Eleventh US motorist death tied to banned Chinese airbag component

WASHINGTON - A person was killed in the US in August in a crash tied to banned substandard ​Chinese replacement automobile airbag inflators, the first such death since the US banned the components in April after they were linked to deaths in 10 crashes.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Sept 3 that the motorist was killed in Dallas on Aug 27 in a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, in an otherwise survivable crash.The agency has banned the replacement airbag inflators it blames for the deaths. They are made in China by Jilin Province Detiannuo ​Automobile Safety System, also known as DTN.There have been 13 such incidents reported since May 2023. Three people were killed in Hyundai Sonata vehicles, and 10 GM crashes involved eight fatalities and two serious injuries.All but the last GM incident involved the Chevrolet Malibus.GM did not immediately comment on Sept 3.NHTSA has said the DTN ‌airbag inflators malfunctioned in otherwise survivable crashes, “sending large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes and faces”.DTN responded to the agency ​it “cannot be proven that the inflators in question” were manufactured by the company “nor can it be proven that the accidents were caused by defective inflators.”DTN added ​it has never directly sold the inflators in question to the US market.The agency issued an urgent warning to owners and repair shops in January. Before the August death, the last fatal crash occurred in February in Clarksdale, ​Mississippi, in a 2020 ​Chevrolet Malibu.“Whoever is bringing them into the country and installing them is putting American families in danger,” NHTSA said.It urges owners of vehicles that were involved in a crash with an airbag deployment since 2020 to have their vehicle inspected. REUTERS