The owners of a Ram 1500 are lobbying the carmaker’s parent company for compensation after their pickup suffered huge damage due to an unexpected airbag explosion.
Florida news station WFTV reports the 2015 Ram 1500 was parked outside its owners’ house when its passenger side rear curtain airbag deployed, causing its headliner to tear and puncture a hole in the roof.
Thankfully there was no one in the pickup at the time, however the owner’s subsequent pursuit for compensation has so far been unsuccessful.
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In the US, Ram opened a recall for the 1500 in 2021, impacting more than 200,000 examples of the pickup built between 2015 and 2020.
Jackie Clark, the Ram 1500’s owner, claims she attempted to have the recall actioned as early as 2021, however the parts to rectify the fault were not yet available.
While Ms Clark told WFTV she had never received communication from the dealer to say the parts had come into stock, Stellantis – the parent of Ram – said the owner was notified in May 2023 that the 1500’s parts were ready to be installed, which she has denied.
Following the incident, Ms Clark and her husband had the Ram 1500 taken to their dealer, only to be told by Stellantis that the company is “responsible for the recall repairs only, we are unable to cover any subsequent damages”.
If the Ram’s owner did ignore the carmaker’s claimed attempts at contacting them about completing the recall, it’s not the first such time it’s happened.
In 2022, at least two US motorists were killed by faulty Takata airbags despite being contacted more than 100 times each by the manufacturers of their vehicles to have the dodgy parts replaced.
