Chrysler Airbag Problems May Impact 355,500 Minivans in 28 States

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Chrysler Group LLC is pulling about 356,000 Dodge Caravan, Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans off the road in so-called “salt belt” states due to problems with the airbags. 

The Chrysler minivan recall only affects 2005 and 2006 model year minivans sold or registered in 28 states in the Midwest, the East, New England, and the District of Columbia. The affected region is often known as the “salt belt” due to the heavy use of salt on roads during winter. It also affects vehicles in Canada.

The company says that an airbag sensor can crack under certain environmental conditions. Water could enter the sensor and damage it, causing the airbag not to deploy properly when needed. If the sensor fails, the driver would receive a warning light indicating there was an airbag problem, the company stated.

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The sensor determines the speed and how the airbag should be deployed in case of an accident. They are not the main sensor that decides that the airbag should be deployed. There have been no injuries or incidents reported in connection to the faulty airbag sensors.

The Chrysler recall affects 355,562 of the 2005-2006 Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Caravan and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans. Drivers in the U.S. own 259,437 of those vehicles, while the remaining 72,035 are owned by drivers in Canada.

Chrysler is not calling the action a recall, saying that it is a “safety improvement campaign” because the loss of the airbags does not affect the roadworthiness of the cars and that the vehicles would still meet federal crash standards. However, officials in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say the agency considers the campaign to be a recall.

Tags: Auto Recall, Chrysler, Dodge
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17 Comments

