vehicle’s history report before purchase and, if the car has been in a reported crash where the airbag was deployed, visit a mechanic or dealership for an inspection to make sure its replacement parts are genuine.
  • Work with reputable independent mechanics and manufacturer dealerships and ask about a replacement part’s brand and sourcing when a vehicle is being serviced. 
  • Be skeptical if shopping for replacement parts and prices seem too good to be true. 

The NHTSA says drivers with faulty inflators should have them replaced by a mechanic or dealership and report the part to their local Homeland Security Investigations office or FBI field office. Car owners can also submit an online complaint to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.

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