Remember the Takata airbag scandal, which turned millions of the inflatable safety devices into ticking time bombs aimed directly at people’s faces? It happened a while ago, but unfortunately these airbags are still killing people. Stellantis has just issued a “do not drive” order covering about 225,000 older vehicles that still contain the faulty airbags, according to NHTSA. The order covers the following models and model years:
- 2003–2010 Dodge Ram (15V312, 15V313, 16V352, 16V947, 18V021, 19V018)
- 2004–2009 Dodge Durango (15V313, 16V352, 16V947, 18V021)
- 2005–2011 Dodge Dakota (15V313, 16V352, 18V021, 19V018)
- 2005–2008 Dodge Magnum (15V313, 16V352)
- 2006–2015 Dodge Charger (15V313, 16V352, 18V021, 19V018)
- 2007–2009 Chrysler Aspen (15V313, 16V352, 16V947, 18V021)
- 2008–2014 Dodge Challenger (15V444, 16V352, 18V021, 19V018)
- 2005–2015 Chrysler 300 (15V313, 16V352, 18V021, 19V018)
- 2007–2016 Jeep Wrangler (16V352, 18V021, 19V018)
- 2006–2009 Mitsubishi Raider (15V313, 16V352)
If these airbags are so dangerous, why is the “do not drive” order being issued now instead of 10 years ago with the original recalls? Stellantis explains this in a statement to CBS News:
“This action is intended to accelerate the repair of the remaining affected vehicles to safeguard owners, their families and the general public from the risk of serious injury or death,” Stellantis said in a statement. “Over time, the chemical propellant inside certain Takata inflators can degrade, particularly in hot and humid conditions, increasing the risk of rupture during airbag deployment and the potential for metal fragments to enter the vehicle cabin.”
In other words, the risk of an airbag turning into a claymore mine increases over time, which is why this issue has become even more serious in older vehicles than it once was. It’s important to note that Stellantis is far from the only manufacturer who has issued “do not drive” orders for this problem over the years. NHTSA also lists Honda, BMW, Ford, Nissan, Mazda, and even Toyota (plus the Pontiac Vibe, a twin of the Toyota Matrix) having “do not drive” orders for affected vehicles in addition to Stellantis brands.
This time, it’s personal
One of these 225,000 vehicles is sitting in my driveway right now. It’s a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500, covered under NHTSA Safety Issue ID 16V352 for the passenger airbag. It’s been in my wife’s family for many years, and now only sees occasional use as a farm truck. She received the original recall notice back in 2016, and dutifully took it to her local dealer to have the airbag replaced.
However, the dealer told her the replacement parts weren’t available. Millions of airbags were being recalled at the same time, and the limited supply could not keep up with the high demand. The dealer assured her that it would contact her when the replacement airbag was available. It never did. Life happened, other things came up, and this got pushed to the back burner, especially once it was no longer driven regularly. That’s one reason of 225,000 why these unrepaired vehicles are still out there. And they still are very dangerous; the most recent death was victim 28, died in 2024 in a Honda in Alabama.
This truck lived most of its life in Texas, and is now in Arkansas. Both of these places have the hot and humid conditions that accelerate the deterioration of the ammonium nitrate propellant that causes these deadly airbag explosions. The truck, and its airbags, have been through 20 southern summers, putting it at even greater risk. I’ll have to do something about this, assuming the parts are available.
