South Carolina § 16-13-165 - Unlawful actions involving counterfeit or nonfunctional airbags; penalties; definitions.

§ 16-13-165. Unlawful actions involving counterfeit or nonfunctional airbags; penalties; definitions.

(A) It is unlawful for a person to:

(1) knowingly and intentionally import, manufacture, sell, offer for sale, install, or reinstall in a motor vehicle, a counterfeit airbag, a nonfunctional airbag, or an object that the person knows was not designed to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 208 (49 CFR 571.208), as amended, for the make, model, and year of the motor vehicle;

(2) knowingly and intentionally sell, offer for sale, install, or reinstall in any motor vehicle a device that causes a motor vehicle's diagnostic system to inaccurately indicate that the motor vehicle is equipped with a properly functioning airbag;

(3) knowingly and intentionally sell, lease, trade, or transfer a motor vehicle if the person knows that a counterfeit airbag, a nonfunctional airbag, or an object that the person knows was not designed to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 208 (49 CFR 571.208), as amended, for the make, model, and year of the motor vehicle has been installed as part of the motor vehicle's inflatable restraint system.

(B)(1) A person who violates the provisions of this section by knowingly and intentionally installing or reinstalling an airbag that is counterfeit, nonfunctional, does not comply with the federal regulations described in subsection (A), or installs or reinstalls a device that causes a motor vehicle's diagnostic system to inaccurately indicate that the motor vehicle is equipped with a properly functioning airbag is:

(a) for a first offense, guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined in the discretion of the court or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both;

(b) for a second or subsequent offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.

(2) A person who violates the provisions of this section by knowingly and intentionally importing, manufacturing, selling, or offering to sell, an airbag that is counterfeit, nonfunctional, does not comply with the federal regulations described in subsection (A), or a device that causes a motor vehicle's diagnostic system to inaccurately indicate that the motor vehicle is equipped with a properly functioning airbag is:

(a) for a first offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both;

(b) for a second or subsequent offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than ten years, or both.

(3) A person who violates the provisions of this section by knowingly and intentionally selling, leasing, trading, or transferring a motor vehicle when the person knows that the motor vehicle contains an airbag that is counterfeit, nonfunctional, or does not comply with the federal regulations described in subsection (A), is:

(a) for a first offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both;

(b) for a second or subsequent offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than ten years, or both.

(4) A person whose violation of subsection (B)(2) or (B)(3) results in great bodily harm or death is:

(a) for a first offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than twenty-five thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than ten years, or both;

(b) for a second or subsequent offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one hundred thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than twenty years, or both.

(5) Persons other than individuals who violate the provisions of subsection (A) are:

(a) for a first offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than one million dollars or imprisoned subject to the discretion of the judge, or both;

(b) for a second or subsequent offense, guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than ten million dollars or imprisoned subject to the discretion of the judge, or both.

(C) For purposes of this section:

(1) "Airbag" means an inflatable restraint system, or portion of an inflatable restraint system including, but not limited to, the cushion material, cover, sensors, controllers, inflators, and wiring that (a) operates in the event of a crash, and (b) is designed in accordance with federal motor vehicle safety standards for the make, model, and year of the motor vehicle in which it is or will be installed.

(2) "Counterfeit airbag" means an airbag that bears without authorization a mark identical or substantially similar to the genuine mark of the manufacturer of a motor vehicle or a supplier of parts to the manufacturer of a motor vehicle.

(3) "Nonfunctional airbag" means a replacement airbag that has been previously deployed or damaged or that has an electrical fault that is detected by the vehicle diagnostic system after the installation procedure is completed. A nonfunctional airbag also includes any object, including a counterfeit or repaired airbag, airbag component, or other component intended to deceive a vehicle owner or operator into believing that it is a functional airbag.

(4) "Person" or "persons" means an individual, a group of individuals, whether incorporated or not, a corporation, a company, an association, an organization, a partnership, or any other form of legal entity.

HISTORY: 2016 Act No. 271 (S.1015), SECTION 1, eff June 9, 2016.