An investigation into counterfeit airbags is underway after they were linked to five deaths in the US, where authorities have warned they are a “direct threat to public safety” and their fitment is a federal crime.

According to Carscoops , troublesome airbag inflator systems are being imported from China, and panel beaters and repair centres are often unaware they are being supplied with a counterfeit product.

These ‘fake’ components appear similar to genuine versions but are as much as 10 times cheaper, according to a US report.

“These fakes are often constructed with poor-quality materials and are more likely to fail because they’re only imitations of the engineering that goes into the real product,” Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council president Bob Stewart told The Wall Street

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