General MOtors counterfeit airbag announcement

General Motors has identified 5 collisions that resulted in 3 fatal and 2 serious injuries that involved vehicles that had been repaired in the aftermarket with non-genuine counterfeit airbag assemblies.  GM is requesting law enforcement to report collisions that involve suspected counterfeit airbags to: gm_global_brand_protection@gm.com as they believe there are more unreported cases.  4 of the 5 known cases involved Chevrolet Malibu passenger cars that had prior service history as rental fleet vehicles with a prior frontal airbag deployment.

Some indicators of non-genuine airbags are:

• Shrapnel created by ruptured inflator

• Underinflated airbag cushion

• Tears and/or burns in airbag cushion

GM also reminds law enforcement that installing counterfeit or non-functional supplemental restraint systems is a 4-year felony under MCL 750.421d https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-750-421d.

See attached PDF by clicking button below for in-depth information.