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Fighting Back
No question, consumers must be vigilant. For starters, motorists should demand that their legislators pass tough laws making it a specific crime to knowingly install fake or nonfunctioning airbags in vehicles. "Airbag scams are literally life-and-death swindles that can kill people on a routine trip to the grocery store," says Quiggle of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. "Every driver should step into a car knowing they have one of the most important safety defenses in place, the airbag."Further compounding the risk: There's no uniformity in how states define salvaged or junked vehicles. That creates an opportunity for dishonest dealers and rebuilders to have titles "washed" of their relevant history by moving a vehicle from state to state.
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) is designed to put a stop to this illegal activity. Authorized in 1992, NMVTIS allows states to instantly verify titles electronically. That means a car declared a total loss in one state cannot have its title washed of that label in another.
Currently, 34 states supply information to NMVTIS; of those, only 13 have computer systems set up to access the data immediately. But every state needs to implement the system to effectively eliminate title fraud. Otherwise, the 16 states (and the District of Columbia) that are not participating will continue to be disproportionately targeted by con artists. "It's unbelievable that it has taken 16 years to get this far, given the stakes for families," says Rosemary Shahan of CARS.
Adds Jason King of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, "It's important for consumers to know that vehicle fraud crimes, whether they involve airbag fraud, title washing or something else, are high profit and very low risk for criminals. If consumers had a fully implemented title information system in every state, we could help save them between $4 billion and $11 billion. That's a huge benefit for a system that would cost no more than $11 million to fully implement."
Last year, at the urging of legitimate auto dealers who want to ensure they're not putting families in unsafe used cars, companion bills were introduced in the House and Senate. This legislation requires that totaled, flood-damaged and stolen cars be permanently recorded in vehicle history databases and that insurance companies consistently report cases of airbag deployment to the public. Congress plans to take up the issue in the spring.
"What's frustrating," says Quiggle, "is that innocent people will keep dying until fraud fighters can uncover enough hard data to make airbag schemes an urgent national safety issue."
How junked cars end up back on the road with used airbags -- or none at all.
● After a front-end collision and airbag deployment, the owner's insurance company declares the car totaled and submits the title to the state, where the claim is filed. The title is branded a total loss.
● The insurer sends the car to a salvage auction. A crooked rebuilder buys the car, makes cosmetic repairs and replaces the deployed airbags with stolen or used ones -- or with junk (cans, sneakers, rags).
● What's total loss? States disagree, so a rebuilder washes the title of its history by sending the car to a state that has more lenient standards and where it's easier to get a clean title.
● The car is advertised as being in good condition.
● The buyer has problems with the car and gets it inspected, or the car is in an accident.
● The buyer then learns the car was a salvaged wreck. The airbags don't work or they're missing altogether.
Airbags are part of a complex system controlled by an onboard computer. A sensor detects a collision force and sends a signal to the inflation system, igniting a propellant that burns rapidly enough to produce nitrogen gas. This causes the thin, folded nylon bag to inflate and burst from its storage compartment, slowing an occupant's forward motion in a fraction of a second.
Is It Working?
When you turn on your car's ignition, the airbag system undergoes a self-diagnostic check. In most vehicles, a dashboard light comes on briefly, then goes out. If the light doesn't come on, or if it comes on and stays on, have a certified airbag mechanic take a look. Find a certified airbag mechanic with the ASE Blue Seal Recognition Program.
Get familiar with how the cover looks and feels. If you need to have airbags replaced after an accident, the color of the new cover should be more vibrant than the rest of the interior. If it's faded, or if the color doesn't match, you may have received a salvaged airbag.
Important: Don't open the airbag compartment yourself. You could be injured or damage the airbag system.
After An Accident
The National Insurance Crime Bureau advises you to:
1. Use a reputable auto collision repair shop that employs mechanics certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).
2. Check the invoice to ensure the repair shop purchased the airbag from the manufacturer.
3. Inspect the airbag before installation. It should be packaged in a sealed container from the manufacturer.
4. If you suspect fraud or theft, call the National Insurance Crime Bureau's hotline: 800-835-6422.
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