Counterfeit airbags are becoming alarmingly more common

Counterfeit products are a big problem in the luxury watch world and even high-end clothing and wardrobe collections, but they are not typically associated with car parts critical to safety. A young mother of two lost her life to a counterfeit airbag, and the scariest part is that she’s not alone.

Five people have been seriously injured or killed by fake airbags in the past year, The Wall Street Journal reported, raising several red flags about how many more could be in circulation. The component that killed 22-year-old Destiny Byassee exploded after a crash, flinging metal and plastic pieces toward her, cutting open her neck.

Automakers have been pushing dealers to be more in tune with the parts they receive, and federal law enforcement agencies have conducted several arrests and have achieved several convictions over the past year. In one case, two individuals were arrested for allegedly selling thousands of counterfeit airbags by listing them as new on eBay.