Ford Motor Company and Mazda North American Operations issued urgent “Do Not Drive” warnings, on Tuesday, for more than 457,000 vehicles with recalled Takata air bags.
Both companies warned drivers that if they have one of these vehicles, do not drive it until the repair is completed and the defective air bag is replaced.
Some of these vehicles are now more than 20 years old, which increases the risk of an air bag rupturing in a crash. If an explosion occurs, it can severely injure or kill vehicle occupants. To date, NHTSA has confirmed 27 people in the United States have been killed by defective Takata air bags that exploded. In addition, at least 400 people reportedly have been injured by exploding Takata air bag inflators. Even minor crashes can result in exploding Takata air bags that can kill or produce life-altering, gruesome injuries. Older model year vehicles put their occupants at higher risk, as the age of the air bag is one of the contributing factors, said The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) officials.
All vehicle owners are to immediately check to see if their vehicle has an open Takata air bag recall. If it does, owners should contact their dealership to schedule a free repair as soon as possible and follow any warnings from the vehicle manufacturer. Ford and Mazda are offering free towing, mobile repair and, if necessary, loaner vehicles.
Ford officials said, the do-not-drive advisory applies to all customers who have not completed recalls 15S21, 17S42 and 19S01, including driver and passenger airbag inflators in: 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks, 2005-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and passenger airbag inflators in: 2006-2012 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ / Zephyr vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles and 2007-2011 Ford Ranger trucks. Click here for more information on Ford vehicles and the Takata recall.
Mazda’s warnings covers 82,893 model year 2003-2015 vehicles previously recalled. They are 2004-2006 B-Series, 2007-2009 B-Series, 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2006-2007 MazdaSpeed6, 2004-2011 RX-8, 2004-2006 MPV, 2009-2013 Mazda6, 2007-2012 CX-7 and 2007-2015 CX-9. Click here for more information from Mazda officials.
Click here for more detailed vehicle information on this urgent recall.
