Ford issues second recall for Ranger pickups with faulty airbags

Ford issues second recall for Ranger pickups with faulty airbags 

May 14, 2023 Bojan Popic

Dearborn, MI  – May 14, 2023 – Ford (NYSE: F) is recalling 231,942 2004 – 2006 Ford Ranger pickup trucks because their passenger airbags may fail to deploy in a crash. This reduces occupant protection, increasing the risk of injury. 

This recall is an expansion and replacement of one conducted just recently, in March 2023, over the same issue. 

Recall summary  

The affected vehicles originally had Takata airbags which, as reported, are prone to exploding when deploying. In 2017 and 2018, these airbags were swapped for new ones that did not have that defect. However, dealers botched the repair, resulting in airbags that may not inflate during a crash.

Recall risks

An airbag that fails to deploy in a crash ups the risk of an injury. 

Background of the recall

The manufacturer already recalled a range of these vehicles for the exact same issue in March, as reported. However, in April, it found one additional vehicle that was not included in the original recall that had an incorrectly installed airbag. On the back of that, Ford decided to conduct the current recall, expanding the number of vehicles to 230,000 from 98,000. The current recall supersedes the one conducted in March.

Other Ford recalls

In February Ford issued a second recall for Lincoln Navigator, Corsair and Ford Explorer SUVs due to malfunctioning rearview cameras. The first recall was done in October 2021 but proved to be insufficient, as reported.

In March, Ford recalled over a million vehicles whose brakes may become less responsive than usual due to a brake fluid leak, also as reported.

The repair

Dealers will reinstall the airbags properly. The repairs are free of charge. It is not clear if vehicles that already had their airbags replaced will need a new remedy. Contact your dealer to find out if that is the case.

Owners should also receive letters with more information between May 22, 2023 and May 26, 2023.

Is your vehicle a part of this recall?

More than 230,000 trucks are affected by this Ford airbag recall. To do a Ford recall check and see if yours is one of them, please use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Bojan PopicFord issues second recall for Ranger pickups with faulty airbags 
Volkswagen and Audi to p ay $42 million Takata airbag settlement

Volkswagen and Audi to p​​ay $42 million Takata airbag settlement

December 19, 2021 Rebecca Rand , ,

Miami, FL – December 19, 2021 – Volkswagen and Audi (OTCMKTS: VWAGY) have agreed to pay out $42 million dollars in a settlement with current and former car owners whose vehicles were built with potentially deadly Takata airbags. 

The settlement includes  some of the following vehicles:

  • 2009 – 2017 Volkswagen CC
  • 2012 – 2019 Volkswagen Beetle
  • 2006 – 2013 Audi A3
  • 2005 – 2008 Audi A4 Avant
  • 2007 – 2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet
  • 2005 – 2008 Audi A4 Sedan
  • 2010 – 2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet
  • 2006 – 2011 Audi A6 Avant
  • 2005 – 2011 Audi A6 Sedan
  • 2017 Audi R8 Coupe
  • 2008 Audi RS 4 Cabriolet
  • 2007 – 2008 Audi RS 4 Sedan

Settlement summary  

The $42-million dollar settlement was reached in November and is the result of a 2014 class action lawsuit against Volkswagen and Audi for selling or leasing vehicles built with defective Takata airbags. The lawsuit sought to recover damages for the risks and costs owners and lessees incurred during Audi and Volkswagen airbag recalls. 

The settlement affects current or former owners or lessees of the vehicles that were all subject to the infamous  Takata airbag recall, which has affected about 100 million airbags worldwide.  The current owners must have bought the car by November 10, 2021 while the former owners must have sold or returned their vehicle after February 9, 2016.

All cars must have been bought or leased in the U.S. or a U.S. territory. For a full list of vehicles, please visit this page. To check if your car is subject to a recall, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

The settlement

To receive settlement funds, you will need to fill out a claim form and send it to a settlement administrator. The form, and more instructions, can be found here.

The settlement is still subject to a final approval by the United States District Court in the Southern District of Florida. The hearing to approve it is expected to be held in early March.

The payment

Those who had to pay for transportation, towing, childcare or lost wages during the Volkswagen and Audi airbag recall may be eligible for reimbursement and potentially two payments of up to $250 later on. Those with no expenses are still eligible to receive up to $500.

Risks

Takata airbags contain an inflator that is at risk of exploding when the airbag is deployed. Exploding inflators pose a serious threat to the safety of car occupants, sending sharp shrapnel flying at drivers’ and passengers’ bodies. Reuters reported that as of September this year, Takata airbags had killed 28 people and injured over 400 worldwide. 

Other Takata airbag recall settlements

Audi and Volkswagen are not the first automakers to settle a suit over the defective airbags. The following car companies have settled class action lawsuits with current and former owners:

  • BMW, $131 million
  • Ford, $299.1 million
  • Honda, $605 million
  • Mazda, $75.8 million
  • Nissan, $97.7 million
  • Subaru, $68.2 million
  • Toyota, $278.5 million

Is your vehicle part of a recall?

According to court documents, 35% of recalled Takata inflators in Volkswagen and Audi vehicles still need repairs. To see if your car is one of them, run a VW recall check with MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandVolkswagen and Audi to p​​ay $42 million Takata airbag settlement
BMW recalls cars over Takata airbag malfunction

BMW recalls cars over Takata airbag malfunction

July 2, 2021 Rebecca Rand ,

Westwood, NJ – July 2, 2021 – BMW (OTCMKTS:BMWYY) has recalled 4,511 cars equipped with faulty Takata airbag inflators that may cause the airbag malfunction during a crash. This may result in the driver-side airbag exploding during an accident, hurting the driver with metal shrapnel. It may also cause the airbag to become under-inflated, failing to protect the driver from injuries in a crash.

