Nearly 285,000 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 models could have a problem with their side airbags.
Through a new filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Admininstration (NHTSA), FCA US (Stellantis’ American arm) announced a recall for more than a quarter-million vehicles. As many as 217,802 Dodge Chargers and 67,180 Chrysler 300 vehicles could have “suspect” side curtain airbag inflators which may rupture as they deploy. Compressed gas rapidly escaping from the inflator could send debris into the cabin, causing potential injury to passengers the airbags are supposed to help protect.
The automaker fitted the potentially defective side airbags to vehicles between the 2018 and 2021 model years. According to what it told NHTSA officials, FCA US began investigating the problem in February 2023. As of February 21, 2024, it is aware of five customer assistance records and two warranty claims in that year-long period. There were no field reports pertaining to side curtain airbags rupturing, nor were there any related accidents or injuries.
According to FCA’s investigation, the inflators “may have had moisture introduced during supplier manufacturing that may cause internal corrosion over time and potentially leading to Stress Corrosion Cracking in the inflator.”
The company will notify affected owners by mail starting on May 3. Before that, though, you can check Dodge or Chrysler’s recall website as well as the NHTSA recalls page for more information on whether your car is part of this campaign. If your Dodge Charger or Chrysler 300 has a build date between July 5, 2018 and May 19-20, 2021, there’s a decent chance you will need to take your vehicle to the dealer to have the side curtain airbags replaced (free of charge, of course).
