The Morgan and Morgan airbag lawsuits are three wrongful death cases filed in Florida, Oklahoma, and Utah over counterfeit airbag inflators, made by a Chinese company known as DTN, that ruptured in low-speed crashes and killed the drivers with metal shrapnel. The firm has secured a $603 million jury verdict in the first case and says it is investigating at least three more fatalities tied to the same defective parts.1GlobeNewsWire. Morgan & Morgan Continues Fight Against Deadly Counterfeit Airbags Following NHTSA Safety Warnings
What the Lawsuits Allege About the Airbag Defect
Every one of the three cases centers on aftermarket driver-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology Co., Ltd., commonly called DTN. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these inflators contain a defect that causes them to rupture on deployment. Instead of inflating the airbag cushion, they spray metal fragments into the driver. NHTSA has linked DTN inflators to 10 deaths and two serious injuries across 12 U.S. crashes between May 2023 and February 2026.2NHTSA. Deadly Air Bag Replacements
These are not factory-installed parts. They enter vehicles through a specific pathway: a car crashes and its original airbag deploys, the vehicle is declared a total loss or sold at auction, and a repair shop installs a cheap DTN inflator as a replacement before the car goes back on the market. Manufacturer specifications require a deployed airbag module to be replaced with new, compliant parts. The counterfeit versions cost far less.3Repairer Driven News. Family Files Suit Over Teen Killed by Improper Repair Involving Counterfeit Airbag
The parts have primarily turned up in Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata models, though NHTSA has warned the risk may extend to other vehicles. Because the inflators are not tied to a vehicle identification number, tracking them through a normal recall process is essentially impossible.4Federal Register. Initial Decision That Certain Frontal Driver Air Bag Inflators Manufactured by Jilin Province
The Destiny Byassee Case and the $603 Million Verdict
The first suit was filed in May 2024 in Broward County, Florida, on behalf of the estate of Destiny Byassee, a 22-year-old mother of two. Byassee was killed on June 11, 2023, when a low-speed collision triggered the DTN replacement inflator in her car. The metal shrapnel struck her throat and she bled to death.5Road & Track. Florida Jury Awards Deceased Victim’s Family $603 Million in Counterfeit Airbag Death Lawsuit
The complaint named six defendants: DTN; ELRAC, LLC (doing business as Enterprise Rent-A-Car); Cox Automotive, Inc. (doing business as Manheim Auctions); DriveTime Automotive Group; Jumbo Automotive, Inc.; and an individual named Haim Levy. The claims included strict liability, negligence, negligence per se, breach of implied warranty, and violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.6Repairer Driven News. Byassee Complaint Filing
On June 15, 2026, a Broward County jury returned a verdict of $603 million for the Byassee family. DTN had denied the allegations but did not appear at trial. Morgan & Morgan attorneys Andrew Parker Felix and Steven Nauman, who tried the case, said they intend to pursue collectible assets from the company. Whether a meaningful share of that verdict can actually be collected from a Chinese manufacturer that refused to appear remains an open question.5Road & Track. Florida Jury Awards Deceased Victim’s Family $603 Million in Counterfeit Airbag Death Lawsuit
The Patricia Riggle Case in Oklahoma
Patricia Riggle, 48, was killed on March 1, 2024, while driving a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu rented from Hertz. In a frontal collision the driver-side airbag detonated, throwing metal and plastic shrapnel through the cabin and striking her in the face, head, and neck.7Law & Crime. Woman Killed When Airbag Detonated Like a Grenade, Forced Shrapnel at Her Neck and Face
Her husband Shane Riggle filed suit in Oklahoma County in April 2024 and amended the complaint in August 2024. It named six defendants: Hertz, DTN, Manheim Remarketing, Traum Auto Group, Garrett Nettles (the other driver), and Tramale Kemp (who allegedly rented and supplied the vehicle). Morgan & Morgan brought the case with the Van Meter Law Firm in Oklahoma City.8The Journal Record. Morgan & Morgan Files Lawsuit Over Fatal Airbag Incident
The complaint traced the Malibu’s history. Avis owned the car originally. After a crash deployed the factory airbag, Avis sold it to Manheim Remarketing, a wholesale auto auction. Traum Auto Group repaired the vehicle and allegedly installed the DTN counterfeit inflator. Hertz then bought the car and put it into its rental fleet. The suit alleges Traum performed the improper installation, Manheim failed to oversee the repair, and Hertz failed in its duty to ensure its rentals met federal safety standards.9Kansas City Star. Family Sues Hertz After Woman Killed by Counterfeit Airbag in Rental Car
The Alexia De La Rosa Case in Utah
