Stellantis, parent company of Ram and other automotive brands, is urging owners of unrepaired 2003 Dodge Ram pickups “to immediately stop driving those vehicles and contact a dealer or the company to determine their recall status” after a recent accident.
On May 13, a truck owner died of injuries consistent with a Takata airbag inflator explosion, the company says. The owner sat in the passenger’s seat at the time and was likely hit by fragments from an exploding passenger-side airbag inflator built by the now-defunct Takata company.
Last year, Stellantis similarly asked owners of Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Magnum models from the 2005 to 2010 model years to stop driving their cars until the automaker could complete recall repairs.
History’s Largest Recall
The warning is the latest in the ongoing story of the largest recall in automotive history.
The Takata airbag recall started in 2013 and included cars made by 34 manufacturers and sold on at least five continents. The federal government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says at least 67 million cars on American roads carried the deadly parts when dealers first sold them.
Exploding Inflators
An airbag inflator is a small metal capsule containing chemicals that combine to create a rapidly expanding gas. In an accident, the inflator is supposed to squirt that gas out of a nozzle. That gas quickly inflates a folded airbag so that it can cushion occupants from hitting collapsing car parts.
Some Takata inflators, however, can explode instead. Their capsule sometimes bursts under the sudden pressure of the chemical reaction. That can send hot metal fragments flying into the cabin like shrapnel.
Recall Could Include Your Car
NHTSA believes that of the 67 million cars on American roads that carried the defective inflators, about 50 million have been repaired or removed from use.
That means as many as 17 million cars on American roads have a potentially deadly defect eligible for free repair.
Owner Allegedly Ignored Notices
Ram says it had sent the victim of the latest crash at least six recall notices. “All went unheeded,” the company says.
“Free replacements for certain Takata airbag inflators have been available for nearly ten years,” Stellantis notes. The company “will provide alternative transportation, also free, to help people get to and from dealerships” for the repair.
Check whether your car has any outstanding recalls with the easy VIN tool at our recall center.
Vehicle owners who prefer talking directly to the manufacturer can call the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Takata Call Center at 833-585-0144 or visit its website. To find out Takata-specific information from other vehicle manufacturers, please check here.
