NHTSA recall 15V312000
NHTSA advises: do not drive until the repair is done.
A recall listed here may apply to a vehicle of this year, make and model. Only the manufacturer can say whether it applies to one vehicle: check the VIN with the official lookups.
| Published by | NHTSA (United States) |
|---|---|
| Campaign number | 15V312000 |
| Manufacturer's number | R26 |
| Manufacturer | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| Reported | 2015-05-26 |
| Owners notified | 2016-03-16 |
| Component | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE |
| Units potentially affected | 385686 |
| Report | Quarterly report 7, for 2017 quarter 3 |
|---|---|
| Filed with NHTSA | 2017-10-20 |
| Vehicles in the campaign | 385686 |
| Reported remedied | 78178 (20%) |
| Reported unreachable | 21968 |
| Reported removed | 80142 |
These are the manufacturer's totals for the whole campaign at the end of 2017 quarter 3, as filed with NHTSA. They do not say whether one vehicle has been remedied: check the VIN with the official lookups. The reports are from data as of 2026-10-19.
What is wrong
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks manufactured August 29, 2002, to July 25, 2003 to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.
What can happen
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began on March 16, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R26. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 14V770.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
| 2003 DODGE RAM 1500 | Built 2002-08-29 to 2003-07-25. Listed as a series or trim of this model. |
|---|---|
| 2003 DODGE RAM 2500 | Built 2002-08-29 to 2003-07-25. Listed as a series or trim of this model. |
| 2003 DODGE RAM 3500 | Built 2002-08-29 to 2003-07-25. Listed as a series or trim of this model. |
A vehicle with no link is not in this site's catalog, which covers cars, multipurpose vehicles and trucks by model year. The campaign is from data as of 2026-10-19.
Investigated as EA15001
This recall followed 1 NHTSA investigation. An investigation is NHTSA looking into a possible defect. It is not a finding that a defect exists, and it does not say that any one vehicle is affected.
| EA15001 | Engineering analysis, opened 2015-02-24. Air Bag Inflator Rupture. AIR BAGS:FRONTAL; AIR BAGS. |
|---|
From NHTSA's investigation file, as of 2026-10-19. The JSON has NHTSA's summary of each.