The fallout from defective Takata airbags continues as Ford Motor Company announced a vehicle recall earlier this week that will affect almost 3 million Ford and Lincoln cars, trucks, and SUVs. The action follows a ruling by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that denies Ford’s 2017 petition to avoid recalling driver-side airbag inflators. A Reuters news story reports that the recall will cost the automaker $610 million. In November 2020, the agency also rejected a similar petition by General Motors to prevent a recall of almost 6 million Takata-inflicted vehicles in the U.S.
Ford has already recalled these newly affected vehicles for passenger-side airbag inflators. In a statement, Ford commented, “We believe our extensive data demonstrated that a safety recall was not warranted for the driver-side airbag. However, we respect NHTSA’s decision and will issue a recall.”
Over 100 Million Cars Worldwide Affected By Takata Air Bag Recall
According to NHTSA, these recalls impacted 19 vehicle manufacturers and approximately 67 million Takata airbag inflators used in tens of millions of vehicles in the U.S. alone. Globally, defective Takata airbags have been used in more than 100 million vehicles.
NHTSA reports that the Takata airbag situation stems from a design defect in the now-defunct company’s inflator design, causing the airbag propellant to degrade over time due to high humidity and temperate extremes. When the airbag deploys, the degraded propellant can cause over-pressurization in the inflator resulting in sharp metal fragments entering the passenger compartment. The agency states that defective Takata inflators have caused the deaths of 18 people in the U.S. and more than 400 reported injuries, including severe wounds to occupants’ face, neck, and chest areas.
Recalled Models Include Ford Edge And Lincoln MKX SUVs
Affected Ford vehicles include 2006-2012 Edge, Fusion, and Ranger models, as well as their Mercury and Lincoln counterparts from the same years, the MKZ, MKX, Milan, and Zephyr. NHTSA also mandated that Mazda recall about 5,800 of its 2009 B-Series pickups for the same Takata inflator issues—these trucks were essentially re-badged Ranger Pickups that were manufactured on the same assembly line.
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Takata Assets Purchased By U.S. Division Of Chinese Auto Supplier
The Takata debacle is the largest global recall in the history of the automotive industry. According to a Forbes story, Takata filed for the equivalency of bankruptcy in Japan in 2017. The following year, the company’s operations were sold to the Michigan-based division of a Chinese automotive component maker. The combined company now operates as Joyson Safety Systems.
Source: NHTSA