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Chrysler has announced the recall of some 367,000 model year 2008 Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans, to fix a potential airbag-triggering defect. On certain examples of the popular minivan, customers have experienced water leaking onto the carpet due to an improperly installed HVAC component. This water can, on rare occasion, trigger the sensor that deploys the airbags, and Chrysler has reported five minor injuries related to this flaw.

As you’d expect, there was a spike in accidentally deployed airbags during the summer months (specifically from July through September), when customers typically run air conditioning on a full-time basis. Chrysler did not become aware of the condition until after the data relating to this spike in occurrences was analyzed, and the automaker plans a full scale recall beginning in February of 2011. Dealers will inspect customer vehicles and re-install a grommet in the air conditioning system if required. Customers with questions or concerns can reach Chrysler’s customer service hotline at (800) 247-9753 in the United States, or at (800) 465-2001 in Canada. French Canadian customers can reach Chrysler’s French Canadian hotline at (800) 387-9983.

Source: Reuters