Potentially fatal airbags: Ford has to recall three million cars

Wednesday 20th January 2021

Potentially fatal airbags
Ford has to recall three million cars

For years, Ford has installed airbags from the supplier Takata. This is now costing the manufacturer dearly: Due to devastating false alarms, they have to convert the safety systems in millions of vehicles. But the problem doesn't just affect Ford.

The second largest US automaker, Ford, cannot avoid repairing numerous vehicles due to possibly defective airbags from its supplier Takata. The US traffic inspectorate NHTSA has rejected an application by the company to bypass the recall of approximately three million cars. Ford now has 30 days to come up with a plan to inform the affected car owners in the US and to resolve the problems.

A statement from Ford was initially not available. One thing is certain: a recall of this magnitude is likely to result in high costs. According to NHTSA, the Ford models Ranger, Fusion and Edge built between 2006 and 2012 as well as certain vehicle types from the Lincoln and Mercury brands are affected.

The traffic inspectorate also ordered the recall of around 5,800 cars from the Japanese manufacturer Mazda, which had also submitted a petition to the authorities. In November the largest US automaker General Motors (GM) failed with such an application and was condemned to repair around 5.9 million vehicles. At the time, the company assumed costs of around $ 1.2 billion.

Defective Takata airbags have been causing problems in the auto industry for years and have caused the largest US car recall to date. Several other car manufacturers are also affected, including German manufacturers such as Audi and BMW. Over-deploying air cushions that throw pieces of metal cladding through the vehicle have been linked to numerous injuries and 29 deaths. The cause of the problem goes back a long time: in 2001, Takata replaced the original fuel with the cheaper ammonium nitrate, which is more sensitive and prone to explosions. Takata has pleaded guilty for manufacturing errors in the US and accepted a billion-dollar fine. The airbag debacle drove the company into bankruptcy in 2017.