While consumers may opt for third-party parts to save costs, airbags are a critical safety component that must function precisely in a collision. Despite this, the owner of a used car dealership in Ohio admitted to smuggling counterfeit airbags from China, falsely presenting them as genuine Honda parts for vehicles sold on the market.

This crime carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. However, a greater concern remains the unknown number of vehicles that left the dealership's lot with these potentially risky counterfeit airbags installed.

The US Department of Justice announced that John Bojorquez, 35, pleaded guilty to smuggling counterfeit goods. According to prosecution records, these actions occurred from August 2024 to May 2025 and involved at least 44 Honda-branded counterfeit airbags.

The interior of a 2020 Honda Odyssey advertised for sale by the dealership on 20/8. Photo: JB Ohio Auto Sale

In August 2024, US Customs and Border Protection at O'Hare International Airport (Chicago) intercepted a shipment containing 20 counterfeit airbags. The accompanying declaration simply stated "table nightlights." The same partner in China subsequently sent 4 more shipments that month. All were labeled "table nightlights" or "blue table nightlights." Authorities have not yet disclosed whether these additional shipments successfully cleared customs or how many products they contained.

By May 2025, during a search of JB Ohio Auto Sale in Galloway city, law enforcement officials discovered numerous counterfeit airbags hidden in laundry baskets and covered with towels.

Many questions currently remain unanswered. Investigators have not identified the specific Honda models affected, their VINs, the actual number of counterfeit airbags installed, or the number of victims impacted.

While Bojorquez's admission of smuggling 44 airbags does not confirm all of them were installed in customer vehicles, the safety risk is clear. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns that counterfeit airbags may fail to deploy or could even eject metal fragments upon activation.

Bojorquez faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; the specific penalty will be decided by a judge later. The US Attorney's Office has urged customers who purchased vehicles from JB Ohio Auto Sale to contact a hotline if they suspect their cars were fitted with counterfeit components. Unlike wheel rims or decorative logos, fake airbags are often only discovered when a driver needs them most.

In the US, at least 11 fatalities have been recorded due to exploding airbags that caused metal fragments to strike occupants. NHTSA reported the latest victim died in an accident on 27/8 in Dallas city while driving a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox. According to the agency, the victim could have been saved if not for the airbag explosion.

A driver with a long facial scar after an accident where fragments from the airbag inflator unit lodged in their face. Photo: WSJ

This marks the 11th fatality since 2023 in the US linked to airbag inflator units manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology (DTN) in China. It is also the first recorded death since the US issued a ban on this product line in April 2026.

From the manufacturer's perspective, DTN claims there is insufficient evidence to prove that the airbag inflator units involved in these accidents were produced by them, nor can it be concluded that they were the direct cause of the fatalities. DTN suggests that the faulty components in the US might be counterfeits bearing their brand.

In reality, when purchasing a used car, customers may know it was previously involved in an accident, but they might not know exactly which replacement parts were installed. They may be unaware whether the airbag system contains genuine manufacturer parts, legitimate third-party replacements, or counterfeit components.

My Anh (according to Carscoops)