Owners of certain 2006 Ford Rangers are being told to park their trucks immediately as part of a recall to repair faulty Takata airbags.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Ford and Mazda issued a warning to about 35,000 Ranger and B-Series small pickups to stop driving the trucks immediately due to potential problems with Takata-made airbags. The action is essentially an extension of a smaller recall Ford issued last month.
In January, Ford issued the same order for 2,900 Ranger pickups for the 2006 model year because of the faulty inflators from Takata. The company became aware of a second death that occurred in a truck from the same “production run” of vehicles causing Ford to send out the urgent warning to owners.
Mazda Motor Corp. followed suit for about 1,800 2006 Mazda B-series trucks that were built by Ford after it had issued a warning for 160 trucks last month. NHTSA said the vehicles pose “an immediate risk to safety” and asked owners to immediately schedule a free repair.
The newly expanded warning came about due to additional testing, Ford said, and includes a broader production timeframe. Ford’s new warning includes about 33,000 additional trucks.
(Ford issues “Do not Drive” order for 2,900 2006 Ranger pickups. Click Here for the story.)
“Further inflator and propellant test data showed higher propellant pressures and ruptures inside certain inflators in vehicles built during the period included in this expanded recall,” the company noted.
Affected vehicles include certain 2006 Ford Rangers built at Twin Cities Assembly Plant from Aug. 10, 2005 to Dec. 15, 2005 and from Aug. 5, 2005 to Nov. 4, 2005. Ford is not aware of any injuries or fatalities involved in these additional vehicles.
Dealers will get vehicles directly from customers, make permanent repairs that will resolve the safety risk and provide a free interim loaner vehicle, if necessary.
Ford said it’s important to note the driver and passenger airbag inflators in all 2004–06 Ford Rangers built in North America are already under a Takata airbag inflator recall. Final service parts are available now and customers are encouraged to contact their dealers to get their vehicles serviced.
The two automakers said they have replacement airbag inflators available and will tow vehicles to a dealership for repair, and provide loaner vehicles free of charge. Approximately 90% of the vehicles subject to the “do not drive” warning are in the United States.
(Click Here for more about Takata’s airbag recall.)
Overall, there have been 22 deaths worldwide are linked to the Takata inflators, which can rupture and spew deadly metal fragments into the vehicle’s cabin. The faulty inflators have led to the largest automotive recall in history.
Takata in June said that it has recalled, or expected to recall, about 125 million vehicles worldwide by 2019, including more than 60 million in the United States, and includes 19 automakers worldwide. More than 200 people have been injured. Takata filed for bankruptcy protection in June due to the problem.
The company was hoping to exit bankruptcy filing, but instead looked like it was headed for a protracted battle between two committees: automakers and Key Safety Systems, which bought the company’s assets last year for $1.6 billion.
However, the two sides reached an agreement on how to deal with claims from people and families who died or were injured due to the faulty airbags. The deal calls for a trust to be established to pay compensation for those injured or killed by the airbags.
The trust will pay compensation based on the injury, ranging from $10,000 for bruising to $5 million for death or loss of eyesight, according to court documents. It will be funded in part by 13 automakers surrendering some of their claims against Takata.
(Less than half of potentially deadly Takata airbags replaced. For the story, Click Here.)
The $1.6 billion in proceeds from the sale to Key Safety will fund restitution claims for automakers and help pay injury claims as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice.