Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced plans Tuesday to cease using Takata airbag inflators in any of its production models.
The inflators, which have been the subject of a massive worldwide recall among all prominent automakers, lack a drying agent which can cause the airbag to degrade over time and potentially rupture, according to information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Currently, FCA says only its 2016 Jeep Wrangler still employs use of the Takata inflator in passenger side airbags. FCA says the vehicle will no longer equip those inflators staring next week.
"Most inflators used in FCA U.S. vehicles employ alternate propellants," FCA said in a statement. "Others use desiccant-enhanced ammonium nitrate. Neither is associated with any inflator ruptures of the kind attributed to certain non-desiccated ammonium-nitrate inflators."
FCA says it is not aware of any incidents involving the recalled inflators in Jeeps, and anyone buying a 2016 Wrangler with this inflator will be notified the vehicle is subject to a future recall.
Last month, NHTSA ordered an unprecedented recall of all non-desiccated ammonium nitrate inflators made by Takata, with the recall campaign encompassing nearly 70 million inflators in the U.S. alone. The replacement campaign is designed to proceed in phases through 2019.
FCA’s announcement follows a similar one by Toyota earlier in June.
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