The Donald Trump administration is cracking down on Chinese-made airbag inflators used in vehicles sold in the U.S. that have been reportedly tied to multiple fatal crashes in recent years amid a push to nullify China’s growing influence in the auto and tech industries.

Illegal Chinese Airbags Result In Deaths

Taking to the social media platform X on Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized Chinese-made airbag inflators. “ILLEGAL CHINESE AIRBAGS can kill AMERICANS and they don't belong in our cars!” Duffy said in his post, adding that the administration was taking steps to crack down on “China and its deceptive ways.”

The airbag inflators in question are supplied by a Chinese company called DTN, or Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd., as stated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in an official press release on April 2nd. NHTSA said that the inflators, which were “illegally imported into the United States,” were to be blamed for over “10 fatalities and two serious injuries in a dozen crashes over the past three years.”

The agency also said that it was aware of the defects in General Motors Co.‘s (NYSE:GM) Chevrolet Malibu sedan, as well as the Hyundai Sonata, but warned that the defects could also affect other vehicles. GM recently recalled over 271,000 Malibu vehicles over a rearview camera defect. “These substandard parts are killing American families,” Duffy said in the statement, citing NHTSA findings.

Takata Airbags, GM Lawsuit

In the past, GM had issued a recall for 5.9 million vehicles over faulty airbag inflators made by Takata, which posed a risk of exploding or being deployed improperly. The investigation also affected several other automakers, including Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE:HMC), among others.

A class-action lawsuit was filed against GM, claiming that the automaker intentionally concealed defects in airbags and seatbelts. Plaintiffs alleged that GM had partnered with Delco Electronics to design an SDM or “Sensing and Diagnostic Module” to deploy airbags, but the automaker went against the engineers’ advice of deploying airbags 45 milliseconds after indication of a crash, instead programming it to deploy 150 milliseconds after.

Autoliv’s Biker Airbag Vest

Vehicle safety supplier Autoliv Inc. (NYSE:ALV) recently announced that it had successfully developed a fully integrated wearable airbag vest for motorcycle riders, which is touted to reduce injury risk in crashes for motorcycle riders. The vest has been developed in collaboration with RS Taichi.

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