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Takata Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator Explosion Risk
Airbag deploys with excessive force; metal fragments ejected into cabin; severe injury or death on airbag deployment
Catastrophic2015
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Open airbag recalls, engine stalls, phantom touchscreens. Chrysler 300 defects may qualify for a CA buyback. Free case review — no fees unless you win.
You bought the Chrysler 300 for its presence — a full-size American sedan that looked expensive without the European price tag. What many owners discovered, across a span of nearly a decade, is that the car's reputation for style was not always matched by its reliability record. The 2015–2023 Chrysler 300 has been the subject of eleven separate NHTSA recall campaigns covering defects ranging from catastrophic airbag explosions to sudden engine stalls, from unintended acceleration caused by a cruise control that cannot disengage to a cybersecurity hole that let strangers remotely control the car over a cellular connection. Two open safety recalls remain active as of mid-2024: campaign 19V018, an unrepaired Takata passenger airbag inflator on 2015 models that NHTSA has flagged with a 'Do Not Drive' directive, and campaign 24V198, which covers 67,180 units (2018–2021) for side curtain airbag inflators that can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin — a remedy with parts still pending at the time of recall filing. If your Chrysler 300 has been back to the dealer more than once for the same problem, or has sat unrepaired because parts were unavailable, California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act may entitle you to a buyback or replacement at Stellantis's expense.
The issues owners report most, ranked by severity — each one verified against a cited NHTSA source.
Airbag deploys with excessive force; metal fragments ejected into cabin; severe injury or death on airbag deployment
Side curtain airbag inflator ruptures; compressed gas and metal fragments propelled into cabin; injury or death risk
Third party able to remotely access and manipulate vehicle systems including steering, brakes, and engine via cellular network; no owner-visible symptom until exploit occurs
Pressing brake does not cancel cruise control; vehicle maintains speed or accelerates when driver tries to slow down; inability to deactivate speed control
Engine stalls while driving without warning; car won't start after stall; check engine light; sudden loss of power
Steering becomes extremely heavy or locks up without warning; power steering warning light illuminates; very difficult to steer at highway speeds
A settled Margarian Law case on this exact model, published with the actual settlement math.
Open any defect for the symptoms and why it matters for a California lemon-law claim. Each is tied to a cited NHTSA source.
Airbag deploys with excessive force; metal fragments ejected into cabin; severe injury or death on airbag deployment
Catastrophic safety defect with confirmed fatalities nationally. Open unrepaired recalls may support substantial impairment claims.
Replace passenger frontal airbag inflator; dealer repair at no cost
Side curtain airbag inflator ruptures; compressed gas and metal fragments propelled into cabin; injury or death risk
Open safety recall with 67,180 Chrysler 300 units affected and remedy still pending at time of recall filing. Extended repair unavailability supports repeat-repair / waiting-period claims.
Replace both side curtain airbags; remedy parts not fully available at recall filing; dealer repair at no cost when available
Pressing brake does not cancel cruise control; vehicle maintains speed or accelerates when driver tries to slow down; inability to deactivate speed control
Part of massive ~4.8 million-vehicle FCA recall. A vehicle that cannot slow down is a direct safety impairment. Repeated cruise-control complaints prior to recall remedy support lemon-law timeline.
Software flash / reprogram of engine control module and powertrain control module at no cost
Engine stalls while driving without warning; car won't start after stall; check engine light; sudden loss of power
Stall at highway speed is a safety-critical failure. If stall recurred before recall remedy, qualifies as substantial impairment.
Replace powertrain control module at no cost
Steering becomes extremely heavy or locks up without warning; power steering warning light illuminates; very difficult to steer at highway speeds
Sudden loss of steering control is a textbook safety defect. Multiple owner complaints pre-recall support substantial impairment argument.
Replace EPS unit at no cost; approximately 3-hour repair
Touchscreen develops bubbles or separates; screen registers phantom presses; radio changes channels, adjusts HVAC, or activates navigation without driver input while driving
Ghost-touch causing unintended climate, navigation, or audio changes while driving is a driver-distraction safety concern. High complaint volume and no OEM recall = pattern of non-repair supporting lemon-law claims.
Replace radio/AV control unit head unit; some owners repaired with aftermarket screen digitizer kit
Vibration or clunking from front drivetrain; sudden loss of power; front driveshaft separates from vehicle
Driveshaft disconnect while driving is a direct safety hazard. AWD-specific; owners who purchased on AWD capability lost core function.
Replace all 8 front driveshaft bolts and torque to specification within 10 minutes of installation; ~1-hour repair at no cost
Third party able to remotely access and manipulate vehicle systems including steering, brakes, and engine via cellular network; no owner-visible symptom until exploit occurs
NHTSA-ordered recall after high-profile security demonstration. Vehicles without software patch remained at risk. Broad public safety concern; supports substantial-impairment argument for 2015 owners.
