Eleventh U.S. Fatality Linked to Banned Chinese Airbag Inflators

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed that a motorist was killed in Dallas on August 27 when a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox’s airbag deployed a prohibited inflator manufactured in China by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System (DTN). The defective inflator shattered, propelling metal fragments into the driver’s chest, a scenario the agency says could have been survivable without the malfunction.

This incident is the eleventh U.S. death linked to the banned inflators, which were prohibited in April after being tied to ten prior fatalities. Reported cases include three deaths in Hyundai Sonata models and ten crashes involving General Motors vehicles, primarily Chevrolet Malibus. DTN has responded that it cannot prove the inflators in question were its products nor that they caused the accidents, noting it never sold them directly to the U.S. market. NHTSA has issued an urgent warning, urging owners of vehicles that experienced airbag deployment since 2020 to seek inspection, emphasizing that anyone importing or installing these parts endangers American families.