An important advisory to share from Ford and Mazda. Tuesday, both automakers issued a do-not-drive advisory for the owners of more than 457,000 vehicles (combined) with recalled Takata air bags. All of these vehicles - some of which are now more than 20 years old - have been previously recalled, yet remain un-repaired.
This “Do Not Drive” warning covers all unrepaired, recalled Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles, as well as all Mazda vehicles, that are equipped with non-desiccated Takata air bags.
Read the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Consumer Alert here. The NTHSA says if you have one of these vehicles, do not drive it until the repair is completed and the defective air bag is replaced.
Ford
Ford also shared its own press release urging consumers with the un-repaired vehicles to contact a Ford dealership immediately. The warning covers 374,290 model year 2004-2014 vehicles previously recalled under the following campaigns:
- 17V787, 17V788
- 2004-2006 Ranger
- 15V319
- 2005-2006 GT
- 2005-2014 Mustang
- 16V384, 17V024, 18V046, 19V001
- 2005-2006 GT
- 2005-2014 Mustang
- 2006-2012 Fusion
- 2006-2012 Lincoln MKZ/Zephyr
- 2006-2012 Mercury Milan
- 2007-2010 Edge
- 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX
- 2007-2011 Ranger
Of the three recalls listed above, the first one was issued in 2015.
Vehicles in which both the driver and passenger airbag inflators are impacted:
- 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks
- 2005-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles
- 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles
Vehicles involving the passenger airbag inflators:
- 2006-2012 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ / Zephyr vehicles
- 2007-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles
- 2007-2011 Ford Ranger trucks
This is Ford's second do-not-drive Takata related advisory, intended to encourage owners to complete the free recall repairs immediately. The automaker says the age of the vehicles makes it increasingly possible that a part inside the airbag will explode and expel sharp metal fragments during a crash, causing serious injury or death to the driver or passengers.
Approximately 765,600 airbag inflators in Ford and Lincoln vehicles are impacted globally, including 374,300 in the U.S. Ford says it continues trying to contact customers about these recalls, with more than 121 million outreach attempts to date in the U.S. alone, including letters, emails, phone calls, text messages and more than 1 million canvassing visits to customer homes. As a result, 95% of U.S. customers completed Takata recalls.
Parts for the repair are available now. Ford says customers can request mobile service, or dealers will tow vehicles directly to the dealership for repair. Dealerships will even provide a free interim loaner vehicle, if necessary.
Ford says it will continue notifying known owners every month through a variety of communication channels with the updated do-not-drive advisory message. To see if your vehicle is involved in this safety recall, visit Ford's recall website or the National Highway Safety Administration's recall website.
MAZDA
Mazda’s warning covers 82,893 model year 2003-2015 vehicles previously recalled under the following campaigns:
- 17V806, 17V807
- 2004-2006 B-Series
- 16V499, 17V013, 18V016
- 2007-2009 B-Series
- 17V474, 18V402, 18V403, 18V404, 19V488, 19V781
- 2003-2008 Mazda6
- 2006-2007 MazdaSpeed6
- 2004-2011 RX-8
- 2004-2006 MPV
- 17V429, 17V457, 18V018, 18V717, 19V782
- 2009-2013 Mazda6
- 2007-2012 CX-7
- 2007-2015 CX-9
NHTSA says 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.
NHTSA is urging all vehicle owners 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 customers with questions or concerns can visit the automaker’s recalls website and check to see if their vehicle is affected. Mazda customers can visit its recalls website for more information and to check for recalls.
Takata Air Bag Deaths in the U.S. to Date
To date, NHTSA says it's confirmed 27 people in the U.S. have been killed by defective Takata air bags that exploded. In addition, at least 400 people in the U.S. reportedly have been injured by exploding Takata air bag inflators. Safety regulators say 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.
For Takata information for specific vehicle manufacturers, please click here. For more information from NHTSA on the Takata air bag safety recall, please click here.
How to Check for Recalls
- Use NHTSA’s Recalls Lookup Tool to enter your license plate number or vehicle identification number to search for any open safety recalls, including the urgent Takata recall.
- Download our SaferCar app and let it check automatically for you.
- If your vehicle does have a safety recall, call your automaker’s local dealer to schedule the free recall repair.
- Sign up at NHTSA.gov/Alerts to be notified by email if your vehicle is affected by a future recall.
