CHICAGO, December 4 (Sputnik), Elizabeth Wojt — Chrysler Group will replace front passenger-side airbag inflators in some 149,150 pickup trucks to address concerns about airbag deployment, the automobile company has announced in a statement.
"The Company is unaware of any related injuries or accidents, involving these inflators in the affected vehicles. Nor has Chrysler Group observed failures in laboratory testing of its air-bag modules," the statement, released Wednesday, said.
"However, these inflators have been linked to two failures in vehicles, produced by other auto makers. In these incidents, which occurred in Puerto Rico and southern Florida, air-bag deployment was accompanied by component ruptures," the statement added.
According to Chrysler, the failures might be linked to high humidity and temperatures in the regions, where the vehicles are registered, namely Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
"Chrysler continues to study this issue with great urgency. At this time, data analysis indicates the front passenger-side inflators in the affected pickups represent the only additional risk outside the above-mentioned areas," the company's statement said, emphasizing that the inflators are "of a type that is not used in any of the other vehicles, affected by Chrysler Group's regional field action".
Chrysler has inspected nine other vehicle lines, apart from the older-model pickup trucks.
The inflators will be replaced in model-year 2003 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups either sold or registered in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and the US territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands.
Chrysler customers are to be notified of the company's free replacement service beginning January 19, 2015.
