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A Homestead auto shop owner is behind bars following a police discovery of a sizable stockpile of counterfeit airbags valued at over a quarter-million dollars. Michael Keith Reid, the 61-year-old proprietor of Mike's Auto Miami, faces 306 charges tied to his dealings in the knockoff safety devices, reported NBC Miami.
Pulled from the UK and destined to be installed in American rides, Homeland Security agents intercepted a shipment of 20 fraudulent Honda airbags, leading to Reid's arrest. Rigged to deceive, the bust unravelled a dangerous scam jeopardizing road warriors' lives, with fakes so shoddy they could easily be crushed, lacking the explosive warning labels of legitimate life-saving counterparts.
Homestead police, deeply entwined in the investigation, made an urgent plea on social media to customers who may have unwittingly bought these bogus buffers from Reid's establishment. "Have your vehicle inspected and promptly notify local authorities if you suspect you have a counterfeit airbag," the department advised on Facebook, as detailed by Local 10 News. The police pointed out that the fake airbags "consistently malfunction," with failure modes ranging from not deploying in a crash to potentially firing metal shrapnel upon activation.
Searching Reid's auto shop, located at 777 W. Mowry Drive, led to the confiscation of 282 counterfeit airbags, bearing brand names like Honda, Acura, and even Mercedes-Benz. Four hoax Chevy airbags found were "junk filled," making a mockery of consumer trust and safety while defying Florida law that mandates airbag logs for all vendors, which Reid couldn't produce.
Reid, with three decades in the auto parts game, confessed to detectives he had been buying the airbags online for $200 each, well below the $700 market floor, as he told NBC Miami. Now, held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Reid faces a barrage of felony charges for his role in this dangerous dupe, with a bond yet to be assigned.
