Complaint 2239966

Complaint Summary

AIR BAGS

Owner Narrative

The side curtain airbag inflator in our 2015 Ram 1500 Rebel spontaneously exploded without any impact, warning, or deployment command. The inflator violently ruptured inside the headliner, ejecting high‑velocity metal fragments and debris throughout the cabin. The blast destroyed the side curtain airbag system and caused severe interior damage. The explosion was forceful enough that we initially believed the vehicle had been vandalized. After removing the headliner, our upholstery technician identified the source as the airbag curtain inflator, which had ruptured internally. He immediately stopped work due to the extreme safety hazard, liability concerns, and the clear presence of a catastrophic component failure. This failure created a life‑threatening shrapnel hazard inside the passenger compartment. Had this occurred while driving—especially at highway speeds—the sudden detonation, debris, and loss of side‑impact protection could have caused loss of vehicle control, severe injury, or fatal collision. The vehicle now has zero functional side airbag protection and cannot be safely operated. There were no warning lights, no airbag indicators, and no prior symptoms before the inflator ruptured. We contacted both the manufacturer (Stellantis/FCA) and our local Ram dealership. Both refused to inspect or repair the vehicle, stating that our VIN is not currently listed under an active recall. However, this model year does have an existing side curtain airbag inflator recall, and the failure mode we experienced is identical to the known defect involving explosive inflator rupture and shrapnel ejection. The manufacturer is currently refusing communication and has declined to evaluate the vehicle despite the severity of the safety defect. This incident demonstrates a critical and dangerous failure of the airbag inflator system that may affect additional Ram 1500 Rebel vehicles of the same model year. We request NHTSA investigation, and expansion of the recall.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.