Stellantis on Wednesday expanded a stark safety advisory to owners of older vehicles in the United States, telling drivers not to operate about 225,000 cars and trucks that have not yet received repairs for recalled Takata air bag inflators.
The automaker's warning specifically covers a range of models across its brand portfolio and an affiliated marque. Affected vehicles include various older Dodge Ram, Durango, Dakota, Magnum, Challenger, Chrysler Aspen and 300, Jeep Wrangler and Mitsubishi Raider units from model years 2003 through 2016 that remain unrepaired following previous Takata air bag recalls.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has underscored the severity of the defect, reporting that 28 deaths in the United States have been attributed to crashes involving the defective Takata inflators. The agency issued a blunt caution about the hazard posed by the inflators, saying that "minor crashes can result in exploding Takata air bags that can kill or produce life-altering, gruesome injuries."
Stellantis' message is an immediate safety directive to owners whose vehicles are identified as unrepaired under the Takata recall campaigns. The recall status applies to inflators that remain defective despite having been subject to prior recall orders.
The advisory does not supply additional operational guidance beyond the instruction not to drive affected vehicles, nor does it provide details on repair availability or scheduling within the text of the advisory.
Owners of the listed models and model years should check their vehicle's recall repair status through the channels provided by Stellantis or NHTSA, and follow official instructions for arranging repairs. The automaker and federal regulator information cited here reflect the current stated facts about the scope of the advisory and the public safety risks tied to the recalled parts.
Models named in the advisory:
- Dodge Ram, Durango, Dakota, Magnum, Challenger
- Chrysler Aspen and 300
- Jeep Wrangler
- Mitsubishi Raider
Model years affected: 2003 through 2016.