Key facts
- Action: A "Do Not Drive" (stop-drive) escalation, not a new recall or new defect finding. It urgently pushes owners of already-recalled but never-repaired Takata vehicles to get the free fix.
- Issued by: Stellantis (parent of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, via FCA US LLC).
- Timing: Stellantis began notifying owners on Feb. 9, 2026; NHTSA published its consumer alert around Feb. 11-12, 2026.
- Scope: Roughly 225,000 U.S. vehicles as of February 2026 — the residual unrepaired population, a figure that keeps declining as repairs continue. Stellantis says it has already replaced more than 6.6 million Takata inflators (about 95-98% of its recalled fleet).
- Underlying campaigns: Legacy Takata recalls dating to 2015-2019. This stop-drive is an escalation of those existing campaigns, so there may be no single new NHTSA campaign number.
- Defect mechanism: The ammonium-nitrate propellant inside certain Takata inflators degrades over time, especially with prolonged heat and humidity. In a crash, the inflator can rupture instead of inflating normally, firing sharp metal fragments into the cabin.
- Casualties: Defective Takata inflators are linked to at least 28 U.S. deaths and more than 400 injuries. The broader Takata recall spans about 67 million inflators across roughly 17-19 automakers — the largest auto-safety recall in U.S. history.
- Remedy: Free. Arrange repair via nhtsa.gov/recalls, recalls.mopar.com, checktoprotect.org, or Stellantis at 833-585-0144.
- Not the Grand Cherokee: This scope covers the 2007-2016 Jeep Wrangler (JK), not the Grand Cherokee.
What is the Takata "Do Not Drive" warning, and why is it so dangerous?
A "Do Not Drive" warning tells owners to stop driving a vehicle immediately until a specific safety defect is repaired. Stellantis issued this one because the affected Takata airbag inflators can rupture during a crash deployment rather than inflating normally, blasting sharp metal fragments into the passenger cabin — a failure capable of causing serious injury or death.
The root cause is the ammonium-nitrate propellant inside these inflators, which degrades over time, especially after prolonged exposure to heat and humidity. Because the risk rises with the age of the part, these decades-old vehicles are among the most dangerous still on the road. Stellantis framed the action as an effort "to accelerate the repair of the remaining affected vehicles to safeguard owners, their families and the general public from the risk of serious injury or death." Defective Takata inflators are linked to at least 28 U.S. deaths and more than 400 injuries.
Importantly, this is not a new recall. It is an urgent escalation of long-standing Takata inflator recalls from 2015-2019, targeting the roughly 225,000 vehicles that were recalled years ago but never brought in for the free repair.
Which Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Ram models are affected?
The stop-drive scope covers older Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles (plus the Chrysler-built Mitsubishi Raider) equipped with the recalled Takata inflators. The core list appears in essentially every source; a few models and some end-model-years vary between reports, so you should confirm the exact year of any specific car by its VIN.
| Make | Model | Model years (as reported) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrysler | 300 | 2005-2015 | Consistent across sources |
| Chrysler | Aspen | 2007-2009 | Consistent |
| Chrysler | Crossfire | 2007-2008 | Listed by some sources, omitted by others |
| Dodge | Ram (1500/2500/3500/4500) | 2003-2010 or 2003-2016 | End-year conflict between sources |
| Dodge | Durango | 2004-2009 | Consistent |
| Dodge | Dakota | 2005-2011 or 2005-2012 | End-year conflict between sources |
| Dodge | Magnum | 2005-2008 | Consistent |
| Dodge | Charger | 2006-2015 | Consistent |
| Dodge | Challenger | 2008-2014 | Consistent |
| Dodge | Sprinter (van) | Reported as 2003-2016 / 2007-2009 | Listed by some sources, omitted by others |
| Jeep | Wrangler (JK) | 2007-2016 | Consistent — this is the Wrangler, not the Grand Cherokee |
| Mitsubishi | Raider | 2006-2009 | Rebadged Dodge Dakota; built by Chrysler, so within Stellantis scope |
The Dodge Ram end-year is reported as either 2010 or 2016, and the Dakota as either 2011 or 2012, depending on the source. The Chrysler Crossfire, Dodge Sprinter and Mitsubishi Raider appear on some lists but not others. Because of these discrepancies, treat the table as a guide and verify the definitive model-year for a specific vehicle against NHTSA's VIN lookup or the official Stellantis notice.
How do I check a used car for an open airbag recall by VIN?
Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, the free federal tool that flags outstanding safety recalls and shows whether the remedy has been completed (a license-plate lookup also works). For these Stellantis vehicles you can additionally check recalls.mopar.com or checktoprotect.org, or call Stellantis at 833-585-0144. The VIN is on the driver-side dashboard where it meets the windshield, on the door-jamb sticker, and on the title and insurance card.
Use more than one source, because each answers a slightly different question. NHTSA and the manufacturer's owner portal tell you whether the specific inflator was actually replaced. A VIN-history report — such as Zilocar's — is useful alongside them because it screens for recall presence the way NHTSA's free tool flags that an outstanding recall exists, and, more distinctively, it exposes the car's accident, airbag-deployment, salvage-auction and ownership past that a recall lookup alone won't show. Run the free NHTSA check first for the definitive open-versus-fixed status.
What can a VIN check tell you here, and what can't it?
A VIN check surfaces that a Takata airbag recall is associated with a vehicle — recall presence and count — the same way NHTSA's free tool flags that an outstanding recall exists. It cannot, and does not, confirm that the physical inflator was replaced. Remedy status (open versus completed) must come from NHTSA's VIN lookup, recalls.mopar.com, or a Stellantis/FCA dealer that can see the actual repair record.
Where a Zilocar VIN history adds distinct value on a high-risk, decades-old vehicle like these is the car's past: prior accident and airbag-deployment records (a deployed airbag on a Takata-era car is a major red flag), salvage and junk auction records, odometer/rollback checks, theft (NICB) records, full ownership history, and sales-listing history — past and current listings, prices, mileage and days-on-market — that reveal whether a do-not-drive vehicle has been quietly flipped.
| Question | Free NHTSA VIN lookup | Dealer / recalls.mopar.com | Zilocar VIN check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is a Takata airbag recall associated with this VIN? | Yes | Yes | Yes (presence/count) |
| Was the inflator actually replaced (open vs. remedied)? | Yes | Yes (physical repair record) | No — cedes to NHTSA/dealer |
| Prior accident & airbag-deployment history | No | No | Yes |
| Salvage/junk auction records | No | No | Yes |
| Odometer rollback, theft (NICB), ownership & listing history | No | No | Yes |
| Legal title-brand classification | No | No | No (shows junk/salvage auction records, not the title brand) |
| Active NHTSA investigations (PE/EA) or dealer firmware detail | Partially (investigations) | Firmware/remedy detail | No |
What should I do if I already own one of these vehicles, or find one for sale?
If you own an affected vehicle under the Do Not Drive order, stop driving it and arrange the free repair immediately through nhtsa.gov/recalls, recalls.mopar.com, or 833-585-0144. Because the inflator can rupture in any crash, even a short test drive carries real risk. Mobile or towing assistance may be available; ask Stellantis when you call.
If you're shopping, treat an unrepaired do-not-drive listing as a car that must be fixed before it is driven, not one to test-drive first. A recall attaches to the VIN, not the owner, so it follows the vehicle through every resale until the remedy is completed — which is exactly why unrepaired units keep surfacing on used lots and in private listings years later. Confirm remedy status on NHTSA's tool, and separately screen the car's accident, salvage and ownership history before committing.
