Ohio dealer owner admitted trafficking at least 44 counterfeit airbags imported from China. Shipments were declared as desktop night lights to get them through customs. Prosecutors haven’t revealed how many customer vehicles received the counterfeit components. It’s easy to understand why someone might save a few bucks with an aftermarket part that isn’t quite as good as the original, but airbags are different. If there’s one component that absolutely needs to work as intended, that’s an airbag. Yet an Ohio used-car dealer has admitted to importing counterfeit airbags from China and passing them off as genuine Honda components for vehicles he sold. The offense carries up to ten years in prison, but the scarier question is how many customer cars may have left his lot with one hidden inside. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, John Bojorquez, 35, pleaded guilty to trafficking in counterfeit goods. Prosecutors say the activity ran from August 2024 through May 2025 and involved at least 44 airbags falsely presented as genuine Honda components. In August 2024, Customs and Border Protection officers at Chicago O’Hare International Airport intercepted one shipment containing 20 counterfeit airbags. Its paperwork claimed the boxes contained “desktop night lights.” Read: Another American Killed By Faulty Chinese Airbag Inflator The same Chinese sender dispatched four additional shipments that month. Those were similarly labeled as either “desktop night lights” or “blue desktop nightlights.” The DOJ hasn’t said whether all four cleared customs or how many airbags each shipment contained. When federal agents searched JB Ohio Auto Sale in Galloway during May 2025, they found several counterfeit airbags. Some were piled inside a clothes hamper and covered with a towel. Several questions remain unanswered. Prosecutors haven’t yet identified the affected Honda models or VINs, disclosed how many counterfeit airbags were installed, or said whether any customers were injured. Admitting to trafficking at least 44 airbags doesn’t necessarily mean 44 vehicles received them. Still, the potential danger is very real. NHTSA warns that counterfeit airbags can fail to deploy or eject metal shrapnel when activated. Bojorquez faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, although his actual punishment will be determined later under federal sentencing guidelines. Anyone who purchased a vehicle from JB Auto Sale and suspects it contains a counterfeit airbag is being asked to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 888-529-2820. Unlike fake wheels or badges, a counterfeit airbag can remain invisible until the exact moment its owner needs it most. Images: Honda
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