The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the inflators, made by a Chinese manufacturer called Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., known as DTN, have ruptured in a dozen crashes since 2022, sending jagged metal shards into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes and faces instead of deploying the cushioned bag designed to save their lives. All 12 crashes involved Chevrolet Malibu or Hyundai Sonata vehicles, though regulators cautioned that the danger may not be limited to those models.
The agency opened its investigation into DTN inflators in October 2025 and issued an initial decision finding a safety-related defect — a formal step that triggers a period of public comment and gives the company an opportunity to contest the findings. Regulators said they are still working to determine how many of the inflators have entered the country and whether a permanent sales ban is warranted.
“Our initial investigation into the use of illegal Chinese airbags in auto shops has revealed a disturbing trend: these substandard parts are killing American families,” said Sean P. Duffy, the secretary of transportation. “The Trump Administration will continue to fight to keep you and your family safe on our roads.”
The cases raise unsettling questions about the vulnerability of the used-car repair market to counterfeit components. Unlike new vehicles, which are subject to rigorous federal safety standards at the point of manufacture, cars repaired at independent shops can end up with parts that bypass those protections entirely — and owners may have no way of knowing.
NHTSA urged used-vehicle owners and buyers to learn their car’s repair history and to have it inspected by a reputable mechanic if the air bag was ever deployed in a crash since 2020 and the vehicle was not subsequently repaired at a manufacturer-authorized dealership. Any vehicle found to contain a DTN inflator, the agency said, should not be driven until the part is replaced with a genuine equivalent.
Identifying a suspect inflator can be difficult for the untrained eye. Federal investigators said DTN components can be recognized by a distinctive number sequence and bar code on the inflator’s module label, as well as a DTN serial number stamped on the inflator cap.
Owners who believe their vehicle may contain one of the illegal parts are asked to contact their local Homeland Security Investigations office or F.B.I. field office, or to file a complaint online with the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.
Public comments on the agency’s initial findings are being accepted through April 17 at regulations.gov, under Docket No. NHTSA-2026-0793.