Most of us rarely think twice about the airbags tucked into the steering column and other crevasses of our cars and SUVs.

Bang into another car, and presto, the airbag inflates in a micro-second. Your life expectancy just increased.

But guess what. There’s no guarantee you have a working airbag. This blog will expand on an earlier blog on the topic. Remember our last visit to this seedy world:

Thousands of motorists may be driving with cheap knockoffs from China.
The feds tested several of the airbags. Some exploded , spewing metal shards and other shrapnel onto crash dummies. Others just didn’t work.

Those crash dummies could’ve been your kids in a real accident. As many as 250,000 or more drivers may have junky airbags right now, the feds say. A simple trip to the grocery store can be a life-and-death proposition if you’re in a crash.

People have died or been grievously injured in crashes after crooked body shops tampered with their airbags. There’s big profit in cheating you. A knockoff can cost about $50, but the body shop charges your auto-insurance policy hundreds of dollars for a new airbag.

Now comes the scary part: Dishonest mechanics insert junk into the airbag cavity. Old sneakers, beer cans, packing peanuts and other garbage have been found. Body shops also might insert useless knockoffs.

And now let’s look toward an entirely new danger posed by storms such as Sandy: Flood waters will ruin a lot of vehicles. How many will be reconditioned and resold to innocent consumers? The airbag modules may be in place, but they they’ve been ruined by the flood waters and minute debris particles.

The airbags may not have been professionally checked out, and may not work if you’re in a crash.

When these vehicles are cleaned up, much of this damage is not obvious with a basic inspection. And used-car sellers often ship reconditioned cars to other states for sale to unknowing consumers.

Many states require a flooded car to have that fact stamped on its title to warn buyers. Some states require it only when an insurer pays a total-loss claim. Deceitful wholesalers often take flooded cars to a state without any flood-labeling rule and obtain a new title. This is known as “title washing.” It leaves you dangerously vulnerable.

Airbag hoodwinks sit just inches away from you, or your spouse or kids. But these ruses are fiendishly hard to catch because the airbag is out of sight.

The swindlers don’t care if you live or die; they just want their blood money. But there’s a lot you can do help ensure your airbags are safe and life-saving.

Have a certified mechanic check the airbag of any used or reconditioned vehicle you’re considering buying. Visit a useful federal site, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information Service. Check the vehicle’s history via a commercial service. And visit the Coalition’s convenient alert for more ideas.

Your next drive should be safely in your car, not an ambulance.

About the author: Jim Quiggle is director of communications for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.