FraudNews
10-11-2012, 12:52 PM
The Obama Administration sent out a warning to millions of drivers – thousands of folks could be driving vehicles that have fake airbags installed in their vehicles and they must pay to have them replaced.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the folks most at risk for having defective air bags are ones who had their bags replaced by a repair shop in the last three years. Car dealerships were not affected.
Just 0.1 percent of U.S. vehicles (or 250,000) with counterfeit air bags are actually known. It’s possible that tens of thousands of vehicle owners are driving with the fake airbags and not even know it.
Government tests of 11 airbags showed that 10 didn’t inflate or improperly inflated. In one government test, an airbag sent shards of metal shrapnel and flames at the crash dummy rather than inflating like it should have. David Strickland, agency administrator, said it’s a real safety issue.
The NHTSA is asking vehicle owners to go to www.Safercar.gov (http://www.Safercar.gov) to learn how they can get in touch with auto manufacturer call centers to find out what vehicle models are known to be affected.
The agency said at this point no injuries or deaths have been connected to the fake bags. Industry officials said it’s not known if accident investigators would easily spot a fake airbag.
According to Center for Auto Safety Executive Director Clarence Ditlow, approximately 1.5 million airbags are used every year. He said every year thousands of lives are saved because of airbags. However, if not repaired correctly, lives can’t be saved.
The NHTSA has put together a list of known vehicle makes and models that have the counterfeit airbags in them. However, it’s not clear how big the problem is, which means the list is anticipated to grow.
Should a car model be listed and a repair shop, not car dealership, be the ones to replace the air bags in the last three years, owners are asked to take their vehicle to a repair shop or dealership to have it looked at. The cost to do this will be incurred by the owner, usually running between $100 and $200. If replacement is necessary, it could run in the hundreds to thousands of dollars.
It’s not the fault of automakers and there’s no recall; it’s the counterfeiters who are at fault, said the NHTSA. The cost to pay for the replacement, unfortunately, will have to come from the consumer.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the folks most at risk for having defective air bags are ones who had their bags replaced by a repair shop in the last three years. Car dealerships were not affected.
Just 0.1 percent of U.S. vehicles (or 250,000) with counterfeit air bags are actually known. It’s possible that tens of thousands of vehicle owners are driving with the fake airbags and not even know it.
Government tests of 11 airbags showed that 10 didn’t inflate or improperly inflated. In one government test, an airbag sent shards of metal shrapnel and flames at the crash dummy rather than inflating like it should have. David Strickland, agency administrator, said it’s a real safety issue.
The NHTSA is asking vehicle owners to go to www.Safercar.gov (http://www.Safercar.gov) to learn how they can get in touch with auto manufacturer call centers to find out what vehicle models are known to be affected.
The agency said at this point no injuries or deaths have been connected to the fake bags. Industry officials said it’s not known if accident investigators would easily spot a fake airbag.
According to Center for Auto Safety Executive Director Clarence Ditlow, approximately 1.5 million airbags are used every year. He said every year thousands of lives are saved because of airbags. However, if not repaired correctly, lives can’t be saved.
The NHTSA has put together a list of known vehicle makes and models that have the counterfeit airbags in them. However, it’s not clear how big the problem is, which means the list is anticipated to grow.
Should a car model be listed and a repair shop, not car dealership, be the ones to replace the air bags in the last three years, owners are asked to take their vehicle to a repair shop or dealership to have it looked at. The cost to do this will be incurred by the owner, usually running between $100 and $200. If replacement is necessary, it could run in the hundreds to thousands of dollars.
It’s not the fault of automakers and there’s no recall; it’s the counterfeiters who are at fault, said the NHTSA. The cost to pay for the replacement, unfortunately, will have to come from the consumer.