Mopar 13 Dodge Dart Recalled for Airbag Installation Error

The Chrysler Group has been forced to recall the special edition Mopar 13 versions of the Dodge Dart sedan over a concern that one of the airbag systems was not installed correctly during the interior upfitting process – meaning that the Mopar 13 safety systems might not work as expected in the event of an accident.

The Mopar 13 Dodge Dart is fitted with a special interior package that includes Katzkin leather seats with a bright blue driver’s seat with black stitching and a black leather passenger’s seat with blue stitching. Unfortunately, it seems that when the Katzkin leather was being added by Mopar when the Dodge Dart was being converted into the Mopar 13, the front seat mounted side airbags may not have been installed properly. If the front seat mounted side airbags have been installed incorrectly, they may not open as designed and should they open incorrectly, they may not protect the driver and passenger in the event of an accident. Realistically, I imagine that an incorrectly installed airbag could maybe even cause worse injuries when they open but in either case – any concern of seat belts not working correctly is a good reason to recall a vehicle.

Chrysler only plans to build 500 examples of the Mopar 13 Dodge Dart and with 374 having been sold thus far, that is the number of vehicles included in this fresh recall. Fortunately, there have been no reports of airbags opening incorrectly so there are also no reports of injuries as a result of this problem but with the increased potential of injury to the driver and passenger, Chrysler isn’t going to take any chances. Ultimately, with so few vehicles included in the recall, this should be fairly inexpensive for the Chrysler Group to fix the problem before anyone gets hurt as result of the incorrect upfitting process.

This new Mopar 13 Dodge Dart recall is expected to begin later this month and when it does, the Chrysler Group will notify owners and ask them to return back to their local Dodge dealership. Once there, a dealership technician will inspect the front seat mounted side airbags in both front seats to ensure that they are installed correctly. If they are not, the technician will remove and reinstall the airbag systems so that they are guaranteed to operate correctly in the event of an accident. The technician will have to open up these custom leather seats to make sure that the seat mounted side airbags are installed correctly so it will take more than a couple minutes but once they have the seats apart, it shouldn’t take them very long to make the repairs if needed.

The good news for the Chrysler Group is that the Mopar 13 Dodge Dart is a specially designed performance package that is marketed to Mopar fans. Because of that, they are less likely to throw a fit about having to take their car back to the dealership for free repairs so this recall shouldn’t have much impact on Chrysler’s reputation for quality.