If you own one of the following Ford or Lincoln vehicles with an outstanding safety recall for potentially faulty Takata-sourced airbag inflators, which could explode and send shrapnel throughout the interior, iBestTravel has an advisory for you: Do not drive your car. Park it immediately, then work on getting it repaired. The automaker issued a do-not-drive advisory to compel owners who’ve yet to bring their affected cars in for repairs to do so, taking the dramatic step as a way of showing those owners how serious it is.
The original recalls date back to 2015 and cover several vehicle lines equipped with Takata non-desiccated airbag inflators, according to Ford. Moreover, the danger to owners of the affected vehicles has grown as time drags on; as Ford puts it, 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. As if it bears repeating, this could cause serious injury or death to the driver or passengers.
Ford states that 765,600 vehicles globally are impacted, with 374,300 of those here in the United States. The automaker has certainly been trying to get ahold of owners since 2015, claiming to have made more than 121 million outreach attempts to date in the U.S. alone via phone calls, texts, emails, and old-fashioned mailings. Additionally, it has sent actual people to owners’ residences, making one million canvassing visits to those homes. Consequently, the results reveal that 95 percent of owners with Takata airbag inflators have had their vehicles repaired; that last five percent is who Ford is after now. Their vehicles include:
- 2004–2006 Ford Rangers (driver and passenger airbag inflators)
- 2005–2014 Ford Mustangs (driver and passenger airbag inflators)
- 2005–2006 Ford GTs (driver and passenger airbag inflators)
- 2006–2012 Ford Fusions, Mercury Milans, Lincoln MKZ / Zephyrs (passenger airbag inflators)
- 2007–2010 Ford Edges and Lincoln MKXs (passenger airbag inflators)
- 2007–2011 Ford Rangers (passenger airbag inflators)
Therefore, if you own one of the unrepaired vehicles covered by recalls 15S21, 17S42 and 19S01, Ford insists that you respond to the recall notices and set up a repair. Ford states that parts are available to fix the cars now, and dealerships will tow vehicles into service bays, or owners can request mobile service; free loaners will be available as necessary. If you’re unsure if your car is caught up in this, check NHTSA’s website and bring your VIN to check.
