Ford announced today that it wants to immediately repair approximately 3,000 2006 Ranger pickups following two fatalities linked to defective Takata air bag devices found in those trucks.
“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 announced in a press release. “Parts are available now, and dealers are prepared to get vehicles directly from customers, make permanent repairs that will resolve the safety risk and provide a free interim loaner vehicle, if necessary.”
Ford reported that it’s taking this action following two fatalities caused by driver airbag inflator ruptures from Takata inflators built on the same day.
On Dec. 22, Ford was notified of a crash in West Virginia that happened in July involving a 2006 Ford Ranger built in North America with a ruptured non-desiccated Takata driver-side inflator. Ford inspected the vehicle on Dec. 27, confirmed that the inflator ruptured resulting in a driver fatality and notified NHTSA. This is the second fatality reported to Ford due to a Takata inflator rupture. The prior fatality was reported in January 2016.
“Ford is saddened by these tragic losses and offers its sincere condolences to the drivers’ families,” a statement from the automaker read.
Affected vehicles include certain 2006 Ford Rangers built at Twin Cities Assembly Plant from Aug. 10, 2005 to Dec. 15, 2005.
The recall involves approximately 2,902 vehicles located in North America, with 2,712 located in the U.S. and federalized territories and 190 in Canada. The Ford reference number for this recall is 18S02.
Ford has a VIN look-up tool at Ford.com that customers can use to determine if their vehicle is one of those involved in this action. It can be found here.