The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering banning certain Chinese-made replacement airbags, which it says were “likely” illegally imported and installed in previously crashed vehicles.
The agency declared on Thursday that frontal driver airbag inflators manufactured by China’s Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology (DTN) contain a defect related to motor vehicle safety.
Airbag inflators activate upon receiving a signal from collision sensors, inflating the bag to protect the passengers of the vehicle.
The decision follows another confirmed rupture of the airbag system caused by the inflator during a crash in February — which led to another fatality.
The NHTSA is now aware of 12 confirmed inflator ruptures in the United States, resulting in 10 fatalities and two severe injuries since May 2023.
In each case, the DTN inflator ruptured upon deployment during a crash, ejecting metal shrapnel into the vehicle cabin.
NHTSA said the deaths occurred in crashes that would otherwise have been survivable.
Potential Ban
While no formal recall has been issued, a potential ban is being considered.
As replacement equipment, the legal mechanism differs from a standard vehicle recall.
If NHTSA issues a final defect determination, the sale of DTN inflators — whether standalone or installed in an airbag module — would be explicitly illegal under federal law.
The agency is accepting public comment through April 17 before making a final decision.
NHTSA also issued an alert to the auto repair industry, urging shops to be on the lookout for DTN inflators and report any findings immediately.
Owners of used vehicles — particularly those with salvage or rebuilt titles or a history of airbag deployment — should have their vehicles inspected by a dealership or certified mechanic, the regulator added.
If a DTN inflator is found, the vehicle should not be driven until it is replaced with genuine parts.
Suspected DTN inflators should be reported to NHTSA and to the FBI or Homeland Security Investigations.
Affected Vehicles
The inflators were manufactured by DTN in 2021 and 2022 and were likely imported into the United States illegally, according to the agency.
They were installed as aftermarket replacement parts in vehicles that had been involved in a prior crash in which the original driver airbag had deployed.
Because they are replacement equipment rather than original parts, a standard VIN lookup cannot identify affected vehicles.
All 12 ruptures involved DTN60DB-series inflators installed in Chevrolet Malibu (model years 2018–2022) and Hyundai Sonata (model years 2017–2019) sedans.
Most carried salvage or rebuilt titles.
Nine of the 12 incidents involved Chevrolet Malibu vehicles, with the remaining three being Hyundais.
The first crash dates back to 2023, but the pace has accelerated sharply. Five of the 12 incidents occurred in 2025 — all fatal — followed by another fatality in February 2026.
Geographically, the South accounts for five of the 12 cases, with three reported in Texas alone. The Midwest recorded three, the West three, and the Northeast one.
According to the NHTSA, there is no information suggesting the risk is limited to those two models.
The agency said it has been unable to estimate how many DTN inflators may be circulating in the United States beyond an initial estimate of 10,000 units.
NHTSA sent an information request to DTN last December, to which the company answered in February with partial production data.
According to the agency, DTN failed to reply to a supplemental request by its March 23 deadline.
Investigation
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a formal engineering analysis on DTN inflator ruptures last October, after receiving reports of eight crashes involving the system.
At that stage, six drivers had been killed and two severely injured.
In January, the NHTSA issued an urgent warning to used car buyers and repair shops after three drivers were killed in October and December crashes involving DTN inflators.
By then, Hyundai stated it was deeply concerned by reports that counterfeit airbag inflators had ruptured in three used older Sonata vehicles.
According to Reuters, the company stressed that the components were not supplied or authorized by the automaker and had been installed in vehicles with salvaged or rebuilt titles.
The Hyundai Sonata is currently on the 2026 model year — with gas, turbo, and hybrid powertrain options available in the US market.
The vehicle is priced from $28,545 and produced exclusively in South Korea, after Hyundai halted assembly of the model in the US by 2022.
General Motors, on the other hand, has not commented on the situation.
Chevy Malibu
GM ended production of the Chevrolet Malibu in November 2024 at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, with the 2025 model year being the last.
By then, the factory was being retooled — with a $390 million investment — to build the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV.
The new Bolt started production in November and reached dealerships three months ago, priced under $30,000 — an affordable price point that had driven Malibu demand for over 60 years.
As sales for the fully electric model began, however, GM said the Bolt will be a “limited run” model.
Production is now expected to end around mid-2027, as the company shifts its strategy away from EVs and increases focus on internal combustion engine (ICE) models.
As part of this transition, the gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox — previously built in Mexico — will begin production in Kansas by mid-2027.
After that, the next-generation Buick Envision, which is currently manufactured in China, is scheduled to start production there in 2028.
General Motors scaled back its EV plans in response to high US tariffs and shifting domestic policies around electric vehicles.
The company is facing a $7.6 billion charge tied to contract cancellations and production stoppages as it scales back its EV plans across multiple factories.
GM has said it will make future investments in affordable EVs at Fairfax, but has not committed to a timeline.
