Ford and Mazda issued do-not-drive advisories for certain vehicles that have not yet been repaired under multiple past safety recalls for Takata airbags.
The advisory affects more than 457,000 vehicles in the U.S. -- 374,000 Ford Motor Co. vehicles and 83,000 Mazdas -- built between 2003 and 2015, that still have Takata non-desiccated airbag inflators, which need to be replaced to protect drivers and passengers from potentially fatal injuries caused by airbags that could explode and expel sharp metal fragments during a crash.
Ford said it is continuing its efforts to contact customers about these recalls, the first of which was announced in 2015, 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.
The recalls affect driver and passenger airbag inflators in the 2004-2006 Ford Ranger, 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT. They affect passenger airbag inflators in the 2006-2012 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ/Zephyr; 2007-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX; and 2007-2011 Ford Ranger.
Affected Mazdas include the 2004-2009 B-Series, 2003-2013 Mazda6, 2006-2007 MazdaSpeed6, 2004-2011 RX-8, 2004-2006 MPV, 2007-2012 CX-7 and 2007-2015 CX-9.
Parts are available now. Customers can request mobile service, or dealers will tow vehicles directly to the dealership for repair. Dealerships will also provide a free interim loaner vehicle, if necessary.
Ford will continue notifying known owners every month through a variety of communication channels with the updated do-not-drive advisory message.
Ford customers can check to see if their vehicle requires repair at www.ford.com/support/recalls. Mazda customers can do the same at www.mazdarecallinfo.com.
All vehicle owners can check for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data showed 27 people in the U.S. have been killed by these airbags and at least 400 have been injured. More than 67 million airbags in more than 40 million vehicles have been recalled in models from 19 automakers.
In June, CARFAX data showed more than 6.4 million vehicles in the U.S. still have unrepaired Takata airbags, after a decade of recalls by both automakers and the NHTSA.
More than 2.5 million -- roughly 40% of all these unfixed vehicles -- are located in states that NHTSA calls Zone A, according to CARFAX vehicle history data. These states "pose the highest threat to safety" because of their high heat and humidity: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas.
With this recall, Ford and Mazda join several other automakers that have issued recalls or do-not-drive advisories this year alone -- Nissan issued one for 84,000 2002-2006 vehicles, Toyota for 50,000 2003-2005 vehicles, and BMW for 395,000 2006-2011 vehicles.
