Do Not Drive Issued for Recalled 2003 Dodge Ram
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is confirming another Takata rupture fatality, the first due to an exploding passenger-side inflator. The latest death brings the total number of confirmed Takata fatalities in the United States to 26. NHTSA says the latest incident is also the first in a 2003 model-year Dodge Ram 1500 and one of the 385,686 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500s recalled back in 2015. NHTSA estimates roughly 84,000 of these pickup trucks are unrepaired, and occupants of these unrepaired vehicles are at grave risk of serious injury or death.
If you have one of these vehicles, DO NOT DRIVE it until the recall is completed and your defective air bag is replaced.
2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Takata Airbag Death
2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Regular Cab. Photo Credit: FCA US LLC./Stellantis.
In a Stop Drive, Urgent Need for Service press release, FCA US LLC says a May 13, 2023 traffic fatality has been potentially linked to the ongoing Takata airbag inflator recall. The incident involves a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 that was involved in a collision. FCA US LLC says the vehicle's owner, who was sitting in the front-passenger seat, succumbed to a serious injury consistent with those observed in previous Takata inflator fatalities.
The automaker is urging owners or custodians of recalled, yet unrepaired model-year 2003 “Dodge Ram” pickups – of which there are an estimated 29,000 still on U.S. roads – to immediately stop driving those vehicles and contact a dealer or the company to determine their recall status.
If you have one of these vehicles, DO NOT DRIVE it until the recall is completed and your defective air bag is replaced. To talk to the manufacturer directly, call FCA'sTakata Call Center at 833-585-0144 or visit the manufacturer’s website here.
The automaker is says it extends its "deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the customer whose life was lost in the May tragedy." It is the fourth such incident known to involve an FCA-brand vehicle.
The company says six recall notices it sent to the customer’s home address went unheeded.
FCA-Brand Takata Stop-Drive Campaigns
The 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 joins four other FCA-brand vehicles subject to a Takata-related stop-drive campaign. Last year, the company announced stop-drives for the Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Challenger and Charger for model years 2005-2010.
The automaker estimates that 233,000 of these Chrysler- and Dodge-brand vehicles remain unrepaired and on the road despite renewed customer outreach attempts that used first-class mail, courier service, e-mail, text messages, phone calls and home visits.
The automaker says it's made more than 210 million such outreach attempts since the Takata recall began in 2014 resulting in the replacement of more than 6.1 million recalled Takata airbag inflators.
FCA US says it "implores owners and custodians of all the above-mentioned vehicles, and any others subject to the Takata recall, to join those customers who have responded to previous warnings."
According to the automaker, airbags of the variety subject to this recall have not been used in FCA US vehicle production since 2016.
NHTSA Urges Drivers To Check For Recalls
In issuing the new consumer alert, the NHTSA is also renewing its urgent call for vehicle owners to check for Takata recalls, saying it's imperative that ALL vehicle owners check now for open Takata recalls.
“The older a defective Takata air bag inflator gets, the more dangerous it becomes. Please, get your air bag replaced now for your sake, and for the sake of those who love you,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said. “Don’t put yourself or someone you love at risk of dying or being seriously injured because of a defective, recalled Takata air bag. These repairs are absolutely free and could save your life.”
You can visit NHTSA.gov/recalls and enter your 17-digit vehicle identification number to see if your vehicle has an open Takata air bag recall. If it does, contact your dealership to schedule a FREE repair as soon as possible and follow any warnings from the vehicle manufacturer.
Photo: FCA US LLC.
This post was updated July 13, 2023.