USB software update to close network vulnerability; distributed by mail and available at dealers
open
Right and left side curtain airbag inflators (SABIC brand) may rupture due to moisture-induced internal corrosion and stress corrosion cracking during manufacturing
closed
Parking brake may have been built out of adjustment at the factory, failing to meet FMVSS 135 requirements
closed
Tire Pressure Monitoring System sensor battery may fail prematurely, causing the sensor to stop transmitting tire pressure data
closed
Windshield urethane sealant applied during manufacturing was non-conforming, resulting in inadequate windshield bonding to the vehicle body
open
Takata PSAN propellant in passenger frontal airbag inflator may degrade due to prolonged high-humidity/heat exposure, causing inflator overpressure and rupture on deployment
closed
Suspect voltage regulator chip on PCM circuit board may fail, causing engine stall while driving or no-start condition
closed
Internal wiring short circuit prevents cruise control system from disengaging when driver presses brake pedal
closed
Front driveshaft bolts may loosen on AWD-equipped vehicles, allowing the front driveshaft to disconnect from the transfer case
closed
Circuit board contamination in the EPS unit may cause short circuit of control circuit components, resulting in intermittent or permanent loss of power steering assist
closed
Software security vulnerability in UConnect 8.4A/8.4AN radios allows unauthorized third-party remote access and manipulation of networked vehicle control systems via cellular connection
Every item below comes from this vehicle's documented defects. The more you recognize, the more a free case review is worth your time.
California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act gives vehicle owners specific rights when a manufacturer cannot fix a defect after a reasonable number of repair attempts. For safety defects — like airbag rupture risk or a cruise control that cannot disengage — California presumes that two repair attempts may be sufficient to trigger lemon-law protection. For non-safety defects that substantially impair use, value, or safety, four repair attempts, or 30 or more cumulative out-of-service days, can establish the same presumption. If your Chrysler 300 qualifies, you may be entitled to: a full repurchase of the vehicle (the amount you paid, minus a usage offset calculated from your mileage at first complaint), a comparable replacement vehicle, or a negotiated cash settlement. Under Song-Beverly, Stellantis is responsible for your attorney's fees if you prevail — which means most California lemon law cases cost the owner nothing out of pocket. Extended parts waits — like the remedy parts shortage documented for the 24V198 side curtain airbag recall — count toward your out-of-service days. The above is general information only and is not legal advice; every case turns on its specific facts, dates, and repair history.
“Could not duplicate” doesn't mean the defect isn't real. Here's exactly what to do to protect a potential California lemon-law claim.
Document the moment it happens. Photos, video, and screenshots of any warning lights — with the date and the mileage.
Get a repair order every visit — even “found nothing.” That paperwork is the foundation of a claim.
Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Note any recall that has no available remedy yet.
Track your out-of-service days. California law counts the cumulative days your vehicle spends in the shop.
Keep loaner & rental records. Alternate-transport paperwork during long repairs matters.
Save everything in one place. Symptoms, dates, repair orders, and every repeat visit — the intermittent ones especially.
Chrysler 300 owners frequently encounter 'unable to duplicate' (UTD) or 'no trouble found' (NTF) closures — particularly for intermittent electrical issues, cruise control problems that appear and disappear, and UConnect ghost-touch complaints that stop momentarily when someone is watching. Here is what to do: 1. Write everything down before your dealer visit. Note the exact symptom, the date, time, mileage, temperature, and exactly what you were doing when the problem occurred. Photographs of dashboard warning lights and video of the touchscreen ghosting are powerful evidence. 2. Demand a printed Repair Order (RO) for every visit, even UTD visits. Under California law, an attempt that finds nothing still counts as a repair attempt toward the lemon-law threshold. Do not leave the dealership without a paper RO in hand. 3. Ask the service advisor to specifically check for open recalls and Technical Service Bulletins. For the Chrysler 300, the key documents are: TSB 08-016-19 REV. E and TSB 08-UAS-UCR-2023 (UConnect screen issues); recall campaigns 18V332 and 18V524 (cruise control / engine stall); and open recalls 19V018 and 24V198 (airbags). If the dealer did not reference these documents, the applicable fix may have been missed. 4. Request stored Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) even when no current fault is active. Historical codes are often the only record of an intermittent failure. 5. Track your cumulative out-of-service days. California's lemon law counts every day your vehicle is at the dealer, including days waiting for backordered parts — even if the car is just sitting in the lot. Thirty or more cumulative days during the warranty period triggers a legal presumption.
The Chrysler 300's eleven NHTSA recall campaigns over its 2015–2023 lifespan cover some of the most serious defect categories in automotive safety: rupturing airbag inflators, a cruise control that cannot stop accelerating, a PCM chip that kills the engine without warning, and a cybersecurity vulnerability that handed control of the vehicle to strangers over a cell signal. Two of those campaigns remain open today — one of them with a 'Do Not Drive' directive and confirmed fatalities in the Takata fleet. On the other end of the severity spectrum, the UConnect screen delamination issue has generated hundreds of owner complaints over eight model years with no stand-alone recall, suggesting a manufacturer aware of the defect but unwilling to own it at scale. If your 300 has been back to the dealer for any of these issues more than once, or if it sat unrepaired for weeks while Stellantis's parts supply caught up, your service records are worth a careful review.
