Authorities seizing more dangerous fake car parts

SALT LAKE CITY — Imagine you’re in a violent car crash but then instead of an airbag popping out of the steering wheel it’s a dish rag. Yes, it sounds like it’s from a bad cartoon, but it has happened in real life according to a report from the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council.

It tells tales of counterfeit air bags, counterfeit brake pads, counterfeit wheels and other knock-off parts that American consumers may be buying unwittingly for their cars. And despite these warning bells being several years old, the issue is getting worse, not better, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Border Patrol agents have “seized more than 211,000 counterfeit automotive parts in fiscal year 2024, almost doubling the number of counterfeit automotive parts seized the previous year,” says the Homeland Security website. And they have “seized more than 490 counterfeit airbags — more than 10 times the number of counterfeit airbags seized in fiscal year 2023.”

Just one counterfeit part

But the number you should worry about is one, because just one counterfeit part in your car can spell disaster, says CARFAX editor-in-chief Patrick Olsen.

“There was a woman who was killed in Florida over the last year when her counterfeit airbag exploded sending shrapnel into her as she was sitting in the car,” Olsen said. “It’s terrifying stuff and it’s happening on an increase in basis.”

CARFAX has its own data, much of which they collect after accidents. It shows there are a lot of potential victims who, after a crash, are looking for replacement parts and need to be on the lookout.

“Over the last two years there were 1.9 million times where an airbag went off on the car, and those cards are still on the road,” said Olsen. “So, that’s 1.9 million times a scammer has an opportunity to put in a bad airbag.”

To avoid buying counterfeit parts, consumers should be wary of prices that seem drastically lower than comparable parts. If you don’t see a warranty for that part, you should know that most knock-off parts won’t have a warranty. And because it’s often mechanics that are buying and installing parts be sure to go to a reputable mechanic that you trust.