Some Breeze OnDemand vans recalled

Riders of Sarasota County’s Breeze OnDemand system could experience delays as the transit agency and its contracted service provider work their way through a federal recall of some of their Chrysler vans.

Twenty-nine Voyager and Pacifica model minivans from the years 2022-2025 were recalled earlier this month in connection with a concern related to the inflation pressure of side-impact curtain airbags.

Breeze was notified in writing of the recall on July 10. On Sunday evening, OnDemand contractor Via alerted Breeze that it planned to pull the 29 affected minivans off the road as of Monday morning. The contractor said 21 replacements would be operating by Tuesday morning.

In a statement, Sarasota County Breeze said the affected vehicles would remain off the road until a repair is devised and accomplished.

The OnDemand system operates a fleet of more than 70 vehicles, with about 45 in operation daily. The statement said compared to a 99% rate of ride requests being assigned on July 7, 87% were met with assignments in the early portions of Monday, July 14.

In an email sent to BreezeOnDemand users, the county transit agency wrote: “you may experience service delays for a period of time, while these vehicles are being checked. We recommend planning ahead if you have time-sensitive appointments.

“We are working hard to bring in temporary vehicles and return service to normal as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and will let you know when full service is up and running.

“We take your safety seriously, and appreciate your understanding.”