Federal Safety Agency Ends Investigation of 7.4M Stellantis Cars Without Recall

Federal highway safety officials have concluded a five-year investigation into nearly 7.4 million Stellantis vehicles over problems with active head restraints deploying unexpectedly. The probe ended without requiring a recall after authorities could not confirm any serious injuries from the malfunctioning safety devices.

Federal highway safety regulators have wrapped up a lengthy investigation involving nearly 7.4 million vehicles manufactured by Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, without demanding a recall over malfunctioning active head restraints.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday it was ending the probe that began in 2019 after determining there were no confirmed cases of severe injuries linked to the safety devices deploying without warning.

As part of the resolution, Stellantis has committed to providing a decade-long extended warranty covering vehicles from the 2010 to 2020 model years affected by the issue.

While safety officials received reports of 750 injuries connected to the head restraint problems, investigators could not verify any serious harm in cases where individuals did not already have underlying health conditions.

The federal agency conducted extensive research on the matter, including having its Human Injury Research Division run computer modeling of the deployments to assess potential risks for skull fractures or traumatic brain injuries.

Investigators examined 16 years worth of information and reviewed more than 8,500 instances of unintended deployments. According to the agency, “no serious crashes or injuries could be validated.”

The investigation covered eight different vehicle models, including the Chrysler 200 from 2011-2014, the Town & Country from 2010-2016, the Dodge Durango from 2011-2020, the Dodge Grand Caravan from 2010-2020, the Dodge Journey from 2010-2019, the Jeep Compass from 2010-2017, the Jeep Grand Cherokee from 2011-2020, and the Jeep Patriot from 2010-2017.

Stellantis representatives had not provided a response to the agency’s decision as of Thursday evening.