Ram is recalling 212,373 pickup trucks over concerns that faulty side-curtain airbag inflators could rupture, launching shrapnel into the vehicle cabin, according to an announcement made by the company Friday. This can happen in the event of a crash, whether those airbags deploy or not.
The issue specifically stems from an error in the inflator manufacturing process that may have introduced moisture into the inflator, making it less stable. Ram claims it has found a single instance of one of these inflators rupturing, with no injuries reported.
The faulty inflators appear to have come from a supplier called Joyson Systems, which bought up Takata's assets after that company declared bankruptcy. This company has been implicated in another recall issued by General Motors recently for upwards of 400,000 trucks for a similar issue.
The Ram recall affects 2015-2020 Ram 3500 and 2,500 heavy-duty trucks and chassis vehicles, 2015-2019 Ram 1500 pickup trucks, and 2019-2020 Ram Classic pickup trucks. The current generation of Ram 1500s is not affected by this recall.
This fix is relatively straightforward and involves your Ram dealer replacing the faulty parts free of charge. Ram hasn't given a date that it expects to send out owner notifications, but if you're concerned that your vehicle might be affected, or you just have questions, you can reach out to Ram's customer service department at 1-800-853-1403.
