According to a recent Car and Driver blog post,  88,346 vehicles are affected by the Dodge Challenger airbag recall that is part of the overall defective Takata airbag issue plaguing domestic and global automakers.

Vehicles built within a three-year period from September 2007 to October 2010 are part of this Dodge Challenger airbag recall.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) submitted a list of its vehicles installed with Takata airbags in May 2015 to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but mistakenly omitted the Dodge Challenger from this list.

The Dodge Challenger airbag recall is an attempt to correct that oversight to ensure the safety of Challenger drivers and passengers. Takata airbags have deployed forcefully in some situations due to the degradation of a propellant that occurs in moist environments.

During this forceful deployment, the housing holding the propellant turns into metal shrapnel and has caused serious injury and even death. This event usually happens in a collision. According to consumer reports, there have been 180 injuries and eleven deaths attributed to the Takata airbags over the last decade.

Further investigation by the NHTSA unveiled that the particulars of the faulty deployment involved the use of nitrate-based propellant in the absence of a chemical drying agent. The age of the vehicle, the degree of moisture in the environment, as well as how high temperatures are reached, all seemed to be key factors in predicting Takata airbag catastrophic failure.

FCA and Takata Airbag Recall

The Dodge Challenger airbag recall is part of an overall Takata airbag recall that, according to NHTSA’s website, is affecting 42 million vehicles from a host of different automakers as of January 2017. The agency has been quoted as referring to the action as ‘the largest and most complex safety recall in modern U.S. history.”

The FCA has responded to this crisis not only by instigating the Dodge Challenger airbag recall, but also by recalling other vehicle models such as the Ram, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen, Chrysler 300, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Charger, Dodge Dakota, and Mitsubishi Raider. Consumers can peruse the list of affected cars by visiting the NHTSA webpage.

Because the problem with the Takata airbags has been associated with environmental factors such as heat and humidity, car owners affected by the Dodge Challenger airbag recall and other FCA model airbag recalls that live in U.S. States or territories such as 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 should have the utmost concern.

The Takata Company

The Takata Company, maker of the defective airbags in question, is an automobile parts manufacturer whose headquarters is located in Japan. Based on confirmed injury and death reports, the U.S. initiated legal action early this year against three top executives of the company for the faultily-deploying airbags.

After pleading guilty, the company agreed to a $1 billion settlement. Of this settlement figure, $125 million was set aside to alleviate victim suffering, $850 million was earmarked for automakers, and the company itself was levied a $25 million fine. The Takata company filed for bankruptcy in June 2017.

There remains a controversy about the role of U.S. automakers in perpetuating the danger with these airbags. What is the nature of their liability if they knew about the defect, but delayed in informing the consuming public about the Takata airbags?

This question and others remain to be answered legally by car owners who have experienced injury due to defective airbags.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The airbag injury attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual defective airbag recall lawsuit or defective airbag recall class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, defective airbag recall lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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