Former Chrysler Corp. Reiterates Takata Airbag-Repair Plea

FCA US again warns owners of certain older-model Dodge and Chrysler vehicles subject to Takata driver’s-side airbag recalls to stop driving them and contact the company or dealer to receive free repairs.

The former Chrysler Corp., now part of French-American automaker Stellantis, reiterates a stop-drive warning first issued Nov. 3 after confirming a third fatality involving a Takata airbag installed in one of the vehicles under recall. These include Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum, Challenger and Charger from model years 2005-2010. The stop-drive order involves about 274,000 vehicles.

Inflators in the Takata airbags contain chemicals that may deteriorate over time, particularly in hot, humid climates, FCA says. Under these conditions the inflators may rupture when deployed, spraying razor-sharp medal shards within the cabin and potentially causing injury or death.

Defective Takata airbags have been linked to at least 23 deaths and several hundred injuries in the U.S., according to NHTSA. About 67 million Takata airbags in vehicles made by 19 OEMs globally have been recalled.

Dodge Magnum SRT8 2006 screenshot

“Time is a critical element here because the risk increases with each day these airbag inflators go unreplaced,” Tom McCarthy, global head of technical safety and regulatory compliance at Stellantis, says in a news release. “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.”

Owners or custodians of unrepaired vehicles are urged to call 833-585-0144. FCA US then will arrange to have them towed, free of charge, to accommodate the free service, which on average takes less than an hour, the release says. 

FCA US says it formally advised NHTSA of the additional fatality on Dec. 16. “The vehicle’s owner inquired with the Company about the driver-side airbag 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,” the automaker says.“In July, the owner loaned the vehicle to a family member who was subsequently killed in a crash when the driver-side airbag ruptured on deployment.”

A total of 269 outreach attempts were made to owners of the vehicles involved in the three Takata-related deaths, FCA US says.

FCA US asks owners and custodians of the vehicles listed above to join the customers who have responded to warnings over the years and helped the automaker replace 6.1 million defective Takata air-bag inflators. Since launching the recall, FCA US has reached out to those affected nearly 210 million times by mail, courier service, e-mail, text messages, phone calls and home visits.

Airbags of the type subject to this recall have not been used in FCA US vehicle production since 2016, the automaker says.

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