Photo: Lincoln
How many years have passed since Takata airbag scandal went into overdrive? That would be four years ago, when several carmakers began recalling lots of vehicles. It is a bit unnerving, then, to find out than even modern vehicles, model year 2017 included, ship with airbags considered unsafe by the NTHSA.
On this occasion, the focus is on the Ford Motor Company, which is calling back an estimated 31,867 vehicles. And get this: Ford had to be notified by Takata to find out that “driver frontal airbag cushions installed in these vehicles may not inflate as intended.” Why does Ford still work with Takata considering the Japanese company’s extensive record for messing things up?
Only recently, Takata pleaded guilty in the airbag scandal, agreeing to pay $1 billion in penalties. As a brief refresher, shrapnel-spitting airbags produced by Takata are the cause of at least 16 deaths on a global scale. Most of these casualties happened in vehicles made by Honda. From a geographical standpoint, the inflators are blamed for 11 deaths in the United States alone. Worldwide, more than 180 injuries are associated with Takata’s inflators.
Truth be told, the airbags equipping the 2016-2017 Ford Edge, 2016-2017 Lincoln MKX, and 2017 Lincoln Continental are a different design from the non-desiccated ammonium nitrate inflators. The frontal airbag cushions, however, might not offer sufficient protection in a potential crash situation.
Ford notes that “in the event of driver frontal airbag deployment, the airbag may not completely fill.’"But wait, there’s more! Also from the Ford Motor Company, here’s something that will send chills down your spine: “[The] airbag cushion may detach from the airbag module due to misalignment of components.” In the eyes of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this condition is non-compliant with FMVSS 208 - Occupant Crash Protection.
The Blue Oval isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries associated with the faulty driver frontal airbag module. 27,531 of the vehicles affected were sold in the U.S. and federalized territories, whereas 4,336 were bought in Canada. Ford has instructed its dealers to replace the module, free of charge.
Only recently, Takata pleaded guilty in the airbag scandal, agreeing to pay $1 billion in penalties. As a brief refresher, shrapnel-spitting airbags produced by Takata are the cause of at least 16 deaths on a global scale. Most of these casualties happened in vehicles made by Honda. From a geographical standpoint, the inflators are blamed for 11 deaths in the United States alone. Worldwide, more than 180 injuries are associated with Takata’s inflators.
Truth be told, the airbags equipping the 2016-2017 Ford Edge, 2016-2017 Lincoln MKX, and 2017 Lincoln Continental are a different design from the non-desiccated ammonium nitrate inflators. The frontal airbag cushions, however, might not offer sufficient protection in a potential crash situation.
Ford notes that “in the event of driver frontal airbag deployment, the airbag may not completely fill.’"But wait, there’s more! Also from the Ford Motor Company, here’s something that will send chills down your spine: “[The] airbag cushion may detach from the airbag module due to misalignment of components.” In the eyes of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this condition is non-compliant with FMVSS 208 - Occupant Crash Protection.
The Blue Oval isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries associated with the faulty driver frontal airbag module. 27,531 of the vehicles affected were sold in the U.S. and federalized territories, whereas 4,336 were bought in Canada. Ford has instructed its dealers to replace the module, free of charge.
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