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Three people killed by defective replacement air bag inflators, US security agency says

A U.S. car security regulator stated on Wednesday that 3 individuals have been killed and two seriously hurt in the last 9 months by lowcost faulty replacement air bag inflators.

The National Highway Traffic Security Administration urged used car purchasers and owners to beware of second-rate imported inflators that can trigger death or severe injury in a crash. The company stated the inflators, which had actually been set up after prior crashes, malfunctioned in subsequent crashes, sending out big metal pieces into drivers.

These suspect replacement parts are often produced by foreign business with little to no track record of quality producing or experience, sold at prices far below the cost of quality genuine devices, purchased online ... and set up by those aside from respectable repair shops or producer car dealerships, the agency stated.

The NHTSA added that consumers need to get a. vehicle-history report before acquiring a used automobile and, if. it remained in a previous crash, visit an independent mechanic for an. air bag examination to make sure the parts are real.

If it's too great to be real, it most likely is-- and it might be. deadly, the company stated.

For several years, NHTSA has actually investigated air bag inflators that can. break down after long-lasting exposure to high humidity.

More than 30 deaths worldwide, including 26 U.S. deaths, and. hundreds of injuries in various automakers' automobiles because 2009. have actually been brought on by Takata air bag inflators that can explode,. letting loose metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks.

Over the last decade, more than 67 million Takata air bag. inflators have been recalled in the United States by more than. 20 car manufacturers, and more than 100 million inflators remembered. worldwide, in the most significant vehicle safety callback in history.

(source: Reuters)