If You Have Had Anyone Other Than a Car Dealer Replace Your Vehicle's Airbags or Purchased a New Airbag Online to Make a Repair, You May Be at Risk
Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has become aware of a serious problem involving the sale of counterfeit airbags for use as replacement parts in vehicles that have been involved in a crash. Many of these airbags look identical to certified original equipment parts including bearing the insignia and brand of automakers. NHTSA testing showed consistent malfunctioning rising from non-deployment of the airbag to the expulsion of metal shrapnel during deployment. It is estimated that almost 200,000 vehicles are at risk.
The airbag defect firm of Reiff & Bily is very concerned that many consumers whose vehicles have been in a crash and had their airbags replaced by repair shops that are not a part of a car dealership within the past three years, or who have purchased replacement airbags online, should contact the call centers established by automobile manufacturers to have their vehicles inspected at their own expense and/or have their airbag replaced if necessary. A list of call centers and additional information is available online at www.safercar.gov.
Many times, the counterfeiting of products only causes trivial harm to the people who buy the fakes. However, with many counterfeit items, such as clothing or watches, a life is not at risk. As consumer safety and auto safety advocates, we believe that safety should never trump profitability and safety should never be an option and that those who place others in a position of danger must be held accountable.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective airbag and its non-deployment or over-aggressive deployment, contact one of our experienced Philadelphia defective car lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation. For the last 20 years, our lawyers have consecutively been recognized as some of the top attorneys in the United States and we have recently been elected as Top 100 National Trial Lawyers and Top 100 Lawyers in Philadelphia as well Top Attorneys in the Northeast. Contact us toll free at (800) 421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
