Ford to recall 2.6 million vehicles in the US to replace Takata airbags

• Owners will be notified on April 1 about the fix for replacing the driver-side front airbag.

• The recall will cost an estimated $610 million, according to a regulatory filing.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Ford is recalling around 2.6 million cars in the US starting April 1 to replace driver’s side front Takata airbag inflators that could rupture.

Ford proceeded with the safety recall after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in January denied a petition the company filed in 2017 arguing the recall was not warranted.

The company maintained in a statement Friday that it believes the recall was unnecessary because the inflators in this tranche of cars operate differently that those that prompted the world’s largest-ever auto safety recall.

More than 42 million US vehicles by 19 automakers with Takata air bag inflators have been recalled over the past few years due to concerns the inflators could rupture during airbag deployment, spewing potentially deadly metal fragments. Takata inflators have led to more than two dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries worldwide.

The cost of the recall action is estimated to be about $610 million, Ford said in a January regulatory filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ford did not respond to Insider’s request for further comment.

The company is also recalling 274,737 of the affected vehicles in Canada and 46,078 vehicles in Mexico, according to Ford’s statement. Dealers are expected to replace the driver-side airbag inflator or airbag module.

Car models include the Ford Fusion 2006-2012, Ford Edge 2007-2010, Ford Ranger 2007-2011, Mercury Milan 2006-2011, Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ 2006-2012, and Lincoln MKX 2007-2010.

Separately, Ford is also recalling 15,769 vehicles in the US over faulty tires, 3,082 vehicles in Canada, and 138 in Mexico.

A break may happen on the sidewall of the tire leading to sudden air loss or a belt edge separation which could cause partial or full belt loss and increasing the risk of a crash, Ford said citing a safety report by the Continental Tire of America.

The company said that it is not aware of any accident or injury related to this issue.

The recalled car models include Ford F-250 and F-350 select 2018-2020, F-150 select 2018, and Ford Escape select 2019.

Owners will be notified during the week of March 29 about the fix in which dealers will inspect tires and replace those that match the suspect tire list provided by Continental Tire of America.

Last month, Ford said that it is recalling around 90,000 of its F-Series pickups over faulty windshields. The company said that the windshields “are inadequately bonded to the vehicle body structure,” and that the windshield may not stay in place if a crash occurs, increasing the risk of an injury.