Chrysler Group, a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has issued a recall order for over 184,000 vehicles which were confirmed by engineers as having a defect on their air bags and seat belts.
According to Chrysler, a supplier of the components took notice of a potential problem of electric short circuiting, which would turn off the airbags and the restraints that are built into the buckles of the seat belts.
The short circuit can cause the warning lights of the airbags to light up, which means that the safety accessories are turned off. The inflatable devices are greatly relied on to protect the passengers in case of car crashes. If the airbag is disabled, the chance of passengers to survive car crashes drastically lowers.
The recall order that was issued comprises 184,215 Chrysler vehicles that include the 2014 Dodge Durango and the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The car company is requesting the owners of the affected vehicles to contact Chrysler and request for a replacement of the restraint control modules manufactured by Robert Bosch, which is where the issue is rooted.
The replacement of the restraint control modules will be carried out by Chrysler for free.
Out of all the affected vehicles, it is estimated that 126,772 are located in the United States, 8,106 are located in Canada, 3,722 are located in Mexico and the remaining 45,615 are located outside North America.
Chrysler had said that the company has not received any reports of injuries or fatalities that have been linked to the issue that the recall order is aiming to address.
The very same electrical issue has caused Ford Motor Co. to issue a recall order involving a total of 850,000 vehicles last month, which is expected to have cost the company around $500,000.
Last month, Chrysler issued two recall orders for different problems.
The first recall order involved 230,760 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2011 Dodge Durango due to a fuel pump issue that could cause the vehicles to have starting up issues. The issue can also cause the vehicles to stop running, with the fuel pumps still working even after the vehicle has been turned off.
The second recall order involved 349,442 vehicles due to faulty ignition switches that can cause the vehicles to suddenly turn off while driving. The issue is similar to the infamous ignition switch defects that have caused the recall of 16 million vehicles by General Motors and the formation of a compensation fund, which has approved 19 claims for fatalities by September.
