Ford recalls 2,900 Ranger trucks with Takata airbags

Ford has asked owners of 2,900 Ranger pickup trucks to stop using them after confirming that a death in an accident in July 2017 involving a 2006 Ranger pickup truck was caused due to a defective airbag inflator made by Takata. Of these, 2,700 vehicles are in US while the remaining 200 are in Canada. Ford has stated that owners should drive their vehicles only after the airbag inflators are replaced.

This is the second death caused by the defective inflators that can rupture and send metal fragments into the driver’s body. The first death occurred in South Carolina in December 2015. Ford has revealed that both the vehicles had inflators built on the same day. The affected 2,900 vehicles were also part of a recall issued in 2016 to over 3,91,000 2004-2006 Ranger trucks.

Ford has stated that the company will bear the costs of towing the affected vehicles to its service centres or dispatch mobile repair teams to the homes of the vehicles' owners. It will also provide loaner vehicles free of cost if required.

Mazda has said that the company will also be issuing a similar stop drive warning to some models of the 2006 Mazda B-Series trucks, which were made at the same plant as the affected Ford Ranger pickup trucks. The Mazda trucks were rebadged versions of the Ranger series of trucks.

There have been over 21 deaths and more than 200 cases of injures related to the inflator issue. Takata had said that it expected to recall 125 million vehicles worldwide to replace the inflators. The Japanese company filed for bankruptcy in June 2017.

In India, manufacturers like Mitsubishi, Honda and Toyota have issued recalls over the same problem.

Source - Reuters