Stellantis, Chrysler’s parent company, issues a “Do Not Drive” alert for 225,000 vehicles
Stellantis, Chrysler’s parent company, on Wednesday issued a “Do Not Drive” warning for about 225,000 older vehicles in the United States with non-repairable tires. Takata air bag inflation defect.
The warning applies to several unrepaired Dodge Ram, Durango, Dakota, Magnum, Challenger, Chrysler Aspen, 300, Jeep Wrangler and Mitsubishi Raider vehicles from various model years from 2003 through 2016.
Hundreds of injuries have been reported in vehicles of various automakers since 2009 due to inflating Takata airbags that can They explode, sending metal fragments into cars And trucks, which leads to the death or injury of drivers or other vehicle passengers.
“This measure aims to expedite the repair of the remaining damaged vehicles to protect their owners, their families and the general public from the risk of serious injury or death,” Stellantis said in a statement.
“This stop-drive directive is focused on completing repairs on this remaining group,” added Stellantis, which has completed recall repairs on more than 6.6 million vehicles, or about 95% of those recalled more than a decade ago.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 28 deaths resulting from crashes involving defective Takata air bag inflators occurred in the United States, and warned that “minor accidents can result in Takata air bags exploding that can kill or lead to horrific, life-altering injuries.”
Over the past decade, more than 100 million vehicles equipped with Takata airbags have been recalled worldwide, including 67 million vehicles in the United States, in the largest recall ever in the country’s history.
In 2024, Honda confirmed 20 deaths in Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States as a result of Takata air bag problems, which were blamed on propellants that can degrade after long-term exposure to high temperature fluctuations and humidity.
A number of automakers have urged owners of old cars to stop driving them until the inflators are replaced.
In November 2022, Stellantis urged owners of 276,000 older American cars to immediately stop driving.
