- Ford has issued a stop-drive warning for vehicles involved in three past safety recalls related to Takata airbags.
- The recall includes certain 2004–11 Ford Ranger pickups; 2005–14 Mustangs; 2005–06 GTs; 2006–12 Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln MKZ/ Zephyr cars; and 2007–10 Edge and Lincoln MKX SUVs.
- According to Ford, roughly 375,000 vehicles were impacted by the recalls in the United States, with 95 percent having completed the fix.
Ford released a new stop-drive order to nearly 19,000 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury owners due to three past safety recalls. All three recalls (15S21, 17S42, and 19S01) are related to the use of Takata airbags. The first recall was issued in 2015, with this being Ford’s second “do not drive” advisory pertaining to the matter.
According to Ford, approximately 765,000 airbags in Ford vehicles were part of the global recall, of which 374,300 were in the United States. Following more than 121 million outreach attempts in the U.S. through letters, emails, phone calls, text messages, and more than one million canvassing visits to customers’ homes, Ford says 95 percent of impacted owners in the U.S. have completed the recall. That leaves 18,715 unfixed vehicles on the road. Affected vehicles include 2004–11 Ford Ranger pickups; 2005–14 Mustangs; 2005–06 GTs; 2006–12 Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln MKZ/ Zephyrs; and 2007–10 Edge and Lincoln MKX SUVs.
To make the recall as easy on customers as possible, Ford said it has free loaner cars available if they are necessary. Customers also have the option of requesting a mobile service, or dealers will tow vehicles directly to the dealership to complete the free repair. Owners can check Ford’s recall website or use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tool to see if their vehicle is involved.
Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.