Urgent Recall of Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series Trucks

Ford and Mazda are announcing the urgent recall of 2006 models of Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series trucks due to dangerous Takata airbag inflators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns vehicle owners that they must stop driving the trucks and have them towed to the nearest dealership for a free replacement of the airbag components. The recall has expanded to include 30,603 Ford Rangers and 1,955 Mazda B-Series vehicles in the United States. The sudden change of the recall scope comes after a previous stop-driving warning received in January 2023 following a tragic incident related to the malfunctioning airbags. Ford is offering to provide a loaner vehicle for use by the affected owners to avoid their inconvenience.

The Takata airbag issue has already been linked to the death of 15 people in the United States and is already one of the largest tric recalls in the history of the automotive industry. It indicates the existing problems with the industry’s safety standards. Meanwhile, consumer advocates and former NHTSA administrator David Friedman of Consumer Reports are unhappy with the situation. Throughout the years, automakers appeared to wait long before joining the recall, while at least three Ford Ranger owners were killed by the faulty airbags. Local and federal authorities claim that the automakers must be more transparent in their operations, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will work with Ford and Mazda to examine other model years and vehicles produced at Ford’s Twin Cities Assembly Plant for the same defect.