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Thousands of motorists could be at risk of injury because of dangerous mostly Chinese-made counterfeit replacement airbags, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA).  Over the last three years many vehicle owners had their original airbags replaced by repair shops, not dealerships.

Attorney Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. recommends, "For motorists' safety, they should take their vehicles into a dealership to be inspected if they replaced their original airbags at a repair shop in the last three years." 

David Strickland, NHTSA Administrator said that NHTSA conducted 11 tests last month.  Ten of these tests resulted in the counterfeit airbags either not inflating properly or not inflating at all.  In one test a counterfeit bag shot flames and shards of metal shrapnel at the crash dummy instead of inflating.

NHTSA has issued a list of dozens of vehicle makes and models for which counterfeit airbags may be available.  However, they don't believe this is a complete list and expect the list to" evolve over time".  According to NHTSA only 0.1% of the U.S. vehicle fleet - about 250,000 cars on the road - are makes and models for which counterfeit airbags are known to be available.  Law enforcement has seized about 2,500 counterfeit airbags so far this year according to John Morton, Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

As of October 10, 2012, NHTSA is aware of counterfeit airbags available for the following vehicle makes and models:

If  you or a loved one has been in an accident as a result of the counterfeit airbags,  please contact us at the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. specializing in personal injury and wrongful death.

Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by less than 2 percent of Florida attorneys. He has handled over 1,500 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at  239. 337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839, or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com  for more information. You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County at 239.793.7748.