LANSING, Mich. — Amid air bag recalls in some of the world's major automaker vehicles, Michigan lawmakers are trying to enact stricter punishments for manufacturing and installing defective air bags.
"We can't allow companies to hide behind a curtain during a period where they know there's a problem, but they're trying to identify how they're going to handle it," said Rep. Rachel Hood, D-Grand Rapids.
Michigan lawmakers introduced a bill in the House on Sept. 5 that would criminalize "knowingly and intentionally" manufacturing, dealing and installing faulty or counterfeit air bags. The felony charge would land someone up to four years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
Michigan drivers and their passengers deserve to be able to trust the life-saving safety features in their vehicles, said Rep. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, who introduced the bill along with Rep. Jim Lilly, R-Zeeland.
"As elected officials, we have a responsibility to protect our consumers from unsafe practices by bad actors, and this legislation will be a crucial step towards achieving it," Anthony said.
The driving force of the bill is a federal report that found around 65-70 million Takata air bags will be recalled by December 2019. Exposure to heat and humidity can cause the air bags to explode when they deploy.
A counterfeit air bag "displays a mark that is identical or substantially similar to the genuine mark of a manufacturer or supplier...without authorization from the manufacturer or supplier," according to the bill. These devices are extremely uncommon, said Dan Disselkoen, owner of Zeeland Collision in Holland Township.
"I don't know why anyone would even consider putting in something like that or working on something that doesn't work," Disselkoen said. "We're in the retail business, and the air bags have to work. There's no doubt about it."
More than 20 people have been killed, and hundreds have been injured by defective air bags. Nearly 20 lawmakers on both sides of the aisle co-sponsored the House bill.
"We don't see our air bags until it's the worst possible circumstance, so this gives us a chance to message proactively to get people to act preventatively and ask questions of their auto dealers," Hood said.
To look up a vehicle with an air bag recall, click this link.
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