VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The force of an airbag was so strong it blasted a hole through the roof of a pick-up truck when it deployed. The truck owners said this all happened when the truck was just parked outside their Volusia County home. They turned to Action 9 when the truck maker refused to pay for the damage.
“At first we thought it was a window because this looks like broken glass,” said Jackie Clark as she showed the Action 9 team her 2015 RAM 1500 pick-up truck. She was stunned at the damage she found inside the cab after what she described as an explosion.
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She said, “We heard a really big boom over the weekend, and it was so loud it sounded like a gigantic limb fell on the roof.”
She and her husband at first thought the sound might be something from the space industry on Florida’s Atlantic coast since they didn’t see any damage around their home. It wasn’t until a couple of days later when they went to drive their truck, that they realized the sound they heard was from a side curtain airbag that deployed while the truck was just parked on outside their home.
“Yeah, you can see right underneath here where it shot a hole right up through here. That’s why it’s wet,” Clark said as the pointed out the damage.
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The airbag ripped apart the inside of the cabin and blasted a hole through the metal part of the roof. It was near the rear passenger-side seat where their 18-month-old granddaughter usually sits in her car seat.
The airbag has been under a recall since 2021, with more than 200,000 trucks from 2015 to 2020 potentially involved.
After Jackie Clark and her husband took their RAM 1500 to the dealership in New Smyrna Beach, they received an email from Stellantis, the parent company of RAM stating: “We are responsible for the recall repairs only, we are unable to cover any subsequent damages.” The email noted it’s the responsibility of a vehicle owner to respond promptly when recall notices are issued.
Clark told Action 9′s Jeff Deal, “We knew there was a recall. We’ve been told for three years that the parts aren’t available. We had no reason to know that it could be so extreme.”
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In fact, she showed Action 9 paperwork from her dealership indicating in 2021 the dealership had no parts from RAM when the Clarks brought it in for service. The paperwork indicates the parts were ordered in July of 2023. But as far as the Jackie Clark knows the parts never came in.
The company told Action 9 affected customers were advised the replacement parts have been available since May of 2023 with at least one notice sent to the Clarks. It also said nearly 85,000 truck owners have had the repair done at no cost.
Still, Clark insists they never received notice of availability after the parts were ordered last year. She now wants other owners of RAM 1500′s under the recall to make sure they get this fixed right away.
“The fact of the matter is that it blew a hole in the roof of the back seat. And imagine what it could do to a human being,” she said.
Stellantis is also urging customers to follow instructions on the recall notices and maintain communication with their dealers. After Action 9 went to Stellantis for answers, the company told us it will be offering the couple a discount on a new truck.
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Here’s the full statement from Stellantis:
Replacement parts for this campaign have been available since May of 2023, and they remain so. Affected customers were advised accordingly. To date, nearly 85,000 customers have availed of the necessary repair, which is being provided free of charge. We urge customers to follow the instructions on recall notices and to maintain communication with their dealers.
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