The federal government has recently announced that 5,509 2008 Dodge Chargers and Magnums, along with some 2008 Chrysler 300 vehicles, are being recalled for a problem that was first spotted in March on a 2009 Dodge Challenger pilot vehicle. The vehicle was undergoing pre-launch evaluation at Chrysler’s Chelsea Proving Grounds.

The problem seems to be that the torque retention crimp feature “was missed” during the manufacture of one lot of rear axle hub nuts on the affected cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wrote in its recall summary; “This could cause the nuts to loosen and allow the half-shaft to disengage from the wheel hub,” and also “This could cause the vehicle to lose power and result in a crash without warning.”

The affected vehicles were built between December 19, 2007, and March 12, 2008, at Chrysler’s Brampton, Ontario, assembly plant. NHTSA points out that the “suspect axle hub nuts” were used for production on the 2009 Dodge Challenger pilot vehicles, but the Challenger is not part of the recall. “All potentially affected 2009 model-year pilot vehicles were also inspected and repaired as needed,” says NHTSA.

This is a notice to all you Dodge and Chrysler owners. If you own these affected models then head over to your local Chrysler dealer right away. This is a serious safety concern so don’t put it off people!