Ford and Mazda issued a „do not drive“ warning to owners of over 457,000 older vehicles in the United States due to a severe safety threat posed by defective Takata air bag inflators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the warning, which affects all unrepaired, recalled Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles, as well as all Mazda vehicles equipped with unrepaired Takata air bags. The advisories cover more than 374,000 vehicles from Ford spanning model years from 2004 through 2014 and nearly 83,000 Mazda vehicles from 2003 through 2015 model years.
The models at risk include Ford’s 2004-2011 Ranger pickups, 2005-2014 Mustangs, 2005-2006 Ford GTs, 2006-2012 Fusions, and 2007-2010 Edge SUVs. Affected Mercury and Lincoln vehicles include the 2006-2012 Milan MKZ, Zephyr, and the 2007-2010 MKX. Mazda’s lineup under this warning features the 2004-2009 B-Series pickup, 2003-2013 Mazda 6, 2006-2007 Speed6, 2004-2011 RX-8, 2004-2006 MPV, and the 2007-2015 CX-7 and CX-9 models.
The NHTSA has continuously advised that these faulty air bag inflators could explode with excessive force during a crash, sending shrapnel flying into the vehicle cabin. Incidents involving the Takata air bags have already resulted in severe injuries and fatalities, with 27 deaths reported in the U.S. alone. The global death toll stands at 35, with cases reported in Malaysia, Australia, and the U.S.
In response to the warning, NHTSA is urging all vehicle owners to immediately check 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 repairs, and loaner vehicles to ensure owners can address the issue without delay.
The Takata airbag crisis has triggered the largest recall in automotive history, involving at least 67 million inflators in the U.S. alone and approximately 100 million recalled globally. In May, Nissan also issued a warning to owners of nearly 84,000 vehicles manufactured between 2002 and 2006 not to drive their cars due to concerns over exploding air bags.
The warning from Nissan was for 2002-2006 Nissan Sentras, 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinders, and 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4s, which are equipped with Takata air bags that can explode upon deployment. The NHTSA also warned drivers last month about faulty replacement air bag inflators in used cars following a string of deaths and severe injuries in the past nine months.
The warning concerned „cheap, substandard replacement air bag inflators“ in used cars that can cause death or serious injury in a crash. The NHTSA highlighted the importance of ensuring that replacement air bags are of high quality to prevent further tragedies on the road.