Fiat Chrysler recalling 1.9 million vehicles for defect that affects air bags

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:

• The2010 Chrysler Sebring.
• The 2010 Chrysler Cirrus.
• The 2011-2014 Chrysler 200.
• The 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber.
• The 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger.
• The 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot.
• The 2010-2014 Jeep Compass.
• The 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.

• General Motors recalling 4.3 million vehicles for airbag defect