The affected component is the driver-side airbag with multiple part numbers, including 1095767 and 1095763.

BMW will pull Takata airbags from BMW 3 series vehicles, including: 

  • 1999 – 2001 BMW 3 Series
  • 2000 – 2001 BMW 323CI
  • 1999 – 2000 BMW 323i
  • 2000 – 2001 BMW 325Ci
  • 2000 – 2001 BMW 328Ci
  • 1999 – 2001 BMW 328i
  • 2000 – 2001 BMW 330Ci
  • 1999 – 2001 BMW 330i
  • 1999 – 2001 BMW 330xi
  • 2001 BMW 323 i

Recall summary  

The recalled BMWs’ airbags contain Non-Azide Driver Inflators (NADI), which  have been subjected to several recalls since 2019. The recalled inflators may have a faulty seal, allowing moisture to get into the inflator and degrade the explosive chemicals inside. 

The NADI airbags have a defect that is similar to – but separate from – the larger Takata airbag recall. That larger recall has affected millions of vehicles across the country, and cost BMW 131 million dollars in a 2017 BMW Takata class action settlement. 

Previous recall

The airbags in question were inspected under a series of prior recalls in 2019, but not replaced. At least one of the prior recalls was associated with several injuries and a fatality outside of the U.S.

Risks

When moisture degrades the explosives in the inflator, the airbag inflator could generate more or less force during deployment than it should. Too much force will explode the airbag inflator, sending dangerous shrapnel through the vehicle, potentially maiming or killing occupants. Too little force will under-inflate the airbag, which could fail to protect someone during a crash, increasing the risk of injury or death.

Some of the BMWs recalled in 2019 were considered so dangerous that BMW instructed owners to not drive the car until the repair was completed.  This time, BMW is telling owners that they can continue to drive the car, but is also imploring owners to schedule a free recall repair appointment as soon as slots become available.

The repair

Dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator with a newly designed inflator for free. BMW will notify owners about the recall by mail starting on July 19.  

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 4,500 vehicles are included in this BMW recall. To see if your car is one of them, use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.

Rebecca RandBMW recalls cars over Takata airbag malfunction
General Motors under investigation for airbag failures

General Motors under investigation for airbag failures

April 19, 2021 Rebecca Rand , , ,

Washington, D.C. – April 19, 2021 – The U.S. government’s highway safety regulator is investigating General Motors (NYSE:GM) over reports of an airbag malfunction. The investigation cites 15 complaints and covers the following vehicles:

  • 2020 – 2021 Cadillac CT4
  • 2020 – 2021 Cadillac CT5
  • 2020 – 2021 Cadillac Escalade
  • 2020 – 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
  • 2020 – 2021 Cadillac XT5
  • 2020 – 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  • 2020 – 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
  • 2020 – 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
  • 2020-2021 Chevrolet Suburban
  • 2020 – 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
  • 2020 – 2021 GMC Sierra 1500
  • 2020 – 2021 GMC Sierra 2500
  • 2020 – 2021 GMC Sierra 3500
  • 2020 – 2021 GMC Yukon
  • 2020 – 2021 GMC Yukon XL
  • 2020 GMC Sierra Denali
  • 2021 Chevrolet Suburban 1500
  • 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 4500HD
  • 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 5500HD
  • 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 6500HD

Complaints  

Of the 15 complaints, consumers submitted to the regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), six mention serious crashes where the airbags failed to deploy, while eight highlight injuries that occurred in connection with the problem.

One complaint from Dayton, Ohio graphically describes the consequences when one driver’s airbag failed to deploy in an accident, resulting in a serious head injury. During the accident, “something hit [the driver’s] face while the “steering wheel airbag” failed to deploy. The driver remembers crawling out of their overturned Cadillac Escalade and being taken to the hospital. Upon being discharged, the person experienced “loss of taste and smell” except for the “smell of brain matter” from “fluid” dripping down their nasal cavity.

Other complaints describe the airbags failing to deploy despite the driver hitting several trees. 

Cause of the problem

The administration’s investigation points to a bulletin GM posted for dealers and repair shops in March, addressing problems with the airbag warning light. The bulletin blames the problem on “rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver airbag inflator.”

However, according to a statement obtained by the Associated Press (AP), GM said it was unaware of any airbags failing to deploy due to this problem, adding that its own analysis of the issue found that airbags would still deploy in a crash even if the malfunction light was on.

Warning signs

Some of the complaints describe the airbag and “service safety restraint system” warning lights coming on as often as “every two to three minutes when driving.”

Other GM airbag recalls

GM has recently recalled close to 6 million cars because of potentially lethal Takata airbags that may rupture when deployed. Separately, in April NHTSA launched another investigation after multiple car manufacturers – including GM – recalled airbags that were improperly folded during the installation process and could fail to deploy. The airbags were manufactured by Joyson, a successor of Takata.

It is not clear who produced the GM airbags at the center of the current investigation.

Is your vehicle part of this recall?

Over 749,000 vehicles could be recalled as a result of NHTSA’s investigation. To do a GM recall check, bookmark MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool and come back to the site when more details become available.

Rebecca RandGeneral Motors under investigation for airbag failures
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