Photo: Dodge / edited
Remember the Takata Corporation's airbag saga? It's not over yet! Acquired by Key Safety System in June 2017 – thus creating Joyson Safety Systems – the Japanese company's exploding airbags have claimed yet another life. According to FCA US LLC, the owner of a 2003 model year Dodge Ram pickup truck succumbed to serious injuries inflicted by razor-sharp metal debris.
The debris in question came from a ruptured airbag inflator. Upon deployment, the metal canister of the airbag inflator disintegrates, propelling metal debris at high speed into the cabin. FCA US LLC, which is the American division of Stellantis N.V., reports that the 2003 Dodge Ram owner sat in the passenger seat rather than the driver seat. The pickup truck was involved in a crash that caused the deployment of the front airbags.
This fatality is the 26th since May 2009 in the United States alone. Takata's exploding airbag inflators are increasingly dangerous the older they are. Why? The answer is ammonium nitrate-based propellant, a compound that disintegrates under varying temperature and humidity conditions. Worse still, Takata switched from a far more stable tetrazole-based propellant to ammonium nitrate to save a few bucks here and there.
Aggressive cost-cutting measures aren't exactly abnormal in this industry, be it automakers or tier-2 suppliers. Certain parts that go into a given vehicle – including the airbags – shouldn't even be considered for cost-cutting measures, yet the automotive industry does exactly that regardless of the potential repercussions.
Fiat Chrysler notes that replacement airbag inflators have been available for almost a decade now. Said inflators can be fitted by the dealership at no cost whatsoever to the owner. It baffles the mind how many peeps haven't even considered bringing their vehicles in for the remedy, but alas, many people aren't interested.
The 2003 Dodge Ram pickup truck's owner? A whopping six recall notifications were sent to the gentleman's home address. Even so, the Auburn Hills-based automaker extends its condolences to the customer's family and friends. The collision that led to the deployment of the Ram's front airbags took place in May 2023. It's the fourth such incident officially known to involve a vehicle from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Approximately 233,000 vehicles from both the Dodge and Chrysler brands haven't received their completely free replacement airbags. FCA sent in excess of 210 million recall notifications from 2014 to the present day, resulting in the replacement of 6.1 million inflators.
FCA stopped using Takata's deadly airbags in 2016. Affected vehicles include the Chrysler 300 sedan, Dodge Magnum wagon, Dodge Charger sedan, and Dodge Challenger coupe produced for the 2005 through 2010 model years. The third-largest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit urges both owners and custodians to have their airbags replaced as soon as possible.
This fatality is the 26th since May 2009 in the United States alone. Takata's exploding airbag inflators are increasingly dangerous the older they are. Why? The answer is ammonium nitrate-based propellant, a compound that disintegrates under varying temperature and humidity conditions. Worse still, Takata switched from a far more stable tetrazole-based propellant to ammonium nitrate to save a few bucks here and there.
Aggressive cost-cutting measures aren't exactly abnormal in this industry, be it automakers or tier-2 suppliers. Certain parts that go into a given vehicle – including the airbags – shouldn't even be considered for cost-cutting measures, yet the automotive industry does exactly that regardless of the potential repercussions.
Fiat Chrysler notes that replacement airbag inflators have been available for almost a decade now. Said inflators can be fitted by the dealership at no cost whatsoever to the owner. It baffles the mind how many peeps haven't even considered bringing their vehicles in for the remedy, but alas, many people aren't interested.
The 2003 Dodge Ram pickup truck's owner? A whopping six recall notifications were sent to the gentleman's home address. Even so, the Auburn Hills-based automaker extends its condolences to the customer's family and friends. The collision that led to the deployment of the Ram's front airbags took place in May 2023. It's the fourth such incident officially known to involve a vehicle from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Approximately 233,000 vehicles from both the Dodge and Chrysler brands haven't received their completely free replacement airbags. FCA sent in excess of 210 million recall notifications from 2014 to the present day, resulting in the replacement of 6.1 million inflators.
FCA stopped using Takata's deadly airbags in 2016. Affected vehicles include the Chrysler 300 sedan, Dodge Magnum wagon, Dodge Charger sedan, and Dodge Challenger coupe produced for the 2005 through 2010 model years. The third-largest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit urges both owners and custodians to have their airbags replaced as soon as possible.
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