Stellantis is recalling 285,000 Dodges and Chryslers due to airbag hazards
The car conglomerate Stellantis is in memory of hundreds of thousands of vehicles — specifically Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s modeled from 2018 to 2021 — citing side airbags that can rupture and throw shrapnel, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents.
The documents state that the airbags on both sides may have a defective inflator, putting passengers at risk of projectiles flying into the vehicles. No injuries have been reported.
Chrysler and Dodge are two of the many car brands in the Stellantis portfolio. The total number of Dodge Chargers recalled is 217,802, while for Chrysler it is 67,180. Stellantis estimated in a statement Friday that the defective inflator occurs in “less than one percent of the recall population.”
Chrysler’s regulatory compliance department opened an investigation into these cars on February 17, 2023, and determined the following year that “the affected vehicles may have had moisture entering the inflator during supplier production, which over time can cause internal corrosion.”
The company initiated the recall on March 7.
Stellantis, which was formed in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and French automaker Peugeot, also announced layoffs on Friday, effective March 31. The company said it would reduce its engineering and software workforce by about 2 percent, citing “unprecedented uncertainties and increased competitive pressure around the world.”
“While we understand this is difficult news, these actions will better align resources while preserving the critical skills needed to protect our competitive advantage,” Stellantis said in a statement.
In late 2021, Stellantis announced a $34 billion investment through 2025 in developing software-based cars to compete with Tesla.
One of the company’s goals is that 50 percent of passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States will be electric vehicles. the end of the decade. But the transition to electric vehicles has not been smooth. Last year, Stellantis offered buyouts to thousands of employees in an effort to reduce costs and ease the transition.
Owners will be notified of the recall on May 3. The inflator is manufactured by Joyson Safety Systems, the company that in 2018 acquired the now bankrupt Japanese supplier Takata, which was responsible for the largest recall in automotive history due to defective airbags. . Stellantis said these inflators do not use the same design as the recalled Takata airbags.
The report mentions five cases of customers complaining about the problem. A spokesperson said four of those five cases occurred in the Middle East and in all five cases the vehicles were parked. Company also said that she was not aware of any injury related to the defect.
Last month, Jeep, also owned by Stellantis, More than 330,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees have been recalled – modeled between 2021 and 2023 – due to steering wheel issues.