FCA recalls 1.9M vehicles for defect that affects air bags

DETROIT (AP) — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Thursday it's recalling more than 1.9 million vehicles worldwide because their air bags might not deploy in a crash.

The recall affects certain Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Lancia vehicles from the 2010-2014 model years. Most are in the U.S., but 224,860 were sold in Canada and Mexico and 284,051 were sold outside North America.

FCA says an air-bag and seat-belt control module with a certain wiring design may not deploy the air bags or tighten the seat belts if the vehicle is involved in a frontal crash. That could increase the risk of injury.

FCA says it's aware of three deaths and five injuries that may be related to the issue.

FCA will contact owners and replace the defective parts for free. The vehicles involved are:

• 2010 Chrysler Sebring
• 2010 Chrysler Cirrus
• 2011-2014 Chrysler 200
• 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber
• 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger
• 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot
• 2010-2014 Jeep Compass
• 2012-2013 Lancia Flavia

The recall is unrelated to General Motors Co.'s recall last week of more than 4 million vehicles with faulty air bag and seat belt modules. In that recall, a software glitch, not a wiring problem, was the issue.

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