Federal safety officials and Stellantis are warning owners of 276,000 Dodge and Chrysler products built between 2005 and 2010 to park them, for faulty Takata airbag inflators that have killed at least two people in the last seven months. The vehicles affected are Dodge Chargers, Magnums, and Challengers built from 2005 to 2010. The Chrysler 300 built during the same period is also affected.
All of the vehicles involved in the fatal incidents have been recalled since 2015. Free repairs have been available since the recall date.
Millions of vehicles are still equipped with faulty Takata airbags. Over time and especially in warm climates, the ammonium nitrate used to explosively inflate the safety devices can become volatile. The result is a more powerful explosion than anticipated that can rupture the inflator and send shrapnel from a metal canister into the passenger compartment, sometimes fatally injuring passengers.
The cars recalled by then FCA are a fraction of the total number of vehicles affected by faulty Takata airbags. Stellantis alone has recalled 2 million vehicles with Takata inflators. A total of 67 million Takata airbags have been recalled in the United States.
More than 400 injuries and 23 fatalities have been reported in the U.S. as a result of the company’s faulty hardware.
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