Which Dodge Vehicles Have Dangerous Takata Airbags?

TL;DR

Takata, a parts supplier, provided automakers with a defective airbag inflator responsible for 23 deaths and hundreds of injuries. It's one of the largest and most dangerous recalls in automotive history, affecting over 37 million vehicles and 50 million inflators.

A crash test dummy about to hit an airbag superimposed with the Takata logo
Posted on
Tagged
#airbags-and-seat-belts #recall

The propellent inside the inflators is unstable. During an airbag deployment the explodes with such force that it rips the inflators into metal fragments, shooting them in the direction of vehicle occupants along with the airbag itself.

Because of their instability, the airbags are turning low speed crashes into very dangerous situations.

After years of recalls, Fiat-Chrysler announced they were entering the fourth and final stage of Takata campaigns in January 2019.

Which Dodge Vehicles Have Been Recalled? ∞

MakeModelYearsLimited To
DodgeChallenger2008-2013Zone A
2008-2010Zone B
2008-2009Zone C
Charger2006-2013Zone A
2006-2010Zone B
2006-2009Zone C
2005-2010
Dakota2005-2011Zone A
2005-2010Zone B
2005-2009Zone C
Durango2004-2009Zone A, B
2004-2009Zone C
Magnum2005-2008Zone A, B, C
2005-2010
Ram 15002003-2008
Ram 25002003-2009
2009Zone C
Ram 35002003-2009
2009Zone C
Ram 3500 Cab Chassis2009-2010Zone B
2009Zone C
Ram 45002008-2010
Ram 4500 Cab Chassis2009-2010Zone B
2009Zone C
Ram 55002008-2010
Ram 5500 Cab Chassis2009-2010Zone B
2009Zone C
Sprinter 25002007-2008
Sprinter 35002007-2008

What are Zones? ∞

Some Takata recalls are being broken down into what NHTSA calls "zones". A zone is a group of states and territories where a vehicle was originally sold or registered at some point in time. A few notes about zones:

  1. A vehicle can be recalled in more than one zone.
  2. When no zone is defined, the recall was more widespread. Possibly internationally.
  3. If you find this all very confusing, you're not alone my friend.

So, here we go:

  • Zone A: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan) and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • Zone B: Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
  • Zone C: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Take Action ∞

Takata inflators have been [linked to 11 deaths][2] in the USA, so far.

Owners of these vehicles are urged to call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or [lookup your VIN][3] (vehicle identification number).

"Consumers that are uncertain whether their vehicle is impacted by the Takata recalls, or any other recall, can contact their manufacturer’s website to search, by their vehicle identification number (VIN) to confirm whether their individual vehicle has an open recall that needs to be addressed."

Affected Models

Dodge Charger

PainRank™
32.38
Complaints
819
Reliability
21st out of 29

Dodge Dakota

PainRank™
19.71
Complaints
891
Reliability
17th out of 29

Dodge Durango

PainRank™
40.58
Complaints
2873
Reliability
23rd out of 29

Dodge Magnum

PainRank™
33.77
Complaints
273
Reliability
22nd out of 29

OK, Now What?

Maybe you've experienced this problem. Maybe you're concerned you will soon. Whatever the reason, here's a handful of things you can do to make sure it gets the attention it deserves.

  1. File Your Complaint

    CarComplaints.com is a free site dedicated to uncovering problem trends and informing owners about potential issues with their cars. Major class action law firms use this data when researching cases.

    Add a Complaint

  2. Notify CAS

    The Center for Auto Safety (CAS) is a pro-consumer organization that researches auto safety issues & often compels the US government to do the right thing through lobbying & lawsuits.

    Notify The CAS

  3. Report a Safety Concern

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is the US agency with the authority to conduct vehicle defect investigations & force recalls. Their focus is on safety-related issues.

    Report to NHTSA