The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued its preliminary determination to permanently prohibit airbags manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd. (DTN). The ruling marks a significant step in a process that began when the agency launched its investigation into DTN inflators back in October 2025.
An NHTSA statement indicates the DTN inflators are responsible for 10 deaths and two severe injuries across 12 crashes spanning a three-year period. Every one of those 12 incidents involved frontal airbag inflators made by DTN. Investigators found that rather than deploying properly to shield occupants, the DTN inflators ruptured explosively, scattering metal fragments throughout the passenger cabin.
NHTSA reports that the DTN airbags had been installed as aftermarket replacements in vehicles that had previously sustained crash damage. The inflators were manufactured in China and are believed by NHTSA to have entered the United States through illegal import channels.
The incidents occurred across 10 states and involved 2017-through-2022 model-year vehicles. The crashes documented in NHTSA's investigation exclusively involved Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata models, though the agency cautions that DTN inflators may not be confined to those vehicles.
Federal law requires NHTSA to open a public comment period and give DTN the opportunity to contest the decision before a final determination is issued.
