Ford issues do-not-drive advisory for vehicles with Takata airbag inflators

Adrienne Roberts, Detroit Free Press

Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday issued a do-not-drive advisory for owners of certain vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators who have not yet had their vehicles repaired under three past safety recalls.

About 672,600 Ford and Lincoln vehicles with 765,600 total airbag inflators are impacted globally, Ford spokesperson Maria Buczkowski said. In the U.S., 318,700 vehicles with 374,300 total airbag inflators are included.

This do-not-drive advisory is the second Takata-related do-not-drive recall advisory issued by the Dearborn-based automaker, and comes as other automakers, including Mazda, Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. have taken similar actions.

Bowman Chevrolet service technician Anthony Carbone, 22, of Rochester Hills, takes out a recalled Takata front passenger airbag out of a Chevrolet Silverado and he prepares to replace it with another one in Clarkston on Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Bowman Chevrolet service technician Anthony Carbone, 22, of Rochester Hills, takes out a recalled Takata front passenger airbag out of a Chevrolet Silverado and he prepares to replace it with another one in Clarkston on Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Ford issued the first recall related to Takata airbags in 2015 after it was found that the inflators' mental canisters degrade with age, heat and humidity and can, without warning, become bombs. About 67 million Takata airbag inflators have been recalled, making it the largest automotive recall in U.S. history. Takata airbag explosions in the U.S. have killed 27 people, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and have injured hundreds with sharp metal fragments.

The do-not-drive advisory applies to drivers who have not completed recalls for driver and passenger airbag inflators in these vehicles:

  • 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks

  • 2005-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles

  • 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles

It also applies to passenger airbag inflators in:

  • 2006-2012 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ / Zephyr vehicles

  • 2007-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles

  • 2007-2011 Ford Ranger trucks

More: Thousands of Ford owners may be at risk of injury from flawed air bag repairs

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Ford is also in the midst of a "recall of a recall," reinspecting more than a quarter-million vehicles of the same years and models as those covered in Tuesday's advisory after the company found that airbags may have been incorrectly installed or the fixes were never made when car owners took their vehicles in to get repaired.

Buczkowski said the vehicles covered in Tuesday's advisory have never been in for the repair, so there is no overlap between the vehicles that are being reinspected and the vehicles that are included in the do-not-drive advisory.

Ford said parts are available now and customers can request mobile service, or dealers will tow vehicles directly to the dealership for repair. Dealerships can also provide a free interim loaner vehicle.

Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford issues do-not-drive advisory for vehicles with Takata airbags

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