Sen. Levin Pushes for Increased CBP Effort Against Counterfeit Auto Parts

CBP needs to increase counterfeit interception efforts to help prevent the entrance of fake and faulty auto parts into the U.S., Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said in an Oct. 18 letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. "It is estimated that millions of counterfeit auto parts enter the United States every year with only a fraction being intercepted at the border," said Levin.

"A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advisory alerted consumers to the risk of counterfeit air bags. NHTSA warned vehicle owners and repair professionals that counterfeit air bags are being sold as replacement parts and provided a list of nearly 100 vehicles for which counterfeit air bags may be available," the letter said. "While the fake air bags look identical to authentic parts, they pose serious risk of failure. NHTSA testing found the fake parts may, in many cases, fail to deploy and, in others, spew metal shrapnel during deployment. It should come as no surprise that NHTSA found that counterfeit airbags were made in China."

The counterfeit parts "pose a serious public safety concern and are costing "American jobs," he said. Levin asked for a "detailed report of the specific actions the Department of Homeland Security is undertaking to protect the public from counterfeit air bags and other counterfeit auto parts."

(See ITT's Online Archives 12101626 for summary of recent arrests related to airbag counterfeiting.)