Automaker Stellantis is recalling hundreds of thousands of vehicles — specifically Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s designed from 2018 to 2021 — citing side airbags that could rupture and deploy, according to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The documents say the airbags on both sides may have defectively inflated, putting passengers at risk of projectiles flying into the vehicles. No injuries have been reported.
Chrysler and Dodge are two of the many car brands in the Stellantis portfolio. The total number of Dodge Chargers being recalled is 217,802, while for Chrysler, that number is 67,180. Stellantis estimated in a statement Friday that the defective inflator exists in “less than one percent of the recall population.”
Chrysler’s regulatory compliance department opened an investigation into these cars on February 17, 2023, and over the next year, it found that “the affected vehicles may have had moisture introduced into the inflator during supplier manufacturing that can cause internal corrosion with as time went by”.
On March 7, the company initiated the recall.
Stellantis, which was formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and French carmaker Peugeot, also announced layoffs on Friday effective March 31. The company said it is cutting its engineering and software workforce by about 2%, citing “unprecedented uncertainties and heightened competitive pressures around the world.”
“While we understand this is difficult news, these actions will better align resources while preserving the critical skills needed to protect our competitive advantage,” Stellandis said in a statement.
In late 2021, Stellantis announced a $34 billion investment by 2025 to develop software-based cars to compete with Tesla.
One of the company’s goals is for 50 percent of passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States to be electric vehicles by the end of the decade. But the transition to electric vehicles has not been smooth. Last year, Stellandis offered buyouts to thousands of employees in an effort to cut costs and ease the transition.
Owners will be notified of the recall on May 3. The inflator was manufactured by Joyson Safety Systems, the company that, in 2018, bought the now-bankrupt Japanese supplier Takata, which was responsible for the largest recall in automotive history due to faulty airbags. Stellantis said these inflators do not use the same design as the recalled Takata airbags.
The report cited five instances of customers complaining about the issue. A spokesman said four of those five cases occurred in the Middle East and that the vehicles were parked in all five. The company also said it was not aware of any injuries related to the defect.
Last month, Jeep, which is also owned by Stellantis, recalled more than 330,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees – built from 2021 to 2023 – due to steering problems.
