Ford and Mazda have issued “Do Not Drive” alerts for more than 457,000 vehicles that have not yet had their airbags fixed after several Takata recalls.
The automakers say customers who own vehicles equipped with non-desiccated Takata air bags need to immediately stop driving them and get their faulty airbags repaired or replaced, according to a notice published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“If you have one of these vehicles, do not drive it until the repair is completed and the defective air bag is replaced,” the NHTSA said.
Since 2015, three recalls have been issued for vehicles equipped with Takata non-desiccated airbag inflators. However, not all car owners have followed through on the repairs.
“The age of these vehicles makes it increasingly possible that a part inside the airbag will explode and expel sharp metal fragments during a crash. This could cause serious injury or death to the driver or passengers,” Ford said in its advisory notice.
Ford’s warning covers 374,290 of the following vehicles:
- 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks
- 2005-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles
- 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles
- 2006-2012 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ / Zephyr vehicles
- 2007-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles
- 2007-2011 Ford Ranger trucks
Mazda’s warning covers 82,893 of the following vehicles:
- 2004 – 2009 B-Series
- 2003 – 2013 Mazda6
- 2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
- 2004 – 2006 MPV
- 2004 – 2011 RX-8
- 2007 – 2012 CX-7
- 2007 – 2015 CX-9
“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,” the NHTSA said.
At least 27 people have been killed in the U.S. and hundreds injured by the defective airbags, according to the NHTSA.
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