James
I purchased a 1 year old 2002 dodge grand caravan sport with 14,000 miles on it from a dodge dealer and since that time have had the air bag light intermittently come on and stay on. It has been to the dodge dealers shop 10 times in the past 18 years for the same problem. The code says passenger side SQUID # 2 open ckt. The first two times at the dealer it was under the warrantee. After that, it always cost me $ 100.00 and they always said it was a poor connection. In every case, the light would come back on a few weeks later. I have spent a lot of money on this same problem and they never fixed it. They just reset the code and the problem always returns. The dealer says the 2002 is not covered under the air bag recall. I have read many posts about the same exact problem. I am now going to find an attorney to try to get Chrysler to step up and fix the problem like they should have when it was under the warrantee.
Brett
My 2002 T&C 68k miles after 2 winters & garage kept all this time 2017 airbag light started to flash on and off after a winter car wash. Needless to say the salt is brutal and even corrodes aluminum computers cases engine compartment & drivers side wheel well. Have disconnected battery reseated all ABS computer connectors under center console, seats and clock spring. Horn, cruise, radio controls all work great so the clock spring is out of the question of it being bad. Where on earth did Chrysler engineers put front crash sensors? Have searched high/low front end where sensors should be located behind head lights or bumper frame. Yet both L/R side sensors are no where to be found. Chrysler should have a full recall on all their ABS vehicles to change out these defective sensors ASAP!
alan
i am a victim of airbag failure! while driving around the corner traveling at 4 mph all my airbags deployed, front and sides for no reason on my 2008 chrysler town and country limited i went through the 1st. recall but i was told that my v. i. no. was not one for the 2nd. recall. boy that was a mistake. what an explosion! i had to be cut out of the airbags along with my wife. what a trauma! were glad to be alive! if your told by the dealer you don’t qualify, make sure they check them out. if i was on any road going faster we would have gotton killed! there is more to the story but i am too stressed to co0ntinue! GOD BLESS
Raj
I have a 2009 dodge caravan, got into an accident on a hwy, driving at around 90Km/hr, sever damage to the front and inside. However, aribags didn’t deploy . My insurance company is repairing the van but I don’t feel safe driving this because of the airbag problem. Luckyl I was saved this time……How can I report to the manufacturer, what steps should I take ? I live in Vancouver, BC
Jim F
I bought a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country in June of 2010. the air bag light came on in March of 2011. I tried to reset it by disconnecting the battery for half an hour to no avail. Took it to my independent repair shop who found a bad crash sensor and corroded wiring harness. The light has been out ever since. Cost $250.00 with $160.00 being the sensor which is only available from Chrysler.. Somebody must have had a boat payment to make. Even in the salt state of Minnesota. I was not aware of the recall. Is it too late to contact Chrysler?
Jack
I had my airbag light come on my 2005 Dodge Caravan and brought it to my dealer with my recall notice for the : G09 05 RS impact sensor. They said they replaced one sensor and the light stayed on. I didn’t know how many sensors were involved…now I know. I was told that the computer readout had the passengers side airbag was faulty and needed to be replaced for $1,200.00. $700.00 for new airbag and $500.00 to install. Time to trouble shoot: I’m going to take the power away-undo the battery for 30 seconds- from the computer to reset this thing. Why? Because they didn’t. My pre-set radio stations were still set on my selections. Do you all think that the mentality of these corporate robots are programed or hypnotized to get our money thru just a re-call? I think so.
Frank
I have my independant garage tell me if I wanted the red light to stay off on my 2003 town and country it would cost me over one hundred dollars to locate it and then there would be an additional cost to repair the problem. If Chrysler has this problem they should stand behind their product. The manual says if the light comes on it only means that the air bag is not operational and I guess it really needs to be fix for I have been driving all my life and I never had a car have this as part of the product. The only thing that worries me is will it come off when I am driving.
Steve
My 2005 Grand Caravan had the airbag sensor light come on just after start-up and stay on. My dealer, Bryden Motors in Beloit WI, said there was no recall on my vehicle VIN#. I paid $300 to have BOTH sensors and connectors replaced. Why wasn’t MY vehicle covered if my airbag sensor/connector was replaced? Chrysler’s 800 number guy was no help. I bought the vehicle used, but with remaining factory warranty. My failure occured just before 70,000 miles, like that should make a difference. How was my sensor failure NOT related to the other sensor failures and why isn’t mine recognized? My vehicle has had NO accidents, though I can’t vouch for the parking lot. But if slight bumps damage the connector, what happens if a real 7G bump hits it?
Tom
We had our 2005 Town and Country into the dealer twice for the airbag light being on. Both times we were told it was “fixed”. Shortly after, we were rearended by a tractor-trailer at 59 mph. The van was destroyed, as was my future. We settled our lawsuit with the truck company. I wonder now if we also had reason for a suit against Chrysler, since we were told the “issue” had been fixed. Was it deployed on time?
James
Well you have to giv Chrysler a break, they just changed ownership and Fiat is not used to having to do recalls in North America, and some Chrysler Dealerships are not Chrysler dealerships anymore but still fly the flag (i.e. sign). Considering, this isn’t a bad recall like brakes on Hondas, or Toyotas but is still an issue, and Fiat-Chrysler will work out the kinks in recalls in the following years.
ken
I have similiar air bag light problem 1 week after the 3 yrs period. I called the retailer and they told me that it too bad the warranty is over and I have to pay to fix the problem. The light would go away for a time and then it came back again. After 7 months driving with this light keep coming up and go away, my friend told me that they is a recall on this. I called Chrysler directly and customer service told me that under my VIN #, there is no recall and I am not qualify to fix that.
roger
my airbag light just came on this week. when I called the dealer, they claim there is no such recall for this issue.
Tony
Hi Matt, I took my van into Lee’s last Friday becasue the seatbelt light was on. They told me this was not covered under warrenty. I called Chysler home office and they have called me everyday this week. They are going to call me today and give me some good news.
JUAN
OUR VAN, IN SAN FRANCISCO CA, Chrysler, lit up a light indicating a failing airbag. This is a 2007. They want 500 dollars to repair it. I suspect there is more than salt affecting the system.
elizabeth
What about the older models? Why wouldn’t this problem be an issue with them? I have a 2001 Grand Caravan (in Canada).
Pam
Interestingly enough, I had my airbag light come on and took to dealership. Went round and round with them and they told me they fixed the problem. No more and drove off the lot and again the light come on, long story short it was the airbag sensor, and I was told that they carrode from the salt on the roadways. Had to pay a deductible and now I find out that there is a recall, kind of aggravating to me!
Arthur
How will Chrysler notify the vehicle owners- they closed my dealer last year.

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