Airbag Defects, Millions Of US-Made Vehicles Withdrawn

Ford illustration. (Dan Dennis / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Automotive manufacturer Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will recall 3 million units of vehicles, linked to an airbag inflator that can burst. This announcement relates to the order of the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tuesday, January 19.

A potentially damaged air bag inflator is known to be on the driver's side. This order is also a rejection of the petition made by Ford and Mazda regarding refusal to withdraw the vehicle due to a defective air valve inflator in 2017.

The defect is thought to cause the air bag to burst and send metal shards that are potentially deadly. This inflator is a Takata alert. The Takata Inflator has resulted in at least 400 injuries and 27 deaths worldwide. Including 18 deaths in the US with the two 2006 Ford Rangers previously recalled.

Apart from Ford, this decision also applies to Mazda Motor Corp., to recall 5,800 air bag inflators on B Series vehicles from the 2007-2009 production period. Total withdrawals due to defective air bag inflators will be the largest in the history of Uncle Sam's automotive.

Where more than 67 million inflators were withdrawn. Worldwide, 100 million inflators installed by 19 car manufacturers were also recalled. According to the NHTSA, the evidence held suggests the inflators pose a safety risk.

There are also Ford recalled vehicles covering a variety of models and years of manufacture. Starting from the Ford Ranger, Fusion, Edge, Lincoln Zephyr / MKZ, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKX production years 2006 - 2012. Mazda itself was designed by Ford with the same platform and airbags as the Ford Ranger.

Ford estimates that this recall will cost $ 610 million. However, Ford will still comply with this decision.

"We respect NHTSA's decision and will issue a recall," said Ford.

Previously, NHTSA also rejected a petition filed by General Motors Co. to avoid the recall of 5.9 million US vehicles with Takata airbags. The recall also covered 7 million vehicles worldwide at a cost of US $ 1.2 billion.