(RepublicanView.org) – Car giant Stellantis is issuing a recall of hundreds of thousands of Dodge and Chrysler sedans due to volatile airbag inflators that can explode without collision, causing metal fragments to fly at drivers and passengers. The recall covers inflators on both sides of Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300 models manufactured between 2018 and 2021. Safety regulators say moisture could enter the inflators, thanks to a manufacturing defect, and cause corrosion. High temperatures inside the vehicles can subsequently trigger the inflator and activate the airbags.
Stellantis reports seven warranty claims so far but no injuries. The recall is worldwide, but the company confirmed that the United States and Canada are primarily affected. Drivers were urged to contact Stellantis, but the company will actively seek out any owners who fail to do so. Returned vehicles will be fitted with new airbag installations.
The devices were manufactured by Joyson Safety Systems, which acquired Japanese car safety company Takata following its bankruptcy. Takata produced its inflators using ammonium nitrate, which is known to deteriorate when exposed to heat and humidity. However, whether Takata was directly involved with the Dodge and Chrysler defects is unclear, according to a report from The Independent. Nevertheless, between 2009 and 2024, 26 people died in the US as a result of faulty Takata inflators. A further 30 fatalities worldwide, as well as around 400 injuries, were also blamed on the company.
The Japanese firm was furthermore implicated in a “do not drive” warning earlier this year. A Toyota reiteration of a recall in January urged 50,000 US drivers to stop using their cars due to faulty Takata airbags. That recall applied to Corolla, Matrix, and RAV4 vehicles produced between 2003 and 2005.
The Takata Corporation, which had production facilities on four continents, has been embroiled in manufacturing difficulties since 1995 when a US recall affected more than eight million cars fitted with Takata seatbelts. This was followed by several recalls and faults, ending with the company’s dissolution in 2017. It filed for bankruptcy because it owed more compensation than it could afford.
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