Chrysler announced it will replace a front airbag sensor in more than 355,500 of its 2005-2006 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravans minivans because of a potential of cracking adverse conditions.
Chrysler’s “safety improvement campaign,” which will begin in June, included 259,437 vehicles in the United States and 72,035 in Canada.
The move comes after Chrysler found one of the front airbag crash sensors could crack under some environmental conditions and allow water to enter the sensor, potentially causing the sensor to become inoperative.
The company, which is controlled by Fiat SpA, said it is not aware of any complaints, injuries or property damage related the sensor issue.
Chrysler said the campaign is different from a recall because should problems occur, the vehicles would still meet crash standards outlined by U.S. safety regulators.
“If the front crash sensors become inoperative, the driver is immediately alerted by illumination of the airbag warning light,” Chrysler said in a document sent last week to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to notify the agency of its decision.
“Until the vehicle is repaired, the airbags may not provide the enhanced protection in the event of a crash,” Chrysler said.
Article Last Updated: February 24, 2010.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
