Stellantis Issues ‘Do Not Drive’ Warning for 225,000 Vehicles Containing Deadly Takata Airbags

FCA US, the maker of Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram vehicles before a 2020 merger and rebranding as Stellantis, issued a “do not drive” notice with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Feb. 11 for 225,000 vehicles that still contain unrepaired Takata airbags.

According to the warning notice, more than 67 million vehicles with Takata airbags have been recalled in the United States. Long-term exposure to high heat and humidity could cause the airbags to explode upon deployment. Twenty-eight deaths have been reported in the country from exploding Takata airbags, the NHTSA said.

The affected vehicles involve a wide range of cars and trucks manufactured between 2003 and 2016. Older vehicles place drivers at greater risk because of an increased propensity to explode, the NHTSA noted.

“Even minor crashes can result in exploding Takata air bags that can kill or produce life-altering, gruesome injuries,” the warning letter stated.

The NHTSA urged owners of older Dodge Ram, Durango, Dakota, Magnum, Challenger, and Charger vehicles, as well as Chrysler 300 and Aspen, Jeep Wrangler, and Mitsubishi Raider automobiles, to input their vehicle identification number into the NHTSA recall portal to see if their vehicles are part of the Takata airbag recall.

In another recent vehicle recall, Daimler Vans USA, LLC, maker of the Mercedes-Benz light-duty and recreational Sprinter and midsize Metris vans, announced a recall of 52,356 Metris vehicles due to a potential electrical issue that may prevent the vans’ airbags from properly deploying.

According to a recall report posted by the NHTSA, Mercedes-Benz AG (MBAG) issued a recall for 35,158 Metris vans model years 2022 through 2023, along with 17,198 Metris vans model year 2020, because condensation from the air conditioning may accumulate on the airbag control unit that’s housed directly underneath. Over time, water build up could corrode the airbag control unit’s electrical connections and lead to deployment failure in the event of a crash.

“The volume of condensation that may collect under the specific use case was not anticipated during the development process,” the recall notice stated. “When the issue occurs, the driver might notice an airbag warning lamp in the instrument cluster.”

The vehicles were manufactured at Daimler Vans LLC’s manufacturing and assembly plant in Ladson, South Carolina, between October 2019 and December 2023. Mercedes-Benz discontinued production of the Metris van at the end of 2023.

MBAG said it received 50 field reports between June 2021 and May 2025 from Metris van owners whose airbag warning lights came on.

To remedy the issue, Mercedes-Benz said its network of dealerships will install a protective cover over the airbag control unit on affected vehicles at no cost to van owners. The automaker will notify Metris van owners of the potential problem beginning on March 20, and additional letters will be sent out to owners once Mercedes-Benz announces a final solution to the condensation issue, likely starting in April.

Metris owners can contact the manufacturer directly at 877-762-8267 and reference recall number VS2KORSRS. Owners can see if their Metris vans are part of the recall by inputting their vehicle identification number into the NHTSA’s recall portal at NHTSA.gov.

The NHTSA recall notice for this issue is 26V070. Other recalls announced for Metris vans include 34,226 vehicles with fuel pumps that could potentially shut down (23V444000 and 23V881000), as well as 43,422 vehicles with faulty rear camera displays (25V463000).