Stellanis is urging owners of unrepaired 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 pickups to stop driving the vehicles immediately until they are serviced, following another rupture fatality involving a defective Takata airbag inflator.
The incident in May is the first reported for the model involving a Takata passenger-side bag, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement. This increased the total deaths from Takata airbag ruptures in the United States to 26 since May 2009, and more than 30 people have been killed worldwide.
The “Do Not Drive” warning was sent to 29,000 owners of the 2003 model vehicles, which was one of the 385,686 vehicles recalled for airbag repairs in 2015.
However, NHTSA estimates roughly 84,000 of these pickup trucks are unrepaired, and owners of these unrepaired vehicles are at grave risk of serious injury or death.
“If you have one of these vehicles, DO NOT DRIVE it until the recall is completed and your defective airbag is replaced, ” the NHTSA said.
Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash. But the chemical can become more volatile over time when exposed to moisture in the air and repeated high temperatures. The explosion can rupture a metal canister and hurl sharp shrapnel into the passenger compartment.
The agency says even minor crashes can make the air bags explode and kill people or cause serious injuries.
“The older a defective Takata air bag inflator gets, the more dangerous it becomes. Please, get your air bag replaced now for your sake, and for the sake of those who love you,” NHTSA acting administrator Ann Carlson said in a statement. “Don’t put yourself or someone you love at risk of dying or being seriously injured because of a defective, recalled Takata air bag. These repairs are absolutely free and could save your life.”
Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, says it will provide free transportation to help people and their vehicles get to and from dealerships.
The 2003 pickup on May 13 was involved in a collision that caused its air bags to inflate. The person “succumbed to a serious injury consistent with those observed in previous Takata inflator fatalities,” Stellanis said in a prepared statement Tuesday. Six recall notices had been sent to the customer’s home address. It is the fourth such incident known to involve a vehicle from Stellantis’s brands.
Stellantis said there are still about 233,000 Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Challenger, and Charger vehicles from the model years 2005 through 2010 that still need to be repaired and remain on the road despite numerous attempts to reach owners.
Other Recalls
The warning comes as the NHSTA recently investigated a Ford Motor’s recall that impacts more than a quarter-million Explorer SUVs in the United States because they can roll away unexpectedly while shifted into park.The recall covers certain 2020 through 2022 Explorers with 2.3-liter engines, as well as 3-liter and 3.3-liter hybrids and the 3-liter ST (ST stands for “sports technologies”). Also included are 2020 and 2021 Explorer Police hybrids and those with 3.3-liter gas engines.
The recall was issued to address a rear axle horizontal mounting bolt that may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.
Ford’s fix is to add a software update that automatically applies the electronic service parking brake to keep the vehicle from rolling away, the agency said, adding there is no remedy to address the failed rear axle horizontal mounting bolt “which is the basis of this safety issue and the cause of the impaired vehicle.”
The NHTSA said it has received two complaints alleging a loss of power or transmission torque of the rear wheels in Explorer vehicles that had received the recall fix.
One complaint told the NHTSA that after getting the software update, “the vehicle would randomly slam to a complete stop while driving. It happened several times with three different drivers (myself, my wife, and my son), each happening at 30–35 mph or less.”
