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The auto manufacturer announced this week that the company lost track of nearly four dozen airbags that may have been installed in older Ranger pickup trucks and could be a potential hazard for motorists.
According to Ford, the airbags were not taken out of the stock of service parts and could have been used in crash or theft repairs.
In total, more than 153,000 Rangers manufactured between 2004 and 2011 are covered in the recall.
A second recall listed on Ford’s website includes approximately 1,000 vehicles due to Takata airbag inflation systems that pose a risk of "serious injury or death" should the device malfunction when the airbag deploys.
Vehicles impacted by the second recall include Ford's Ranger, Mustang, Fusion, Edge, and other models:
- 2004-11 Ford Ranger;
- 2005-14 Ford Mustang;
- 2006 Ford GT;
- 2008-12 Ford Fusion;
- 2009-11 Mercury Milan;
- 2010-12 Lincoln MKZ;
- 2007-10 Ford Edge;
- 2007-10 Lincoln MKX.
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion and inflate airbags in a collision. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures and humidity and blow apart a metal canister, spewing out shrapnel.
“NHTSA concluded that the GM inflators in question are at risk of the same type of explosion after long-term exposure to high heat and humidity as other recalled Takata inflators,” officials said in a statement. “Such explosions have caused injuries and deaths.”
The recall comes as part of the coordinated recall of Takata airbag products in tens of millions of vehicles. Long-term exposure to high heat and humidity can cause the bags to explode, and have caused injuries and death, according to the NHTSA.
According to the NHTSA, approximately 37 million vehicles equipped with more than 50 million defective Takata airbags are subject to recall. Consumer Report said that vehicles made by 19 different automakers have been recalled as part of the “largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history.”
Ford said it’s not aware of any crashes or injuries caused by the problem.
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