Auburn Hills, MI – September 17, 2021 – Fiat Chrysler, owned by Stellantis (NYSE:STLA), has recalled 212,373 Ram pickup trucks with potentially faulty side-curtain airbag inflators that may rupture and injure vehicle occupants. The recall includes:
- 2015 -2020 Ram 1500 trucks
- 2015-2016 Ram 2500 trucks
- 2015-2016 Ram 3500 trucks
The affected component is the Side Airbag Inflatable Curtain with multiple part numbers, including 68161578AJ. The airbags were made by Takata’s successor, Joyson Safety Systems.
Recall summary
As reported, the side-curtain airbags – also known as roof rail airbags – deploy over the windows to drivers’ and passengers’ heads during a crash. The inflators inside them release gas to inflate the airbags quickly.
Due to a manufacturing mistake, moisture got inside some airbag inflators, which could corrode the casing from the inside. The casing could rupture, releasing compressed gas and inflator pieces into the vehicle at high speeds.
Fiat Chrysler is aware of one report of inflator rupture in a 2015 Ram 1500. The automaker expects that 22 percent of trucks in this recall have defective inflators.
Risks
Read more about the risks of corroded inflator rupture in this recent article about a recall of 2015-2016 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks with corroded Joyson inflators.
Takata airbag recalls
Millions of older cars have been recalled because of faulty airbag inflators that may explode when the airbag is being inflated and hurl sharp metal components at the driver or the passengers. You can read more about these ongoing recalls here.
The repair
Ram dealers will inspect and replace one or both side curtain airbags as needed. Owner notifications will be sent out starting October 1, 2021.
Is your vehicle part of this recall?
Over 212,000 vehicles are included in this Fiat Chrysler airbag recall. To see if your Ram truck is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.