Dodge, Chrysler sedans recalled over airbags that can explode

Roughly 285,000 Dodge and Chrysler sedans have been recalled because certain air bag inflators can explode and hurl shrapnel at drivers and passengers.

Stellantis, the company that owns Dodge and Chrysler, said the recall involves side air bag inflators on certain models of 2018-2021 Dodge Chargers and Chrysler 300s.

According to Stellantis, a manufacturing defect means moisture may get into the inflators and cause corrosion and cracks. This can cause the airbags to inflate even without a crash if temperatures inside the car get too high.  Stellantis investigated five cases in which the airbags inflated while the vehicles were parked when the inside temperature was above 120 degrees.

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No injuries have been reported.

Owners won’t be notified until May 3. A statement from Stellantis said

2019 Chrysler 300 is on display at the 111th Annual Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois on February 8, 2019. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

 concerned owners can contact the company, but they would not say if they would provide loaner vehicles while the airbags are being replaced, according to The Associated Press.

The inflators are made by Joyson Safety Systems, which acquired Takata air bag makers after Takata filed for bankruptcy. Takata’s air bag inflators, which used ammonium nitrate to inflate airbags in a crash, were blamed for 26 deaths in the U.S. since May 2009. About 400 people were injured, leading to the largest series of car recalls in American history.  

Stellantis says the side airbags it has recalled don’t use the same chemical or design as the Takata inflators.