Ford and Mazda are warning owners of more than 475,000 older vehicles in the US not to drive them because they have dangerous Takata air bag inflators that have not been replaced.
The warning issued Tuesday covers more than 374,000 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles from the 2004 to 2014 model years and nearly 83,000 Mazdas from the 2003 to 2015 model years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the inflators can explode with great force in a crash, bursting a metal canister and shooting fragments that can seriously injure or kill people. All have been recalled before, but repairs are not complete.
Ford models covered by the warning include 2004-2011 Ranger pickups, 2005-2014 Mustangs, 2005 and 2006 Ford GTs, 2006-2012 Fusions and 2007-2010 Edge SUVs.
Affected Mercury and Lincoln models include the 2006 to 2012 Milan, MKZ and Zephyr, and the 2007 to 2010 MKX.
Mazdas covered by the warning are the 2004 through 2009 B-Series wagons, the 2003 through 2013 Mazda 6, the 2006 and 2007 Speed6, and the 2004 through 2011 RX-8.
Also included are the 2004 to 2006 MPV, the 2007 to 2012 CX-7 and the 2007 to 2015 CX-9.
The government says 27 people have been killed in the US by faulty Takata inflators, which used volatile ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate airbags in a crash.
The chemical can deteriorate over time when exposed to high temperatures and humidity. More than 400 people in the US were injured.
Worldwide at least 35 people have been killed by Takata inflators in Malaysia, Australia and the US.
The potential for a dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of vehicle recalls in US history, with at least 67 million Takata inflators involved.
The US government says many of them have not been repaired. About 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide.
The exploding air bags drove Takata into bankruptcy.
Owners can check if their vehicles are covered by going to the NHTSA website and entering their vehicle identification or license plate numbers.
Ford and Mazda also have recall websites.
If a vehicle has an unrepaired Takata inflator, owners should stop driving and call a dealer to schedule a repair appointment.
Ford and Mazda are offering free towing or mobile repairs and loaner vehicles if needed, NHTSA says.
“Even minor crashes can result in the deployment of Takata air bags that can kill or cause horrific, life-changing injuries,” the agency said in a statement. “Older model year vehicles put their occupants at greater risk.”
Ford says more than 765,000 inflators in Ford and Lincoln vehicles worldwide should not be driven until the airbag inflators are replaced.
In the US, the company has made more than 121 million attempts to contact owners, including emails, phone calls, text messages and visits to customers’ homes.
The company says over 95% of its US customers have had their inflators replaced.
Nissan, Honda, Stellantis, Ford, BMW and Toyota and Mazda have previously issued similar “do not drive” warnings for some of their vehicles equipped with Takata inflators.
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