By Anne Marie Kelly

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - An automotive group warned Wednesday that some body shops in the US and Canada are replacing previously deployed airbags in salvaged cars with fake airbags that will not function in an accident.

Two people died in the last year when fake airbags in their cars failed to protect them, according to the Automotive Occupant Restraints Council (AORC), a nonprofit organization made up of 50 makers of airbags, car seatbelts and car seats.

The group said some car repair shops have stuffed airbags with rags, towels, cans, paper and debris such as empty cigarette packs and sold them to unaware consumers.

It's not clear how often false and remanufactured airbags are installed in cars--most often salvaged cars--because they are usually not detected until a serious accident occurs, according to the AORC.

"However, we conservatively estimate the number is in the thousands," said AORC President George Kirchoff. More than 100 false airbags have been discovered in cars in the last year, he said.

"Dummy" and remanufactured airbags have been found in at least 18 major cities in the US and Canada. The cities include Washington, DC, Cleveland, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Raleigh, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Toronto, according to Airbag Services International, an airbag inspection and replacement service organization.

The problem of fake or remanufactured airbags is more common in cars that have been in previous accidents, deemed totaled by the insurance company, and then repaired at salvage shops and resold at car auctions, said Sam Massey, director of field operations for Supplemental Restraint Specialists, in Long Beach, California.

"The motive for using fake airbags is profit because it is cheaper not to replace the airbag but just to make cosmetic repairs to the car," said Massey. Calling them "Frankenstein" airbags, he said these and fake airbag covers are easily available over the Internet. "It's an industry," he said.

AORC said consumers can look for signs of a fake or remanufactured airbag when buying a used car. They suggest checking that the airbag does not show tears, frayed areas or a warped appearance, a color mismatch with the steering wheel or panel, or even missing logos, which most cars now have.

They also recommend that consumers ensure that the airbag light on the dashboard stays illuminated for three to four seconds. If not, the car should not be driven until a repair shop inspects the airbag. Kirchoff warned that some salvage repairs shops are getting around the airbag illuminator by installing "trick" lights that override the airbag illuminator.

Motorists should also ask their insurance company whether the original airbag is in place and if not, ask them to provide the serial numbers from the old and new airbags, according to the group.

Motorists can check with a service such as Carfax, which provides vehicle history reports, to see if the car was in an accident and if the airbag was deployed. If the car had been salvaged, they should ask the seller of the car to see all the old parts, which should include the airbag.

Kirchoff said states should join together to make the installation of fake or remanufactured airbags illegal.

"Consumers need to take an active role in driving legislation in their state to make installation of false airbags illegal," said Kirchoff. "It should be mandatory in all states that restraint systems should be replaced to their original condition."

So far 14 states have legislation that prohibits the installation or reinstallation of any object instead of an operable airbag as part of the inflatable restraint system in the car. These states include Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

New York and Pennsylvania are considering similar legislation. California enacted a law in 2000 that prohibits the installation of a deployed airbag. Utah passed a law in 1997 penalizing the failure to repair a damaged or deployed airbag.

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