Stellantis urges owners to fix Takata airbags after another fatality

Stellantis this morning is emphatically urging owners of older Dodge and Chrysler models equipped with recalled Takata airbags to park their cars until they can have recalls performed after the company on Friday confirmed a third fatality. The company’s statement includes instructions for owners and follows this article in its entirety. 

This comes just six weeks after the brands comprising the former FCA business unit urged customers to park their cars after two fatal incidents involving defective Takata airbags prompted Stellantis to issue a do-not-drive order for the 2005-2010 Dodge Charger, Magnum and Challenger, along with the Chrysler 300. The company is warning any customers who have not yet had their vehicles inspected in accordance with previous recall campaigns to park their cars until they are able to do so. This order covers more than 275,000 vehicles on the road. 

No new recall has been initiated to address the faulty airbags as all of the vehicles in question are within the original population of the massive 2015 campaigns carried out by virtually every major automaker. Industry supplier Takata’s airbag inflators have been identified as the cause of more than 30 fatalities when moisture caused them to explode rather than deploy normally in a collision. 

Here is the full statement from Stellantis:

December 19, 2022 , Auburn Hills, Mich. – FCA US LLC urges owners or custodians of certain older-model Dodge and Chrysler vehicles with unaddressed Takata driver-side air-bag recalls, to immediately stop driving them and contact the Company to obtain the required repair – free of charge.

We strongly reiterate our previous warning, having confirmed a third Takata-related fatality involving this population of vehicles. They are equipped with Takata air-bag inflators whose chemical properties may deteriorate over time, particularly if exposed to hot, humid climates.

Such conditions may cause the inflators to rupture on deployment, scattering razor-sharp debris capable of causing serious injury or death.

“Time is a critical element here because the risk increases with each day these air-bag inflators go unreplaced,” said Tom McCarthy, global head of Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance at Stellantis. “We have the parts, and the service is free. We will provide alternative transportation, also free, to help people get to and from our dealerships, as needed.”

Affected are the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Challenger and Charger from model years 2005-2010. Owners or custodians of these unrepaired vehicles are urged to call 833-585-0144. FCA US will then arrange to have them towed, free of charge, to accommodate the free service, which takes less than an hour, on average. 

“We understand the holiday season is a busy time,” McCarthy added. “But nothing is more precious than family and friends who may also be exposed to danger by further delaying service which, again, is free.”

On Dec. 16, FCA US formally advised NHTSA of the additional fatality in the stop-drive population, which comprises approximately 274,000 vehicles.

The vehicle’s owner inquired with the Company about the driver-side air-bag recall in 2018, but then declined an opportunity to schedule the free service at a dealership. FCA US continued to send urgent notifications to this owner through 2022, contributing to a total of 114 outreach attempts over a seven-year period.

In July, the owner loaned the vehicle to a family member who was subsequently killed in a crash when the driver-side air bag ruptured on deployment.

The Company extends its deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those affected by the three confirmed Takata-related fatalities. A total of 269 outreach attempts were made to owners of these vehicles.

FCA US implores owners and custodians of the vehicles listed above to join the customers who have responded to warnings over the years and helped us replace 6.1 million defective Takata air-bag inflators. Since the recall was launched, we have reached out to those affected nearly 210 million times using standard and first-class mail, courier service, e-mail, text messages, phone calls and home visits.

Air bags of the variety subject to this recall have not been used in FCA US vehicle production since 2016.

If owners are unsure if their vehicle has been repaired, they are urged to call 833-585-0144, or enter their Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) on checktoprotect.org.

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