Dearborn, Michigan — The Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council (A2C2) has issued a call-to-action for eBay to cease its sale of airbags and airbag components, stating that it is the “only way to prevent the sale of dangerous counterfeit airbags” on eBay.com.
A2C2 said it has been working with e-commerce marketplaces like eBay since 2015, highlighting the dangers of allowing online sales of airbags and related components. The group also said it provided examples of the counterfeits for sale on certain sites.
The organization—which is made of several automaker representatives from OEMs like Daimler, Ford and Honda—said it has been in direct contact with eBay on the subject since 2017.
“While several e-commerce platforms have responded by enacting a broad sales prohibition of all airbags and airbag components to address the growing problem, eBay has not followed suit,” wrote A2C2.
“Counterfeit airbags pose a serious threat to the health and safety of the motoring public as they are not made to airbag manufacturer’s specifications; are not subject to quality control tests or application of industry safety measures and do not abide by existing federal regulations,” wrote A2C2 in its press release, issued last Thursday.
“These fake airbags are notoriously difficult to spot, often appearing nearly identical to genuine, original equipment parts, but in the most tragic cases they can result in catastrophic failures with fatal consequences,” said A2C2 President Teena Bohi. “For this reason, A2C2 has consistently advocated for e-commerce platforms to ban the listing of all airbags and related SRS components on their sites.”
