Stellantis: Park older models due to 3 Takata air bag deaths

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis and the U.S. government are warning owners of 276,000 older vehicles to stop driving them after Takata air bags apparently exploded in three more vehicles, killing the drivers.

The company, formerly Fiat Chrysler, is telling people to stop driving Dodge Magnum wagons, Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars and Chrysler 300 sedans from the 2005 through 2010 model years.

Stellantis says that it confirmed the air bag inflators blew apart in two cases, killing two people.

The company suspects an inflator rupture in another case that also killed a driver.

So far, there have been at least 32 deaths related to the Takata airbag inflators. 23 of those deaths have occurred in the US.

FULL RELEASE FROM STELLANTIS:

Statement: Stop-drive

November 3, 2022 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC urgently warns U.S.-market owners or custodians of model-year 2005-2010 Dodge Magnum station wagons, Dodge Challenger coupes, and Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans who have not yet addressed Takata driver-side air-bag recalls to immediately stop driving their vehicles.

FCA is voluntarily undertaking this campaign, which affects approximately 276,000 vehicles.

Owners or custodians of these vehicles will be contacted directly, advised to stop driving their vehicles and urged to obtain the necessary service, which continues to be available free of charge at any certified FCA-brand dealer. FCA – the first automaker to migrate from Takata to an alternate source of replacement parts – has sufficient inventory of new air bags to meet demand.

The longer these particular vehicles remain unrepaired, the greater the risk of an air-bag rupture, in event of a crash. Free replacement driver-side air bags have been available for this population since 2015.

FCA is and has been engaged in aggressive outreach to encourage vehicle owners and custodians affected by Takata recalls to obtain service. To date, through various initiatives, the company has generated nearly 210 million standard and first-class letters, courier deliveries, e-mails, text messages, while also making phone calls and home visits.

Many owners say they don’t have time to obtain the remedy. However, the repair procedure takes well under one hour.

Air bags of the variety subject to this recall are no longer used in FCA vehicle production.

Customers who are unaware of their vehicles’ recall status are urged to call 833-585-0144. They may also check their Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) at mopar.com/recalls, checktoprotect.org or nhtsa.gov/recalls.

FCA extends its sympathies to the families and friends of those affected by these incidents.