Ram pickup trucks recalled over risk of air bag launching shrapnel

WASHINGTON - Automaker Stellantis is recalling more than 260,000 Ram trucks over a potential hazard caused by side-curtain air bags.

Some of the vehicles may have air bag inflators that were contaminated with moisture during manufacturing. Those inflators could rupture without warning, even without air bags deploying, potentially launching debris inside the vehicle, the automaker said in a voluntary recall notice Friday.

Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, said it was aware of one such rupture, but there were no injuries. 

The recall includes Ram 3500 pickup trucks and cab-chassis vehicles, 2500 pickups and previous-generation 1500, or Classic, pickups from model years 2015-2020, the company said. That includes an estimated 212,373 trucks sold in the U.S., plus 42,532 sold in Canada, 3,802 in Mexico and 4,540 outside North America. 

Some inflators sold as replacement parts are also included in the recall.

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Stellantis said it would service the recalled vehicles for free. Anyone with one of the affected vehicles can call 1-800-853-1403 with questions.

This is the second time an automaker has had to recall pickup trucks over this issue in the past two months. General Motors announced it was recalling hundreds of thousands of Chevrolet and GMC Sierra trucks in July. No injuries had been reported before that recall, either.