US govt to warn motorists about counterfeit air bags

WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States government is preparing to warn car owners whose air bags have been replaced in the past three years that dangerous counterfeit bags may have been installed, according to auto industry officials who have been briefed by the government.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) alerted the industry in a series of telephone briefings on Tuesday that tens of thousands of car owners may be driving vehicles with counterfeit air bags, the auto industry officials said.

NHTSA testing has shown some of the counterfeit air bags do not inflate or fail to inflate properly, they said. In at least one case, a counterfeit bag fired shards of plastic and other projectiles on impact, they added.

The officials requested that their names not be used because NHTSA had asked them not to speak publicly about the problem until after an announcement scheduled for Wednesday.