Aug. 5, 2013—New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Counterfeit Airbag Prevention Act into law on Thursday, a move supported by the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA).
The legislation makes it a crime to knowingly import, install, reinstall or sell a counterfeit or nonfunctional airbag. The new law goes into effect in November.
"ARA is committed to speaking out against counterfeit airbags and warning the automotive repair industry community and consumers about the dangers they pose and their increasing prevalence," said ARA president Chris Wright. "We have met with U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) representatives twice this year, as recently as last month, to give our support of their October 2012 consumer advisory warning about the prevalence of counterfeit airbags, as well as request that future advisories acknowledge recycled OEM airbags as a practical repair option in repairs."
Legislation targeting counterfeit airbags was signed into law in Connecticut in July and state legislators in Ohio, New Mexico and Maryland introduced similar bills this year.
