US national highway agency issues advisory over faulty air bag replacements in used cars

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is warning drivers about “cheap, substandard replacement air bag inflators” that can fail to prevent serious injuries or death in a vehicle wreck. The agency said Wednesday that three people have been killed and two suffered severe injuries in the past nine months due to substandard, aftermarket air bag inflators. In each of the five cases in which someone was killed or injured, the vehicle had previously been involved in a crash and the original airbags were replaced. The NHTSA is urging anyone buying a used car to  secure a vehicle history report.