Ford, Mazda issue urgent ‘Do Not Drive’ warning for more than 457,000 vehicles

(Scripps News)

Owners of certain Ford and Mazda cars should immediately stop driving their vehicles because they may have deadly air bags, federal regulators said Tuesday.

More than 457,000 vehicles are involved in the urgent “Do Not Drive” warning due to their unrecalled and unrepaired Takata air bags, according to a notice posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.

Around 67 million of these air bags have been recalled because they can explode and produce shrapnel when deployed, which can severely injure or kill vehicle occupants. This can occur even in a minor crash or because of old age or long-term exposure to high heat and humidity.

The NHTSA said 27 people have been killed in the U.S. by the defective Takata air bags exploding, and at least 400 people have been injured.

Despite previous recalls for the Takata air bags, the 457,000-some vehicles involved in the “Do Not Drive” warning have not completed the necessary repairs, leaving drivers — particularly of some of the vehicles that are now more than 20 years old — susceptible to an explosion.

Ford’s warning covers 374,290 vehicles made from 2004 to 2014, including Rangers, GTs, Mustangs, Fusions, Lincolns, Mercury Milans and Edges.

And Mazda’s warning covers 82,893 vehicles made from 2003 to 2015, including the B-Series, Mazda6, MazdaSpeed6, RX-8, MPV, CX-7 and CX-9.

The NHTSA said all owners of these vehicles should check if they’re under an open Takata air bag recall, and if they are, they should contact their dealership to schedule a free repair, with towing and loaner vehicles also free of charge.

Toyota and General Motors issued a similar “Do Not Drive” warning earlier this year due to the Takata air bags, which affected 61,000 older Matrix, RAV4, Corolla and Pontiac Vibe models. Nissan, BMW and Stellantis have also issued recalls over Takata air bags.