PHMSA Issues Safety Advisory on Counterfeit Parts | Help Center | ICC

Mar 06, 2025

Do you work on cars as a professional mechanic, or even just as a hobbyist? If you do, crooks may be trying to swindle you by selling you counterfeit parts, endangering not just your wallet, but your safety. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its agency the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) have issued a warning to industry and individuals dealing with used cars and car maintenance that there has been a significant increase in counterfeit and substandard parts coming to market. Their safety advisory notice outlines the problem, and steps you can take to ensure the parts you’re using are safe and approved.

You can save yourself a lot of money by shopping around for the best deal in parts. But as most people are aware, there’s a vast market for counterfeit goods that can be purchased for a fraction of the price of real ones. Unlike a fake Rolex watch or a Gucci purse, however, counterfeit parts can be a serious safety issue.

Many of these parts can be purely mechanical. However, many replacement parts can be hazardous materials. These include so-called “safety devices” such as air bag inflators, air bag modules, seatbelt pretensioners, pyromechanical devices used for restraint, and other supplemental restraint system (SRS) components. PHMSA notes that “[t]he suspected replacement safety devices may be produced by companies with limited manufacturing experience and are sometimes sold at prices significantly lower than those of genuine, high-quality replacement devices, which are ordered online and shipped into or through the United States.” Often, of course, we realize that “you get what you pay for.” But the temptation of buying the lowest priced parts can be great. This is especially true since many of these counterfeiters may pay more attention to copying the packaging and labelling of legitimate suppliers than they do to producing a safe, working device.

The risk with these counterfeit parts can be substantial. Not only do we face the possibility of malfunction (such as an airbag that fails to work in an accident), but they may contain unapproved explosive devices or lithium batteries that may cause a dangerous reaction during transportation. They may also not be properly packaged or identified, so emergency responders and handlers during transportation will be at risk.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), more than 211,000 counterfeit automotive parts were seized in 2024. This almost doubled the number of parts seized in the previous year. Nearly 500 shipments of counterfeit air bags were seized.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that counterfeit air bags “consistently malfunction” in use. And these malfunctions can be deadly, from simply not working to restrain passengers in an accident to spraying plastic and metal shards throughout the passenger compartment when triggered. According to NHTSA, at least three fatalities have been identified as being due, at least in part, to these counterfeits.

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself (and the vehicle occupants) from counterfeits. Some recommendations include:

What if you determine a part appears to be counterfeit? The NHTSA advises that you contact the local Homeland Security Investigations office or FBI field office to file a report. You can also submit an online complaint to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. The CBP also has reporting resources at IPRCenter.gov or CBP’s online e-Allegations portal.

Finally, if you think you’re at risk, you can contact the call center that has been established by your automotive manufacturer to have your vehicle inspected (unfortunately, this will be at your own expense) and its air bags replaced if necessary. The full list of call centers and additional information is available at www.SaferCar.gov.

Many people are unaware that many automotive parts are also hazardous materials for transportation. If you have questions about them, or how to ship them, our team of experts is just a call away for our customers at 855.734.5469 or send us an email, we’re happy to help.

We have all the products, services, and training you need to ensure your staff is properly trained and informed.

PHMSA Safety Advisory Notice 2024-16, https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/2025-01/PHMSA%20Safety%20Advisory%20Notice%20-%20Vehicle%20Safety%20Devices.pdf

Homeland Security Investigations, “Automotive Safety Awareness Campaign Warns Consumers About Counterfeit Airbags,” https://www.dhs.gov/archive/hsi/news/2024/09/23/automotive-safety-awareness-campaign-warns-consumers-about-counterfeit-airbags

NHTSA, “Consumer Alert: NHTSA Alerts Used Car Owners, Buyers of Dangerous, Substandard Replacement Air Bags,” https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/used-car-owners-buyers-dangerous-replacement-air-bag-inflators

U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, “NHTSA, ICE alert consumers to dangerous of counterfeit air bags,” https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/nhtsa-ice-alert-consumers-dangers-counterfeit-air-bags