FILE - Generic close-up of an automobile's interior dashboard with the inscription "airbag." Getty Images
Transportation officials in the U.S. are considering permanently banning Chinese-made air bag inflators that are said to have been involved in multiple deadly crashes in recent years.
The components come from Chinese airbag supplier DTN, also known as Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd.
DTN airbag inflator deaths
The backstory:
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into DTN inflators in October 2025.
The inflators are strictly prohibited from sale in the U.S. but have since been found installed in American vehicles, the agency said.
This month, NHTSA determined the DTN airbag inflators are to blame for 10 deaths and two serious injuries in a dozen crashes since May 2023.
The crashes happened in 10 states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, California, Kansas, Ohio and Missouri.
What happened:
Instead of inflating the air bag to protect the driver, these inflators exploded, sending large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes and faces, NHTSA said. The injuries that caused the deaths should have been survivable, the agency alleged.
NHTSA said the airbag part was likely illegally imported into the U.S.
So far, NHTSA is only aware of incidents involving Chevrolet Malibu or Hyundai Sonata vehicles – but there is no information indicating the problem is limited to those vehicles.
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Why you should care:
NHTSA has issued an urgent warning for anyone driving a vehicle that has previously been involved in a crash where the air bags deployed to check your vehicle’s history and see if you may be driving with a DTN air bag inflator, as you could be at risk for serious injury or death.
What you can do:
NHTSA urges used vehicle owners and buyers to learn their vehicle’s history and ensure the vehicle has approved air bag inflators.
A vehicle should be inspected if it was in a previous crash with an air bag deployment since 2020 and was not repaired by one of the manufacturer’s dealerships.
If you know for certain that your vehicle has never been in a crash or had its air bags replaced under unknown circumstances, this issue does not affect you.
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Meanwhile:
NHTSA is still investigating how many of these inflators have illegally entered the United States and will determine whether a permanent ban on U.S. sales of the inflator is required.
What they're saying:
"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 U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. "The Trump Administration will continue to fight to keep you and your family safe on our roads."
Report a DTN inflator
What's next:
If you discover your vehicle has a DTN inflator, you should stop driving the vehicle immediately, take action to get it replaced and report the illegal product to law enforcement and NHTSA.
You can get more information on how to do that here.
Recall information:
These air bag inflators are not currently under recall.
As it appears these inflators were likely illegally imported and a list of affected vehicles is not available, a traditional recall is unlikely to happen, NHTSA said.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from various NHTSA press releases. This story was reported from Detroit.