Earlier this year, we shared a warning from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concerning extremely dangerous pickup trucks that should not be driven until their defective part was repaired.
This is different from the standard recall that asks that the car or truck be brought in for repair of the defect. This notice is warning the product is too dangerous to use and should not be driven. Period. See, “Stop Driving Your 2006 Ford Ranger Immediately.”
Trucks Too Dangerous to Drive
That’s right. The risk of injury is so high for these trucks that the instructions are to stop driving them immediately, and have them towed to the nearest dealership for a free fix. Ford also offers to have its people come to the owner’s home for the repair to be done, all at Ford’s expense.
What’s the problem? They were sold with dangerously defective air bags.
It’s not theoretical. The initial recall with its “Do Not Drive” warning was released by Ford Motor Company after two confirmed deaths in accidents where these air bags ruptured in the pickup (“Takata inflator rupture”).
The “Do Not Drive” Recall Adds Another 33,428 Ford Rangers
This first “Do Not Drive” warning was scary enough. Then, six weeks later, Ford expanded its recall, warning owners of another 33,428 pickup trucks sold as 2006 Ford Ranger models not be driven. Ford advised owners of these trucks to stop driving them immediately, just as Ford warned about the previous Ford Ranger pickups in its first “Do Not Drive” warning.
Why are these trucks so dangerous? These 2006 Ford Ranger vehicles were sold with Takata non-desiccated airbag inflators, too. They also have a “higher risk of rupturing in the event of a crash than other recalled Takata inflators.”
The “Do Not Drive” warning arose from defective air bags installed on 2006 Ford Rangers built at the Ford Motor Company Twin Cities Assembly Plant between August and December 2005.
Mazda Issues “Do Not Drive” Recall Warning for 2006 B-Series Pickups
In-between these two Ford recall warnings, Mazda released its own recall warning that some of its 2006 B-Series Pickups should not be driven.
The Mazda “Do Not Drive” notices (NHTSA recall number 18V038) are more “stop drive” notifications. Mazda explains in its release that this is a “critical, high-risk safety concern with the driver side frontal air bag inflator, which could rupture if the vehicle is involved in a crash where the frontal air bags are designed to deploy.”
Mazda asked that these Mazda trucks not be driven until the air bag is replaced.
Danger Remains: Do Not Drive Trucks Not Repaired
The latest of these “Do Not Drive” warnings was issued in February 2018. Last month, another scary notice was released by NHTSA.
Apparently, owners are not bringing in these dangerous vehicles for repair. Around half of the too-dangerous-to-drive pickup trucks are still on the road with their deadly defect.
NHTSA issued a news release on May 7, 2018, “calling on the media, safety advocates, and the public to help spread this urgent safety message to ensure it reaches owners, … particularly in Chicago, Illinois.”
Chicago is not the only place specifically named as a location where the risk is high that these dangerous trucks are being driven, others include Dallas, Phoenix, and Miami. Chicago is one of the known markets where the risk is higher for these unrepaired trucks being driven.
Do Not Drive These Pickup Trucks: 2006 Ford Rangers and 2006 Mazda B-Series
Today, we know from the NHTSA warning that the federal government is aware that a significant number of these dangerous vehicles are on the roadways of Illinois, specifically the Chicago area.
This makes it vital for anyone driving in our part of the country to be aware of this make and model of motor vehicle in case they share a roadway with them. It means that we all need to make sure that anyone we know who owns a Ford Ranger or Mazda B-Series pickup makes sure that his/her truck is not a part of the recall, or that it is immediately repaired if its VIN is on the recall list.
This is a very serious situation. The risk of a fatal crash in our area is always high, as the “Crossroads of America,” but having these “Do Not Drive” vehicles sharing the lanes with us (or our loved ones) escalates the danger exponentially.
From NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King: “NHTSA’s number one priority is making sure that everyone is safe on our roads. I cannot stress strongly enough the urgency of this recall – these airbags are dangerous. Every vehicle must be accounted for now.”
Please be alert and aware of Ford Rangers and Mazda B-Series pickups. Share this warning. Be alert on the roads. And if you are concerned about a specific pickup truck, you can find out if a motor vehicle is subject to recall by entering its VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) at the NHTSA recall site.
In our next post, we will discuss the ramifications when there are fatal accidents after a recall has not been repaired. Please, let’s be careful out there!