— The Margarian Law team
Has your Chrysler 300 been in for the same problem more than once — whether it's a cruise control that won't disengage, an engine that stalls without warning, a touchscreen with a mind of its own, or an open airbag recall with no repair date in sight? Your repair history may already meet California's lemon law threshold. The consultation is free. Find out where you stand.
If you own a 2015 Chrysler 300, your vehicle may be covered by NHTSA recall 19V018 (campaign 19V018000), which requires replacement of the passenger-side frontal airbag inflator. The Takata PSAN inflator can degrade over time — especially in hot, humid climates — and rupture violently when the airbag deploys, sending metal fragments through the cushion and into the cabin. NHTSA issued a 'Do Not Drive' directive for certain Chrysler vehicles with open, unrepaired Takata campaigns. At least one fatality has been confirmed in the broader FCA Takata fleet. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov immediately. If your recall is open, contact your dealer to schedule the free inflator replacement.
Yes, for certain model years. Two separate NHTSA recalls address stall conditions on the Chrysler 300. Recall 18V524 (campaign 18V524000) covers 2018 MY vehicles whose powertrain control module (PCM) contains a suspect voltage regulator chip that can fail, causing the engine to shut off without warning while driving or preventing a restart after a stall — the remedy is PCM replacement at no cost. Recall 18V332 (campaign 18V332000) covers 2015–2018 MY vehicles for a wiring defect that prevents cruise control from disengaging, which can cause the vehicle to maintain or increase speed when the driver expects it to slow — the remedy is a PCM/ECM software flash at no cost. If you experienced a stall or unintended speed maintenance and the issue recurred after a repair attempt, document every dealer visit. Multiple repair attempts on a safety defect may support a California lemon law claim.
NHTSA recall 24V198 (campaign 24V198000, issued March 2024) covers 67,180 Chrysler 300 units from model years 2018 through 2021. The SABIC-brand side curtain airbag inflators in these vehicles may have absorbed moisture during manufacturing, causing internal corrosion and stress cracking of the inflator body. If the inflator ruptures during a crash deployment, it can propel sharp metal fragments and compressed gas into the vehicle interior, causing serious injury or death. At the time the recall was filed, remedy parts were not yet available — meaning many owners have been left waiting with an open safety recall. Owner notifications were mailed February 20, 2025. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov and contact your dealer for current parts availability. Days your car sits unrepaired at the dealer while waiting for parts count toward California's 30-day lemon law out-of-service threshold.
Yes. The UConnect 8.4-inch touchscreen on 2015–2022 Chrysler 300 models is widely reported to develop air bubbles or separation between the touch layer and the LCD panel — a defect owners and technicians call delamination. Once the layers separate, the screen can register phantom touches, causing the radio to change stations, the climate control to shift temperatures, or navigation to activate without driver input while the car is moving. Chrysler issued Technical Service Bulletin 08-016-19 REV. E, which addresses the symptom with a software update for some functions and hardware (radio head unit) replacement when delamination or ghost-touch persists. No stand-alone recall has been issued for this defect. If your dealer has replaced the head unit and the problem returned, or if the ghost-touch issue was dismissed without a repair, those repair orders support a pattern-of-nonrepair argument under California's lemon law.
It may. California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act presumes a vehicle is a lemon if, during the warranty period, the manufacturer has had two or more repair attempts for a defect that could cause death or serious injury (such as an airbag rupture or sudden steering loss), four or more repair attempts for any other substantial defect, or the vehicle has been out of service for 30 or more cumulative days. For the Chrysler 300, relevant defects include the open Takata airbag recall (19V018), the open SABIC airbag recall (24V198), the cruise-control recall (18V332), the EPS recall (16V167), and the ongoing UConnect delamination problem. Parts-wait days at the dealer count toward the 30-day threshold. The analysis is fact-specific — gathering your repair orders and contacting a California lemon law attorney is the right first step. Attorney fees are paid by Stellantis if you prevail.
Yes. Under California's Song-Beverly Act, a repair visit where the dealer finds nothing still counts as a repair attempt toward the legal threshold, as long as the vehicle was presented for a substantial defect during the warranty period. Keep every Repair Order — even ones that say 'unable to duplicate' or 'no trouble found.' Before your next visit, write down the exact symptom, the date, time, mileage, and conditions, and take video or photos if possible. Ask the service advisor to pull stored Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), check open recalls, and reference applicable TSBs (particularly 08-016-19 REV. E for UConnect and the active campaigns 18V332, 18V524, 19V018, and 24V198). A pattern of dismissed or unsuccessful repair attempts for the same complaint is one of the strongest foundations for a California lemon law case.
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