The Detroit News - Chrysler Group LLC is recalling nearly 300,000 minivans in the United States over concerns that air bags may deploy inadvertently, the automaker said Thursday.
The company is recalling 299,718 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Grand Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country minivans to replace a module in the United States.
The Auburn Hills automaker also is recalling 50,251 vehicles in Canada; 3,748 vehicles in Mexico, and 13,633 export models.
Chrysler said a leak from the air-conditioning and heating system might cause the Occupant Restraint Control module to fail, which could lead to an inadvertent air bag deployment without warning or the illumination of the air bag warning light.
Chrysler will begin sending letters to customers in September, the company said.
This is the second recall of the minivans since November.
Last year, Chrysler recalled the minivans to replace a drain tube and grommet to fix the potential for water to condense and enter the air bag module.
At the time, the company thought 3 percent of the recalled models had a defective part.
Chrysler said there have been no confirmed incidents of air bag deployment in previously recalled and repaired vehicles.
"Despite the lack of field reports, we believe it is in the best interest of our customers to replace these modules to ensure the proper functionality of the minivan's advanced safety system," said David Dillon, Chrysler's head of product investigations and campaigns.
The company didn't immediately say how many complaints it had received.
Earlier this year, Ford Motor Co. recalled more than 1.3 million F-150s and other vehicles under government pressure to also address air bags that could deploy without warning.
