The Harris County Sheriff's Office is sounding the alarm on the road, warning that owners of certain older Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles with unrepaired Takata air bag recalls should not be behind the wheel at all. The office said roughly 87,000 of these high-risk vehicles are registered in Texas, and the local advisory steers residents to federal recall tools while backing a nationwide push to get the aging inflators fixed.
Federal 'Do Not Drive' Alert
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted a consumer alert on Feb. 11 stating that FCA US, now part of Stellantis, has issued a "do not drive" warning for about 225,000 U.S. vehicles that still carry unrepaired Takata air bag inflators. Owners are told not to drive those vehicles until the inflator is replaced, according to NHTSA. The agency says more than 6.6 million of the automaker's inflators have already been replaced, but the remaining units pose an elevated risk. NHTSA has tied ruptured Takata inflators to at least 28 U.S. deaths and hundreds of injuries, which is why the latest warning is being framed as urgent rather than optional.
Which Vehicles Are Included
According to reporting by Reuters, the affected model-year ranges include: 2003–2010 Dodge Ram, 2004–2009 Dodge Durango, 2005–2011 Dodge Dakota, 2005–2008 Dodge Magnum, 2006–2015 Dodge Charger, 2007–2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2008–2014 Dodge Challenger, 2005–2015 Chrysler 300, 2007–2016 Jeep Wrangler, and 2006–2009 Mitsubishi Raider. The warning zeroes in on older models and those that remain unrepaired despite years of Takata recall campaigns.
How To Check And Get The Free Repair
NHTSA is urging owners to plug their information into the agency's recall lookup at NHTSA.gov/Recalls or use the SaferCar app to search by VIN or license-plate number, then schedule free recall repairs at an authorized dealership. FCA’s customer service hotline listed in the notice is 833-585-0144. As NHTSA warns, even a minor crash can be enough to set off an inflator rupture that sends metal fragments into the cabin, so any open Takata recall should be treated as an emergency, not a someday task.
Why Texas Is A Focus
Local reporting and recall data indicate that many of the remaining unrepaired inflators are clustered in warmer, more humid states. The Houston Chronicle notes that NHTSA prioritized replacements in "recall zones" that placed Texas in the highest-risk category. The Harris County Sheriff's Office post linking to the federal notice, shared on its Facebook page and available here, urges residents to run their VINs and stay off the road in affected vehicles until the inflators are replaced.
If you own one of the listed models, officials say the move now is simple, even if it is inconvenient: arrange alternate transportation and book the free recall repair as soon as possible. Dealerships will replace the inflator at no charge. Harris County authorities say they are amplifying the federal advisory to boost awareness and cut the risk of injuries from defective inflators on local roads.
