False Airbags Are No Airbags
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Click here to view AORC's Position Statement on False or Remanufactured Airbags and Salvaged Airbags and Seat Belts  (Adobe PDF format)

•   How to protect yourself
•   Avoiding installation of a false airbag after a collision
•   Buying a used vehicle
•   False airbag model legislation

How to protect yourself.

More than 30 states do not have laws that protect consumers against false or remanufactured airbags.  Look for the following indicators that are typical of false airbags to determine if the airbag installed in your vehicle falls in this category:

•  Peeling paint or paint and glue drips on the airbag cover;
•  Unclear, illegible, or messy lettering or logos on the outside;
•  Uneven or lopsided look to the airbag cover;
•  Torn, frayed, or warped cover;
•  The outside color of the airbag module does not match the rest of the vehicle's interior colors;
•  The airbag warning light remains on or the warning light does not illuminate during vehicle startup.  (During vehicle startup, the airbag warning light on the instrument panel should illuminate and stay on for four to seven seconds, then remain off.  This brief illumination indicates a normal self-diagnostic check of the airbag wiring system.)

If you suspect a problem with the airbags in your vehicle, have them checked by a qualified mechanic or dealership.  Make the inspection facility aware that you expect written documentation indicating the status of your airbags.

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To avoid installation of a false airbag after a collision, carry out the following steps (if you have difficulty, your insurance company might be able to help or provide some information if your repair shop is on their "approved" list or they are paying the repair shop directly):

•  Request that all repaired airbags parts be available for your review (to help ensure that the old parts were not merely cosmetically altered).
•  Obtain a signed document from the repair facility stating that the original equipment airbags were installed.
•  Obtain the serial numbers from your deployed airbags and your new ones (to help ensure the old ones were not merely "re-stuffed").

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If you are buying a used vehicle, carry out the following steps before you purchase:

•  Obtain a signed document from the seller stating that the vehicle you are buying has working airbags before you purchase it.
•  Check the vehicle's history by using a service such as Carfax to determine if the vehicle has a recorded collision; if so, the airbags may have deployed and you should be extra careful to assure they have been replaced properly.
•  Prior to purchasing a used vehicle, arrange to have the vehicle taken to a reputable, qualified mechanic or dealership to have the airbags inspected.  A thorough mechanical inspection is always a good idea, as well.

For more information on having your airbag examined, call:
                  •  Supplemental Restraints Specialists at 800-238-1777
                  •  TechZone at 206-274-4105/800-224-7224

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FALSE AIRBAG MODEL LEGISLATION

Measure Summary

Prohibits installation or reinstallation of any object in lieu of an airbag that was designed in accordance with federal safety regulations for the make, model and year of vehicle, as part of a vehicle inflatable restraint system.

Relating to vehicle airbags; creates new crimes.

                  SECTION 1.  Any person who knowingly installs or reinstalls any object in lieu of an airbag that was designed in accordance with federal safety regulations for the make, model and year of vehicle, as part of a vehicle inflatable restraint system, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by the fine of five thousand dollars ($5000) per offense, or by confinement in the county jail for one year, or by both that fine and confinement.

                  SECTION 2.  Any person who installs or reinstalls as part of a vehicle occupant restraint system a salvaged or remanufactured part without specific warning notice of such installation to the vehicle owner, informing the vehicle owner that salvaged or remanufactured parts may not meet design requirements, and obtaining the vehicle owner's written consent to such installation, is guilty of misdemeanor, etc.

                   SECTION 3.  A salvaged or remanufactured part of a vehicle occupant restraint system is a part previously installed in and removed from a vehicle. 

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