- A driver suffered injuries to their neck and face after a rhinestone encrusted aftermarket emblem hit them in an accident.
- In November, another driver was blinded in one eye under similar circumstances.
- As a result, NHTSA is urging consumers not to use metallic, bejeweled, or rhinestoned aftermarket emblems on their steering wheels.
Once again, federal regulators are warning drivers not to decorate their steering wheels with decals that have fake jewels or rhinestones on them after a second person was severely injured in an accident.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) first warned about these products in November 2023, after a driver was badly hurt and lost vision in one eye when an aftermarket emblem with metal rhinestones came unstuck from their steering wheel and hit them in the face.
More: Beware, Aftermarket Decorative Steering Wheel Badges Can Become Lethal Projectiles In A Crash
Now, NHTSA has learned of a second severe injury involving one of these decorative products. The driver in that crash was hit in the neck and face after a rhinestone encrusted emblem turned into a dangerous projectile during a crash.
As a result, NHTSA is advising consumers not to buy or apply aftermarket steering wheel decals to their steering wheel, and warns that unlike the badge installed by the manufacturer, emblems purchased online may be equipped with weak adhesive that has not been designed to withstand the forces of a collision. Moreover, making alterations to the central pad of the steering wheel could cause the airbag to malfunction, which is also dangerous.
Sold as “Bling Interior Decoratiion” [sic] and “rhinestone accessories,” the products can go for as little as $4.99 at the online retailer of your choice. That makes them a cheap way to zhuzh up the interior of your vehicle, but not a good one.
“NHTSA is again urging consumers to avoid purchasing these steering wheel decals for all vehicle makes and models,” the organization wrote. “Consumers should also remove any such decals that they have already applied to their steering wheels.”
It’s not clear what, if anything, is being done to prevent these dangerous products from being sold in the first place. We have reached out to NHTSA for more information.
