First inflator found in a Chevrolet Equinox. A defective Chinese-made replacement air bag inflator ruptured in a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox during an Aug. 27 crash in Dallas, killing the driver and marking the 11th U.S. death tied to inflators carrying the DTN60DB identifier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Sept. 3. The crash was […]
California Bureau of Automotive Repair Advisory Group to Weigh Airbag Sourcing Rule and Predatory-Towing Case July 30
Agenda pairs a pending airbag-parts regulation and a windshield calibration-disclosure bill with an enforcement case study built on a bandit-towing scheme. The California Bureau of Automotive Repair will convene its Advisory Group on July 30 for a session that puts several regulatory, legislative and enforcement matters affecting collision repair facilities before the panel, including a […]
California Proposes Airbag Safety Rule
Bureau of Automotive Repair proposal would restrict parts sourcing and require return to OEM operating conditions. The California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) has proposed expanding its airbag safety regulation to bar the state’s roughly 35,000 licensed automotive repair dealers from handling previously deployed, faulty or counterfeit airbags and to require that replacement airbag parts […]
ASE Urges Air Bag Inspections Amid NHTSA Warnings on Counterfeit Chinese Inflators
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence is advising motorists to have their air bags inspected by a certified technician, citing ongoing federal action against non-original equipment replacement inflators that regulators have linked to at least 10 deaths in the United States. The April 21 advisory from ASE lands less than two weeks after the […]
NHTSA Issues Initial Decision Finding Safety Defect in Chinese DTN Air Bag Inflators
Airbags linked to 10 deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued an initial decision finding that frontal driver air bag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd. (DTN) of China contain a safety-related defect, a step that could lead to a permanent ban on the sale of the inflators in […]
FCA Issues ‘Do Not Drive’ Warning for 225,000 Vehicles With Unrepaired Takata Air Bags
NHTSA urges public to use recall website to determine if a vehicle still needs a replacement airbag. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that FCA US has issued a “do not drive” warning for all remaining Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles with open Takata air bag recalls, affecting approximately 225,000 U.S. vehicles […]
Ford, Mazda Issue Do Not Drive Warnings for More Than 457,000 Vehicles with Recalled Takata Air Bags
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Ford Motor Co. and Mazda North American Operations today have issued urgent “Do Not Drive” warnings for more than 457,000 vehicles equipped with recalled, unrepaired Takata air bags. Consumers with one of these vehicles should not drive it until the repair is completed and the defective air […]
NHTSA Issues Alert on Imported Aftermarket Air Bag Inflators
Three killed, two injured by faulty imported inflators used to repair previous accident damage. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges used car buyers and owners to be aware of cheap, substandard replacement air bag inflators that can cause death or serious injury in a crash. In the last year, three people have been killed […]
CARFAX Reports 6.4 Million Vehicles Need Takata Airbags Replaced Ten Year After Start of Recalls
Ten years after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mandated the recall of Takata airbags nationwide because of the risk they pose for bodily harm – or even death – to occupants, more than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. still have those airbags, according to CARFAX data. More than 2.5 million – roughly […]
FCA Recalls Over 280,00 Vehicles for Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain Module Defect
FCA US LLC announced it is voluntarily recalling an estimated 284,982 U.S.-market vehicles to replace their side air bag inflatable curtain (SABIC) modules. The recall is limited to certain 2018-2021 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans. A routine review of customer feedback led to a Company investigation that discovered certain vehicles may have been equipped […]