.jpg)
A major auto manufacturer is recalling another set of its vehicles for having faulty airbags.
Just a year after it had announced the recall of over 800,000 vehicles for their malfunctioning airbags, Ford has issued another recall – this time, the auto company is expecting the return of 2,900 Ranger small pickup trucks in the US and Canada.
The recall was issued after a 56-year-old West Virginia man died due to an exploding Takata airbag inflator. Steve Mollohan was driving his 2006 Ford Ranger when his vehicle got into a minor crash, which triggered the inflators that fatally injured him.
Ford had determined after an investigation that the inflator on Mollohan’s truck was made on the same day as one that had also exploded and killed a South Carolina man driving a similar Ranger in 2015.
“We take this matter very seriously and are advising owners of these specific 2006 Ford Rangers to stop driving their vehicles so dealers can make repairs immediately,” Ford said in a recent statement.
Company spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt said that Ford dealers will repair the trucks at owners’ homes or tow them in for work. Ford also said that it would offer loaner vehicles to customers as their Rangers are being serviced.
“It’s critical that this message reaches all affected owners,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a response to the recall announcement. “It is extremely important that all high-risk air bags are tracked down and replaced immediately.”
The Associated Press reported that Mollohan’s death is the second involving a Ranger and the 21st worldwide caused by Takata inflators.
