Automotive
Stellantis has issued a rare and serious “Do Not Drive” warning for about 225,000 older vehicles within the U.S. that also have unrepaired Takata air bag inflators. This isn’t a typical recall notice you ignore and take care of later. The priority is that certain Takata inflators can rupture during deployment and send metal fragments into the cabin, which is why regulators and automakers have tied these defects to severe injuries and fatalities over time. Stellantis says the goal of the stop-drive directive is to finally close the gap on the remaining unrepaired vehicles after years of recall work.
The alert covers an extended list of models spanning multiple years, roughly from 2003 through 2016, across Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, and even the Mitsubishi Raider. Vehicles called out include older Dodge Ram pickups, Durango, Dakota, Magnum, Charger and Challenger models, together with the Chrysler Aspen and Chrysler 300, plus the Jeep Wrangler. For those who own any of those vehicles, or you’ve one within the family as a spare automobile or a hand-me-down commuter, that is the type of situation where you don’t guess and you don’t assume it was fixed years ago.
From an automotive industry standpoint, that is the lingering shadow of the most important recall saga modern cars have ever seen. It’s also a reality check for the way long safety campaigns can continue to exist, especially when older vehicles change hands, get sold privately, or fall out of dealer service networks. Automakers can repair thousands and thousands of cars and still have a meaningful number out on the road that never are available in, which is why “Do Not Drive” warnings show up when the chance level is taken into account too high to treat like business as usual.
If there’s a takeaway for everybody searching for used cars at once, it’s to make recall checks a traditional a part of the method, identical to in search of accident history or service records. For current owners, the move is simple: check your VIN for open recalls and schedule the repair immediately in case your vehicle is affected. The fix is performed at no charge, and given the character of this warning, it’s one in every of those rare times where parking the vehicle until it’s addressed is the neatest move you’ll be able to make.
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Lloyd Tobias is a seasoned automotive journalist and passionate enthusiast with over 15 years of experience immersed on the earth of cars. Whether it’s exploring the most recent advancements in automotive technology or keeping an in depth pulse on breaking industry news, Lloyd brings a pointy perspective and a deep appreciation for all things automotive. His writing blends technical insight with real-world enthusiasm, making his contributions each informative and fascinating for readers who share his love for the drive. When he’s not behind the keyboard or under the hood, Lloyd enjoys test driving the most recent models and staying ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving automotive landscape.
This Article First Appeared At www.automotiveaddicts.com
