Chrysler Expands Takata Passenger-Side Air Bag Recall in U.S.
Chrysler Group is expanding its U.S. recall of older-model vehicles with Takata Corp passenger-side air bags, adding a second inflator design to the recall and more affected regions, reported Reuters. Chrysler, a unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said in a statement late Thursday that it was recalling 208,783 vehicles by adding the second inflator family ... Read More »
Chrysler Group is expanding its U.S. recall of older-model vehicles with Takata Corp passenger-side air bags, adding a second inflator design to the recall and more affected regions, reported Reuters.
Chrysler, a unit of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said in a statement late Thursday that it was recalling 208,783 vehicles by adding the second inflator family as well as including five states and three territories. The company said no accidents or injuries in any of its vehicles have been linked to any Takata passenger-side inflators.
Chrysler was one of 10 automakers who began a regional recall in June of older-model vehicles equipped with both driver- and passenger-side Takata air bags in areas with high humidity.
Including a recent passenger-side air bag recall involving a single pickup truck model and a different Takata inflator design, the total number of affected vehicles is estimated at 617,573, Chrysler said.
“Chrysler Group has not identified an inflator defect in any of its vehicles,” the company said. “However, the company is committed – out of an abundance of caution – to replacing these components.”
U.S. safety regulators have been pushing Chrysler to expand its recall of vehicles with Takata passenger-side air bags, adding to the June regional recall.
On Dec. 3, Chrysler recalled 2003 Ram pickup trucks with passenger-side bags using inflators from a product family code-named “SPI.” Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called the move “insufficient” because it failed to include all inflators covered by Takata’s defect information report.
The recall on Thursday covers inflators from the “PSPI” family of Takata inflators, Chrysler said.
NHTSA officials could not be reached for a comment on Friday.
The latest expansion adds Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, American Samoa, Guam and Saipan to a list that initially included Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In addition to no injuries or accidents involving PSPI inflators, the company has not identified a defect in the parts, including its lab tests of nearly 600 such inflators.
The Thursday recall affects 2003 to 2005 models of Dodge and Chrysler cars, pickup trucks and SUVs. Affected customers will be notified, beginning Feb. 8.
More Industry

Pennsylvania Dealership Under New Retailers
The sale of the Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store puts a family auto group on a leaner path as first-time dealers take the helm.
Read More →
Battery Storage Takes Priority Over EVs
U.S. automakers are prioritizing battery energy stationary storage over electric-vehicle production as the consumer demand for EVs lags the rest of the world.
Read More →
Auto Dealers Feel Better But Not Great
A second-quarter Cox Automotive poll of franchised retailers and independents found better views of the current market after a good spring but anticipation of third-quarter storminess.
Read More →
New-Vehicle Sales Picture Relative
A May forecast is complicated by last spring’s trade tariff effects on auto retail. Despite continued hard realities, many consumers took advantage of ways to bite the bullet.
Read More →
Auto Group Acquires Third Nissan Rooftop
Iowa-based Coleman Automotive Group recently acquired its seventh dealership, McGrath Nissan, which it renamed Nissan of Elgin.
Read More →
April Less Affordable
Based on prices, reduced incentives and slower household income growth, consumers found it more challenging to buy new last month, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
Building an Extraordinary F&I Agency
Work to determine your specialized talent, because that fact will determine everything about your agency’s future.
Read More →
Recipe for Compliance
The secret to both amazing barbecue and compliance is the same: understanding the basics and committing to a process.
Read More →
EVs Getting More Attractive
A growing percentage of U.S. consumers are open to switching and fewer are adverse to the idea, according to a recently completed survey. That’s despite the end of a tax break.
Read More →
EV Sales Drop in April Following Surge
North American electric-vehicle sales were down 28% year-over-year, a sharp contrast from global EV sales growth of 6%.
Read More →