eBay Banned Airbag Sales — Where to Get a Replacement Airbag Now

On September 24, 2026, eBay banned the sale of airbags across its entire marketplace. No seller, anywhere in the world, can list a complete airbag, an airbag inflator, or a steering-wheel airbag cover anymore. eBay is pulling listings itself, and trying to relist can get a seller's account restricted.

The reason is counterfeit and substandard replacement inflators. The NHTSA linked defective replacement inflators to 10 deaths and serious injuries over a three-year span, and at least one of them was bought on eBay. Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, Alibaba, and Temu had already banned airbag sales — eBay was the last big marketplace still allowing them, and now it's closed too.

If you're fixing your car after an accident, this affects you directly. When an airbag deploys, the heat melts the connector plugs behind it — so the standard DIY repair has two parts: a replacement airbag, and new connector plugs to wire it in. For years, eBay was where most people found the airbag. With that door closed, here's where to look now:

1. Car-Part.com — searches salvage yard inventory nationwide by year, make, and model. It's the closest thing to what eBay was for used airbags.
2. Local auto salvage yards and recyclers — LKQ and independent yards. Call with your year, make, model, and which airbag you need (driver, passenger, side curtain).
3. Your dealer's parts department — OEM, guaranteed to fit, but the most expensive option.
4. Reputable online auto recyclers — established businesses with real addresses and return policies, not random marketplace sellers.

A few rules no matter where you buy: match the exact part number to your vehicle, never buy a deployed or visibly damaged unit, and walk away from any seller who can't tell you the donor vehicle's year and model. A bargain airbag from a stranger is exactly the problem this ban is trying to stop.

Don't forget the plugs

Once you have the replacement airbag, don't wire it into melted connectors. Cut the damaged plugs out and splice in fresh ones — it's a cheap part of the job and it's what makes the repair hold.

We sell driver airbag connector plugs by make and model, with the wires ready to splice: find yours here.

Sources: eBay's official policy announcement ("Important policy update: Airbags no longer permitted on eBay"); The Drive, Sep 24 2026; NHTSA report on substandard replacement inflators, April 2026.

Featured image: Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.