Back in April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration alerted the public to deadly airbag inflators linked to 10 deaths since 2023. These particular inflators, possibly manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd., or DTN, throw shrapnel when deployed on impact. And although the agency had a company name, a part number, and some vehicle models involved, according to The Wall Street Journal, it’s been nearly impossible to track down who is putting these inflators in aftermarket airbags, let alone find how they’re getting onto the market.
NHTSA’s investigation into those 10 deadly crashes found each vehicle installed a replacement airbag with DTN-made airbag inflators, identified with the numbers DTN60DB on the inflator cap and manufactured between 2021 and 2022. In most cases, except one where there were no records of a prior accident, these airbags were aftermarket purchases to repair vehicles where the airbags had deployed. WSJ reports one individual whose used 2020 Chevrolet Malibu, which has been involved in a crash prior to his purchase, left him with disfiguring injuries after a crash. In another example, a woman died when her used 2020 Chevrolet Malibu crashed, it too had a replacement airbag after the original deployed in a prior accident.
None of this would have been found if not for the Takata airbag recall which prompted NHTSA to order automakers report any incident where an airbag ruptures, much like these DTN inflators.
The making and the replacing of an airbag
DTN initially responded to NHTSA’s April report, insisting it didn’t do business with the United States, which left the agency to believe these parts were likely imported illegally. DTN has since made efforts to shift blame as well as ask NHTSA to end its investigation against the company. Finding the illegal parts has proven nearly impossible thanks to how airbag modules for the steering wheel are put together.
A steering wheel airbag usually comes packaged as a one-piece unit, especially in the Chevrolet Malibus which made up 9 of the 12 reported incidents involving the DTN airbag inflators. That module contains the bag itself, the cover, and the airbag inflator. When the car is in an accident, depending on the force, the inflator is initiated, which pushes gas into the airbag to inflate and deploy it. These units cannot be bought piecemeal for repairs though. If you’re replacing a steering wheel airbag, you buy the airbag module unit which is then plugged into and set into the steering wheel.
Repair shops and dealers can buy these modules straight from the manufacturer, but those can be pricey. An original GM-manufactured Malibu replacement airbag for model year 2020 costs upwards of $1,000. To save a little money shops may opt to purchase that same 2020 Malibu replacement from a junkyard or on sites like eBay where you can get them “used” (not deployed). eBay as well as car-parts.com (great for finding used parts in junkyards in your area) those can range from $145 to a little over $500. If you really want to save some money though, you can go with an aftermarket airbag, which can cost about $100.
The trouble in following something that doesn’t legally exist
The inflators have to be manufactured into these aftermarket airbags somewhere. As to who is making them and including the deadly DTN inflators remains a mystery. The agency can’t follow the DTN inflators if they’re brought into the country illegally — there’s no paperwork. If they’re manufactured into an airbag prior to getting into the U.S., perhaps they can trace the manufacturer and find who is making them. But chances are the airbag modules themselves were brought into the country illegally as well, making tracing anything even more difficult.
NHTSA does potentially have one source: A 2024 case against a counterfeiting group based in North Carolina had sold 3,000 airbag modules containing DTN inflators and made to look like they were from several legitimate automakers. Documents WSJ obtained from the Justice Department said the airbags were imported illegally through a former North Carolina state transportation department employee and sold on Facebook Marketplace. No connection has been made between these airbags and the 12 reported faulty DTN cases so far.
WSJ shared two sellers that were connected to two of the airbags deployed in NHTSA’s findings: one eBay seller, a Michigan-based seller with the name “ffnn2002,” and another sold on eBay by a man named Brian Handal. Handal’s airbag was said to have had a GM sticker and seal on the bag, but no other information was shared as to where those airbags were purchased or their origins.
When vehicle history is incredibly important
NHTSA has been practicing its due diligence investigating sellers on both eBay and Meta’s platforms. It asked the companies to provide information into the oversight on products sold on their websites. In letters to the agency both companies explained they are a place for people to list products for sale. Neither is responsible nor liable for what products are sold. However, both have worked with NHTSA to provide more information about the sellers so the agency can trace who purchased airbags from them and send letters to inform those purchasers of the dangerous product.
In the interim, NHTSA encourages potential used car buyers or used owners to look into their vehicle’s history and if it was involved in a crash where the airbags were deployed they should get their vehicle inspected. It’s mostly to ensure there’s a proper replacement airbag and not an aftermarket module which could contain a DTN inflator. Vehicles that contained these airbags in NHTSA’s findings were used 2017-2019 Hyundai Sonatas and 2018-2022 Chevrolet Malibus that had previously been involved in an accident that deployed the airbag and had a replacement airbag installed. Although there is a possibility other models could be affected.
As we included in our last writing, if you believe or find that your vehicle has a DTN airbag inflator, contact the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236, your local Homeland Security Investigations office, FBI field office, or alternatively submit complaints online to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center or NHTSA.
