A defective Chinese air bag inflator marked DTN60DB has killed an 11th person in the United States, in a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox in Dallas on 27 August 2026—the first Equinox fatality. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed the death, bringing the cumulative toll to 11 fatalities and three severe injuries from the banned component.

All 11 deaths and three severe injuries involved vehicles whose original frontal driver air bag inflators had been replaced with a DTN60DB inflator, which NHTSA describes as likely illegally imported. The component explodes on impact, propelling metal fragments into the driver’s chest, neck, eyes, and face in what NHTSA has described as otherwise survivable crashes.

NHTSA banned the importation and sale of the inflators earlier in 2026, the first prohibition the agency had issued in more than two decades. Its final decision found the inflators pose a risk of serious injury or death to drivers and passengers. All previous 10 deaths and three severe injuries occurred in Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata vehicles.

NHTSA urges owners of used vehicles involved in a crash with an air bag deployment since 2020 to have the vehicle inspected. Photographs of DTN60DB inflators and caps, along with the full investigation file, are available through NHTSA.

Source: NHTSA