COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – There are a lot of roads you can take when it comes to buying a vehicle that’s new to you. If you’re leaning toward used or pre-owned — buyer beware.

“Federal safety regulators say they think there are tens of thousands of what they call ‘substandard airbags’ in cars across the country,” said Editor-in-Chief of CARFAX, Patrick Olsen.

In other words, vehicles that were involved in a crash, in which an airbag deployed, were repaired and are back on U.S. roads, either driven by their previous owners or resold. But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it believes that many of those vehicles now contain defective, or “substandard” equipment, including airbags.

“At CARFAX, we looked into the number of cars over the last two years that have been in an accident, where an airbag deployed and are back on the road today,” Olsen said. “Nationwide, that’s just under two million vehicles. In Ohio, it’s about 59,000 vehicles.”

Olsen said each one of those vehicles represents an opportunity in which a scammer or shady salesman used a counterfeit airbag.

“So, there are two things that can happen,” Olsen said. “One, you can get an airbag that does nothing at all. Meaning zero protection for you or your passenger. Second, the airbag will explode with too much force. “And will turn the metal surrounding the airbag into shrapnel, literally flying pieces of metal that get into the cabin of the car.”

Sadly, the NHTSA reports three people were killed in the last year as a result of these faulty replacement air bag inflators.

“In this case, very often, these are people who are, who have had an accident, and they’ve gone to some, typically smaller repair shop, where they’re trying to, you know, get a replacement airbag,” Olsen said. “And sometimes people, scammers particularly, are trying to save money. A regular airbag costs about a thousand bucks. These guys are buying these counterfeit airbags for as little as $200, $300 a piece, and pocketing the difference.”

How this is regulated varies, but there are few laws on the books. So, Olsen said, it’s up to you to do a deep-dive into a vehicle’s history before you buy.

“Take it to mechanic,” Olsen said. “Ask them to inspect the airbag. They can look for the markings on it that will indicate to them that it’s legit. They can make sure it’s installed properly that all the wires are connected.”

The NHTSA advised the same, and also suggested that you get a vehicle history report.