Ford expands Ranger pickup recall for flawed Takata air bags

Washington: A recall of Ford Motor Co. Ranger pickup trucks in the US was expanded to include more vehicles and more flawed Takata Corp. air bags after a fatal accident in Malaysia exposed a defect in the safety device that wasn’t previously known.

Ford will replace driver’s-side and passenger air bags in certain 2004 and 2005 model year Rangers, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statement on Friday.

Ford added an unspecified additional number of the trucks to a recall it announced in June, which included only passenger air bags.

The action followed a NHTSA review to identify which US cars have air bags similar to one in a Honda Motor Co. vehicle that crashed in Malaysia four months ago—the first fatality from a ruptured Takata product outside the US.

Takata air bags have been under US scrutiny after flaws were identified that can cause them to explode, sending metal shrapnel into drivers and front-seat passengers. Ten automakers, including Honda and Toyota Motor Corp., have recalled 7.8 million US cars this year with the flawed protective devices.

“We are aggressively investigating Takata air bags from all affected vehicle manufacturers, and we’re looking at all of the angles in our pursuit of safety,” NHTSA’s deputy administrator, David Friedman, said in a statement.

Takata, a Tokyo-based parts maker, said there aren’t any known incidents involving drivers-side air-bag ruptures in the Ford Ranger, according to the NHTSA summary.

Ford India Limited