- A Chevrolet Malibu was allegedly totaled and then repaired with counterfeit airbag parts.
- It was then sold to a private individual, who ultimately died during a crash.
- The plaintiffs claim that the driver’s death was due to a counterfeit airbag that shot shrapnel to the driver.
A lawsuit in Florida alleges that several companies share the blame for a young woman’s death. She was driving a Chevrolet Malibu that had been in an accident before she bought it. The lawsuit alleges that she died because that repair involved counterfeit parts. It also indicates that the danger might be present in countless other former rental cars.
According to Morgan & Morgan, the law firm representing the family of Destiny Byasse, Enterprise Rent-A-Car sent the Malibu in question to auction after a crash. The Chevy was then sold to DriveTime but during the transaction, Jumbo Automotive allegedly repaired the car. The law firm claims that the repair was shoddy in more ways than one.
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First, it alleges that the repair shop didn’t replace or fix the front driver’s seat seatbelt tensioner, opting instead to simply cut the wires. This allowed the belt to function normally, except in the event of a crash. Additionally, Morgan & Morgan claim that Jumbo used counterfeit airbag parts from the Chinese company Jilin. Tragically, Ms. Byassee was involved in a crash on June 11, 2023.
The suit alleges that the woman died because the airbag shot metal and plastic shrapnel throughout the car. Some of the fragments hit Ms. Byassee in the face, head, and neck. It’s the belief of the plaintiffs that she would’ve survived the crash had the seat belt and airbag been repaired properly or the car had simply been taken out of service altogether before it was sold to her.
In total, the family is suing Enterprise, Jumbo Automotive, Jilin, Manheim Auctions, and DriveTime. The suit claims that Enterprise owed a duty to remove the vehicle from service rather than repair it and resell it. However, whether or not that particular piece of the claim gains any traction is uncertain. Proving that Enterprise knew of the counterfeit parts will likely be difficult. Additionally, private parties and companies repair badly damaged vehicles properly every day.
Likewise, the claims against DriveTime and Manheim might be tough to prove, but the real concern for other consumers remains. Cheap knockoff parts could end up in vital safety parts and that could affect anyone who has bought a used and previously damaged vehicle.
“From our investigation, we believe this is a shockingly widespread issue – rental car companies reselling damaged vehicles and auto repair shops installing cheap, non-compliant parts from Chinese companies and cutting corners during the repair process to resell vehicles as quickly as possible,” said Morgan & Morgan attorney Andrew Parker Felix.
“Consumers need to be aware of these tactics used to save money, increase profits, and keep vehicles on the road when they pose a severe danger. We will work to hold all parties responsible for our client’s tragic death, and hope to stop these companies from engaging in such ruthless and deadly business practices.”
