On the Dash:
- Dealers should inspect vehicles that received replacement driver airbag inflators after crashes, especially used vehicles.
- Vehicles equipped with defective DTN60DB inflators should not be driven until the components are replaced with genuine parts.
- Accident and vehicle history reports can help identify vehicles that may have received replacement airbags after a crash.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has linked an 11th death to banned Chinese airbag inflators after a crash in Dallas on Aug. 27. The crash involved a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox and would have been survivable under normal circumstances, NHTSA said.
The previous 10 fatalities involved Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata models that had each received a replacement front driver airbag inflator after an earlier crash. NHTSA has labeled the inflators, marked with the identifying number DTN60DB, as defective and likely illegally imported. NHTSA and Reuters say the defective parts were manufactured in China by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., known as DTN.
This issue is distinct from the broader Takata airbag recall campaign. NHTSA recommends that owners determine whether a used vehicle has been involved in a crash that deployed an airbag since 2020, since identifying the problem can be difficult without automotive experience.
Meanwhile, dealers should pay close attention to accident history when evaluating used vehicles for sale, as vehicle history reports can show whether a car was in a previous crash that deployed its airbags. NHTSA also recommends that owners have any suspected vehicles inspected promptly.
Owners should keep any vehicle with a DTN60DB inflator parked until a dealer replaces the part with a genuine component. Owners are also encouraged to report defective inflators to local Homeland Security Investigations or FBI field offices. According to NHTSA, the latest fatality underscores the risks tied to improperly sourced replacement airbag components.
