The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced its initial decision to permanently ban airbag inflators produced by China's Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd. (DTN). The agency links the defective parts to 10 fatalities and two serious injuries in 12 crashes over three years.
According to NHTSA, the DTN inflators, which were likely imported illegally, can explode during deployment instead of inflating properly. This failure sends dangerous metal shrapnel into the vehicle cabin. The incidents involved frontal airbags in vehicles that had undergone prior repairs.
While the confirmed crashes involved Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata models using DTN parts as replacements, NHTSA warns the dangerous inflators may not be limited to those vehicles. The agency's investigation, opened in October 2025, found the crashes spanned 2017-2022 model years and occurred across 10 states.
Before a final ruling is issued, NHTSA must allow time for public comment and for DTN to formally challenge the decision.