The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) officially starts the car after receiving complaints from customers.
About 285,000 Dodge and Chrysler sedans have been recalled. Some airbag inflators can explode and send shrapnel into drivers and passengers.
Stellantis, the company that owns Dodge and Chrysler, said the recall affects airbag inflators on certain 2018-2021 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 models.
According to Stellantis, a production defect means moisture can enter inflators and cause corrosion and cracking. This can cause the airbags to deploy even without a twist of fate if the car’s internal temperature gets too high. Stellantis investigated five cases where the airbags deployed while cars were parked while the interior temperature exceeded 120 degrees.
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It was not reported.
Owners won’t be notified until May 3. Stellantis said.
The 2019 Chrysler 300 is on display at the 111th Annual Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, on Feb. 8, 2019. (Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Affected owners can contact the company, but they may not say whether they will offer loaner vehicles while the airbags are replaced, according to the Associated Press.
The inflators are manufactured through Joyson Safety Systems, which acquired airbag maker Takata after Takata filed for bankruptcy. Takata airbag inflators, which used ammonium nitrate to inflate airbags in a crash, have been blamed for 26 deaths in the U. S. since May 2009. About Another 400 people were injured, prompting the largest series of auto recalls in U. S. history.
Stellantis says the recalled airbags use the same chemical or design as Takata inflators.