The most recent suit was filed on March 4, 2026, in the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake County. Alexia De La Rosa, 17, a recent Hunter High School graduate, was killed on July 30, 2025, in West Valley City. She was driving a 2019 Hyundai Sonata when a minor frontal collision set off the driver-side airbag. A jagged piece of metal shrapnel struck her chest and killed her within minutes.10KUTV. Lawsuit Claims Utah Teen Killed by Counterfeit Airbag
The defendants are AutoSavvy Holdings, Inc., AutoSavvy Dealerships LLC, AutoSavvy Management Company LLC, and AutoSavvy of Woods Cross, LLC. AutoSavvy is a national used car chain that specializes in buying salvage or branded-title vehicles, repairing them, and reselling them. The lawsuit alleges AutoSavvy bought the Sonata after it was totaled in a 2023 crash, installed counterfeit non-compliant airbag components during the repair, and then sold the car to the De La Rosa family.3Repairer Driven News. Family Files Suit Over Teen Killed by Improper Repair Involving Counterfeit Airbag
The complaint alleges AutoSavvy knew or should have known the airbag parts were counterfeit and banned in the United States. It asserts violations of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, failure to warn, breach of warranty, and deceptive practices under the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act.11ABC4. Teen Killed in Crash; Lawsuit Filed Against Car Dealership Over Faulty Airbag Tessie De La Rosa, the victim’s mother and personal representative of the estate, is the named plaintiff.10KUTV. Lawsuit Claims Utah Teen Killed by Counterfeit Airbag
Why So Many Defendants Across the Supply Chain
Each suit names not just DTN but the businesses that handled the vehicle after its original crash. That is deliberate. The counterfeit inflators reach drivers only because a salvage or wholesale auction sells a wrecked car, a repair shop installs a cheap replacement instead of a compliant one, and a dealer or rental company puts the finished vehicle back into the market. The three cases each target a different combination of those actors: rental companies, auto auctions, wholesale remarketers, salvage-title dealers, and repair shops. DTN itself is sued as the manufacturer, but a Chinese company that denies its parts are even in U.S. vehicles is not the practical route to recovery. The domestic defendants are.2NHTSA. Deadly Air Bag Replacements
The Attorney Leading the Cases
Andrew Parker Felix, a partner in Morgan & Morgan’s Product Liability Safety Group, is leading all three lawsuits. He is based in Los Angeles and holds law licenses in Florida and California. He earned his law degree with honors from the University of Alabama School of Law and a bachelor’s in finance from the University of Florida.12Morgan & Morgan. Andrew Parker Felix
Felix has spent much of his career on Takata airbag litigation, which involved the same failure mechanism of inflators rupturing and spraying shrapnel. He worked on more than 180 Takata cases and was appointed by the U.S. Trustee to the seven-member Tort Victim’s Creditors Committee during Takata’s 2017 bankruptcy. He currently serves on the Trust Advisory Committee for the Takata Airbag Tort Compensation Trust Fund. His resolutions for Takata clients have ranged from $500,000 to more than $15 million.13Morgan & Morgan. Andrew Parker Felix’s Battle Against Takata’s Deadly Airbags
More Cases May Be Coming
Morgan & Morgan has said the three filed suits are not the end of its counterfeit airbag work. As of June 2026 the firm said it was actively investigating at least three additional fatality cases tied to the same inflators and identifying more potential defendants. Founder John Morgan said in a press release that the firm had “received a disturbing number of reports involving fatal incidents tied to these inflators, suggesting this may be only the tip of the iceberg.”1GlobeNewsWire. Morgan & Morgan Continues Fight Against Deadly Counterfeit Airbags Following NHTSA Safety Warnings
On April 29, 2026, NHTSA issued a final decision ordering a recall of DTN inflators and making it illegal to sell, offer for sale, or import them in the United States. The agency has acknowledged that a “traditional recall” is unlikely because the parts were allegedly imported illegally and no list of affected vehicles exists. DTN has denied that its products were installed in U.S. vehicles.14NHTSA. Transportation Department Weighs Permanent Ban on U.S. Sale of Chinese Air Bag
If You’re Worried Your Car May Have One
NHTSA’s guidance is directed at owners of vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles, and especially those repaired at non-dealership facilities after a crash since 2020. The agency recommends having the airbag inspected by a reputable mechanic. If a DTN inflator is found, the agency says the vehicle should not be driven until a genuine replacement is installed. The known risk has centered on Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata models, though NHTSA has warned other vehicles may be affected.15NHTSA. Urgent Warning: Two More Deaths From Substandard, Dangerous Chinese Air Bag Inflators