Airbag From Takata Back In Trouble, Dodge Ram Recalls Old Model

Dodge Ram 1500. (Doc. Motor1)

JAKARTA - Ram, an automotive manufacturer from the United States, has resumed a recall program involving several of their old models.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), this recall involved Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, all of which were models in 2003.

Reported by Motor1, Tuesday, July 11, the reason he did this recall was because the Takata airbags that were still installed in the cars were fragile.

NHTSA has estimated that there are around 84,000 pickup trucks that still use the problematic airbag. Therefore, a recall program is needed.

Ann Carlson, the NHTSA Implementing Administrator, explained that the older the damaged Takata airbag, the more dangerous it is for the safety of car users. Therefore, the replacement of this safety feature is very important.

"Please change your airbag now for the safety of you and your loved ones," said Carlson.

This recall was carried out due to airbag failure produced by Takata. The airbag inflator was damaged because it contained a degraded propellant after being exposed to temperature fluctuations for a long period of time. When an airbag inflator breaks, sharp metal shards can spread towards passengers.

According to NHTSA, this problem was recently reported in the 2003 Ram model. The number of deaths from the damage to the Takata inflator reached 35 cases worldwide, 26 of which occurred in the United States.

As a result of this problem, Ram's owner was asked not to drive their car to avoid unwanted events.

This is not the first time a recall has been carried out involving an airbag of Takata. In May 2023, BMW issued a warning for Series 3 2000-2006, X5 2000-2004, and Series 5 2000-2003, involving 90,000 vehicles. In February 2003, several Honda and Acura models from 2001-2003 also received warnings, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) issued warnings for 276,000 Dodges and Chryslers from 2005-2010.

In fact, in 2013 there was a mass recall involving millions of vehicles from various brands due to the airbag problem. Due to this incident, Takata went bankrupt in 2018.