Ford Ranger Owners Urged to Stop Driving Immediately Amid Airbag Concerns
Ford has expanded its Takata airbag inflator recall to include an additional 33,428 pickups.
Ford has urged owners of 2006 Ford Ranger midsize pickup trucks to stop driving their vehicles and contact their dealerships immediately to process the appropriate repairs. The urgent statement was made Monday, and it's related to non-desiccated Takata airbag inflators that may have a higher risk of rupturing.
The Blue Oval originally recalled more than 3,000 Rangers due to an elevated risk to safety, but further investigation into involuntary detonations proved that more vehicles built during that period were also affected. The new total includes more than 36,000 pickup trucks, with 30,603 of them found in the United States. All vehicles affected were built at the Twin Cities Assembly Plant between August and Dec. 2005.
Ford dealerships will be responsible for picking up affected vehicles in an effort to keep folks out of harm's way, as well as making the appropriate repairs to resolve the ever-looming threat. Ford claims that dealers will provide loaner vehicles at no cost to the customers, if necessary. This statement came after Ford and Toyota expanded their lists of vehicles affected by faulty Takata airbag inflators, and a man in Malaysia was killed at the wheel of his 2004 Honda City when a faulty inflator detonated.
Ford owners can reference recall number 18S02 when contacting their local dealerships.
