Parents hauling kids to school in Chrysler minivans have a new safety worry to add to the morning rush. Chrysler is recalling more than 178,000 Pacifica and Voyager vans after regulators found that some front side curtain airbags can lose pressure when they deploy. That pressure loss can keep the bags from meeting federal ejection-mitigation rules and can raise the risk of injury or even ejection in certain crashes. The recall covers late-model family haulers that serve as daily drivers for countless households.
What’s being recalled
The recall covers 2022–2026 model-year Chrysler Pacifica and Voyager minivans and, according to 11Alive, affects about 178,246 vehicles. The latest move expands on earlier actions targeting similar curtain-airbag problems, including a 2025 filing that covered roughly 250,651 vans, per AP.
What’s wrong with the airbags
Regulators say the side curtain airbags may have improperly sealed seams that cause insufficient pressure retention during deployment, so they might not keep a headform from moving beyond the window opening as required by federal standard FMVSS 226, according to NHTSA. The agency’s recall report notes that an airbag with poor pressure retention “increases the risk of ejection and injury.” Dealers are expected to replace the curtain airbags as needed, at no cost to owners.
How repairs will work and the timeline
Chrysler plans to start notifying dealers tomorrow. Owners can see whether their van is included by running a VIN search on the federal recall website or by contacting Chrysler customer service, according to 11Alive. Recall documents cited by the station estimate that roughly 30 percent of the vehicles in the recalled group may actually have the defect. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed between May 14 and May 19.
What owners should do now
If you have a Pacifica or Voyager from those model years, plug your VIN into NHTSA’s recall lookup or call Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403 to arrange the free repair. Dealers will install replacement curtain airbags at no charge, and anyone who previously had an airbag fix done should ask their dealer to confirm that the updated remedy has been applied.
