Advertising
Supported by
The recall may be limited to the 300 owners of Dodge Charger and Chrysler. Airbags can explode and fire shrapnel.
By Sopan Deb
Auto conglomerate Stellantis is recalling hundreds of thousands of cars, namely the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 models from 2018 to 2021, with side airbags that could rupture and fire shrapnel, according to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The documents imply that the airbags on both sides would possibly have a faulty inflator, putting passengers in danger of projectiles flying inside the vehicles. No injuries were reported.
Chrysler and Dodge are two of the many car brands in Stellantis’ portfolio. The total number of recalled Dodge Chargers is 217,802, while for Chrysler, this number is 67,180. Stellantis estimated on a Friday that the faulty inflator exists in “less than 1% of the recalled population. “
Chrysler’s regulatory compliance arm opened an investigation into those cars on Feb. 17, 2023, and over the next year, decided that “the affected cars would have possibly had moisture in the inflator supplier’s manufacturing, which may also cause internal issues. “corrosion over time. “
On March 7, the company initiated the recall.
Stellantis, created in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and French automaker Peugeot, also announced layoffs on Friday starting March 31. The company announced that it will cut its engineering and software workforce by about 2%, leading to “unprecedented uncertainties and increased competitiveness. “pressures around the world.
“While we perceive this to be challenging news, those moves will better align resources while preserving critical capabilities needed for our competitive advantage,” Stellantis said in a statement.
At the end of 2021, Stellantis announced a $34 billion investment by 2025 in developing software-based cars to rival Tesla.
One of the company’s goals is for 50% of cars and trucks sold in the U. S. to be sold in the U. S. The U. S. government is expected to be electric cars by the end of the decade. But the transition to electric cars hasn’t been easy. Last year, Stellantis proposed buying thousands of the workers in an effort to lower prices and ease the transition.
Owners will be notified of the recall starting May 3. The inflator made through Joyson Safety Systems, the company that in 2018 bought now-bankrupt Japanese supplier Takata, blamed for the largest recall in automotive history due to defective airbags. Stellantis said those inflators don’t use the same design as the recalled Takata airbags.
The report cites five cases of consumers complaining about this problem. A spokesperson said four of the five cases occurred in the Middle East and that cars were parked in all of them. The company also said it was not aware of any injuries similar to the defect.
Last month, Jeep, which is also owned by Stellantis, recalled more than 330,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees, modeled between 2021 and 2023, due to wheel problems.
Sopan Deb is a Times reporter who covers culture. Learn more about Sopan Deb
Advertising