(AP) -Government officials are warning car owners about counterfeit airbags.
"
Most at risk" are motorists who have had their airbags replaced over the past three years by a repair shop other than a new car dealership, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials said.Officials say the phony airbags do not properly inflate and in one case, an airbag exploded with metal shrapnel during testing.
Only 0.1 percent of the U.S. vehicle fleet, about 250,000 cars on the road, are makes and models for which counterfeit airbags are known to be available.
NHTSA is asking car owners to check a government website, www.Safercar.gov, for information on how to contact auto manufacturer call centers to learn if their vehicle model is among those for which counterfeit airbags are known to have been made.
