Do-not-drive order issued for 2003 Ram pickups after new Takata airbag death

Chrysler-parent Stellantis has warned 29,000 owners of 2003 Dodge Ram pickups to immediately stop driving those trucks pending repairs, after the latest death in the long-running Takata airbag recall. On May 13, a front-seat passenger in a 2003 Dodge Ram pickup "succumbed to a serious injury consistent with those observed in previous Takata inflator fatalities."

The death is the first reported involving a Takata airbag on the passenger side, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement.

The "Do Not Drive" warning applies to 29,000 2003 Dodge Ram pickups believed on the road, the automaker said. In November, Stellantis urged owners of 276,000 other older U.S. vehicles to immediately stop driving after three other crash deaths tied to faulty Takata airbag inflators were reported in 2022.

The passenger in the May crash, who was also the owner, is believed to be the 26th person in the U.S. to die due to injuries from a ruptured airbag inflator, but the first passenger to die; the other fatalities have all been drivers. There have been about 30 deaths worldwide, 400 injuries and roughly 100 million vehicles recalled worldwide by a variety of automakers. More than 67 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled in the United States. It's the biggest auto safety callback in history.

The Takata airbag inflators can explode, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks.

In the 11 years since the Takata crisis began, Stellantis has sent more than 210 million notices to owners. According to the company, it sent six recall notices to the Dodge Ram owner's home address: "All went unheeded."

The 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 involved in the May death was one of 385,686 recalled in 2015. Roughly 84,000 of these pickup trucks are unrepaired, "and occupants of these unrepaired vehicles are at grave risk of serious injury or death," NHTSA said. Stellantis said its best estimate was that 29,000 of those 2003 trucks were still on the road — and should be parked immediately.

"If you have one of these vehicles, DO NOT DRIVE it until the recall is completed and your defective air bag is replaced," NHTSA said.

In a prepared statement, the automaker said this is the fourth incident in a vehicle under the Fiat Chrysler umbrella. The third incident happened in December of last year, after which Stellantis issued the same kind of statement it's issuing now. 

The affected FCA vehicles are the 2005 to 2010 Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, and the 2003 Dodge Ram. The automaker believes there are 233,000 unrepaired units of the Chrysler and Dodge models still on the roads.

Every owner who hasn't had their vehicle fixed is urged to call FCA at 833-585-0144. An owner can verify a vehicle is included in the recall by going to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration site and entering the car's VIN. They can also run their VIN through recalls.mopar.com or checktoprotect.org. 

If action is necessary for this, FCA will pay to have the car towed to the dealer and pay for the owner's transportation. The service is free and usually takes less than an hour. 

Includes information from AP.