October 12, 2004
Chrysler is recalling 1.2 million minivans because of an electrical problem that could cause the driver's side air bag to fail. About 955,000 of the recalled vehicles are in the United States.
The vehicles affected are the Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and Grand Voyager and Chrysler Town and Country from the 1998-2000 model years. The same problem prompted a recall of 1996-1998 minivansin 2002.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said its records show that four people have been injured in crashes because of the defect and there have been 782 complaints about the problem.
The defect involves a clock spring that supplies current to the driver's side air bag, the horn and the cruise control, the company said. If the clock spring is working properly, the air bag warning light will illuminate for a few seconds when the vehicle is started and then go out. If the air bag warning light isn't working properly, the clock spring may have failed.
Dealers will replace the clock spring for free on vehicles with less than 70,000 miles. The company will extend the warranty on the clock spring for vehicles with more than 70,000 miles. The company said it will start notifying customers about the recall this week.
