Following lawsuits, NHTSA launches investigation into counterfeit Chinese airbags

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced in a filing today that it is investigating allegedly deadly counterfeit airbags manufactured by China-based Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology, or DTN Airbag.

National plaintiff’s law firm Morgan & Morgan has been actively pursuing cases against DTN for more than a year, representing several families who lost their loved ones when the company’s airbag inflators ruptured, sending metal and plastic shrapnel flying toward vehicle occupants with lethal velocity.

According to NHTSA, there are six known fatalities so far involving DTN airbags. Morgan & Morgan represents the families of the deceased in four of these cases. Two have been filed so far: one on behalf of Destiny Marie Byassee, 22, of Port Charlotte, FL and the other on behalf of Patricia Riggle, 48, of Oklahoma City, OK. Ms. Byassee’s case was the first to be filed alleging deadly consequences from one of DTN’s airbag inflators.

American companies and sellers have allegedly played a role in these deaths as well. In Ms. Byassee’s case, Morgan & Morgan attorney Andrew Parker Felix recently filed an amended complaint adding eBay as a defendant, alleging eBay allowed the counterfeit airbag to make its way into Ms. Byassee’s vehicle by violating their own policies related to re-selling car parts.

A statement follows from Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Andrew Parker Felix:

“These airbags have allegedly killed people and ripped families apart, and I’m glad that this issue is getting the attention it deserves. The most tragic part is that these ticking time bombs don’t just fail to protect drivers, they turn otherwise survivable crashes into completely preventable deaths. These counterfeit products are being installed in cars across the country, and yet holding Chinese manufacturers accountable in U.S. courts remains exceedingly difficult. We look forward to uncovering the full extent of this issue. We believe any foreign company that manufactures parts for vehicles sold in the United States must be subject to our laws — and held fully accountable for the injuries and deaths their products cause.”