Recycled, recalled airbags put lives at risk

Auto experts suggest checking vehicle, airbag history

SAN ANTONIO – Airbags can and do save lives, but when one nearly killed a Las Vegas teenager, it exposed the danger of recalled airbags being recycled and installed in the cars of unsuspecting drivers.

When 18-year-old Karina Dorado crashed her Honda in March in Nevada, metal shards from the airbag inflator ripped into her windpipe.

"The vehicle she was driving had a recalled airbag in it," the family's attorney Billie Marie Morrison told KTNV-TV.

It was a recalled Takata airbag, one of more than 69 million that have been recalled. But there is more: It was also a recycled airbag.

RELATED: Honda recalls Accords in the US to check replaced air bags

 

Before the teen's father purchased the car, it had been in a wreck and was sold to a salvage yard, according to attorneys. It was rebuilt and resold.

"More than 750,000 airbags are replaced  every year, and it' s not uncommon for shops to use recycled airbags that were taken from vehicles on salvage yards or sold online and put into vehicles where the airbag's deployed in an accident," said Chris Basso, with Carfax.

READ MORE: Takata pleads guilty to fraud in air bag case

 

Using a recycled airbag can be a cheaper alternative to buying an original part from the manufacturer.

The danger, according to Basso, lies in not checking the recycled airbag to see if it's been recalled.

"Information is the first step to protection," he said.

To check your vehicle or a used vehicle you are considering buying, check the vehicle's history by using an online tool such as Carfax or Safer Car. That should tell you if the vehicle has been in a crash and if the airbag deployed.

RELATED: Hawaii sues Ford, Nissan and Toyota over dangerous air bags

 

If it has, Basso suggests you take the vehicle to a trusted mechanic who can pop open the airbag compartment. The mechanic can use the serial numbers to determine if the airbag is a replacement and has been recalled.

Such a check costs approximately $60. 

Not checking may cost much more.

"You could definitely be driving around in a ticking time bomb that could kill  you if you are in an accident," Basso said.

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About the Author:

Marilyn Moritz is an award-winning journalist dedicated to digging up information that can make people’s lives a little bit better. As KSAT’S 12 On Your Side Consumer reporter, she focuses on exposing scams and dangerous products and helping people save money.