AUTO INSURANCE ARTICLE

Airbag Fraud On Used Cars

By: regalado

Replacement airbags can cost thousands which may range from 1,000 to 3,000 dollars but illegal repair shops can pocket a work which never gets done. Airbag fraud is purely pocket motivated were its repair can cost a hundreds of dollars for an easy consumer.

Some study proving that airbag fraud is a growing problem. There are thousands of people driving their car without knowing that their airbags are fake. Fake or dummy airbags is relatively a huge business because brand new airbags can cost hundreds of dollars.

According to Capt. Tom Hunker, head of the Murder and Fraud Division in North Miami Beach, Florida “We have one place here just outside the city that admitted to selling over six thousand just shells... so we know that this is a very profitable thing for these people involved in.”

In Los Angeles, there is a survey showing an almost 5 percent cars on its road acquiring an airbag defect due to fraud; and a particular car insurance company received an over 400 car repair claims brought by fake airbags.

Drivers across the country have been killed on repaired cars with dummy air bags. In 2003, a 50 year old nursing assistant were killed in a car accident in a highway in Seattle. The investigation shows that her 1998 Toyota Corolla side airbag was never expand because an empty airbag with its original cover were installed. As rescue personnel say that having fraud airbags can brought as many as fatal injuries such as head injury, chest and others.

Experts says that there are few ways to avoid becoming a victim of dummy airbags.

Oftentimes, fake airbags has a distinct features, its colors is slightly different from its original color and it has blank spot where its trademark is located.

When you start your vehicle, look for an airbag light. Most vehicles that are equipped with airbags do their own self diagnostic test when you turn on the ignition. An airbag light will flash when you start the vehicle, so when you don’t see any light even after a few seconds, there might be an airbag problem.

Even if the airbag light works properly, difficulty might still exist. Check the vehicle history report if it’s previously involved in an accident or damage caused by flood. To certainly determine the actual vehicle condition, you can perform thorough vehicle diagnostic test from the dealer repair shops.

If you encounter any problem with your airbags do not examine the system yourself because airbags is more likely sensitive and must be examine by an expert mechanic or on the vehicle’s authorized service center.

When purchasing a used car make sure to check it first by an expert mechanic. Only a qualified mechanic can check the airbag system... And owning a vehicle without quality airbags is relatively risky.