Ford Expands Mustang, GT Exploding Air Bag Recall

Ford Motor Co. greatly increased on Thursday the number of Mustang and GT muscle cars it’s recalling to replace a defective inflator component made by Japan’s Takata Corp. The faulty part acts like a fragmentation grenade when front air bags are deployed.

“This brings the total number of Ford vehicles being recalled for Takata airbag inflators to approximately 538,977,” Ford said in a public statement. The number includes nearly 28,000 vehicles in Canada and nearly 8,000 in Mexico.

The explosive component has been found in millions of vehicles made by 11 auto companies worldwide and has been linked to at least five deaths and 139 injuries, including one in a Ford vehicle.

* SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LATEST LIST OF VEHICLES IN NORTH AMERICA AFFECTED BY THE TAKATA RECALL *

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked five automakers, including Ford, to voluntarily expand previously announced region-based Takata air bag recalls. Takata says vehicles in hot and humid parts of the country, such as Florida, Puerto Rico and Gulf region U.S. states, face a greater risk of malfunction. Though it hasn’t specifically outlined the dynamics, Takata’s air bag inflators are the only ones that use ammonium nitrate as a propellant and the chemical is sensitive to moisture.

Before Thursday’s announcement, Ford said about 98,000 of its vehicles were affected, putting it low on the list of affected automakers. Honda has by far been most affected due to its historic and early lead in depending on Takata for its seat belts and air bags. About 5.4 million of the at least 9.1 million North America-based vehicles affected by the air bag flaw are Hondas.

General Motors, facing a controversial and costly recall of a defective and potentially fatal ignition switch component linked to at least 42 deaths in the United States, has been largely spared. The only affected GM-made vehicle identified so far is the 2005 Saab 9-2X, a product of GM’s failed acquisition of the Swedish car company that it sold off in 2010.

Here’s a running tally of Takata-affected vehicles in North America, mostly in the United States.

AS OF DECEMBER 18, 2014
TOTAL: 9,120,045

Honda/Acura: 5,394,000 (est.) potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2007 Honda Accord (4 cylinder)
2001 – 2002 Honda Accord (6 cylinder)
2001 – 2005 Honda Civic
2002 – 2006 Honda CR-V
2003 – 2011 Honda Element
2002 – 2004 Honda Odyssey
2003 – 2007 Honda Pilot
2006 – Honda Ridgeline
2003 – 2006 Acura MDX
2002 – 2003 Acura TL
2002 Acura CL

Toyota/Lexus: 877,000 (est.) potentially affected vehicles
2002 – 2005 Lexus SC430
2002 – 2005 Toyota Corolla
2003 – 2005 Toyota Corolla Matrix
2002 – 2005 Toyota Sequoia
2003 – 2005 Toyota Tundra
2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe (jointly developed with GM)

Nissan/Infiniti: 717,364 potentially affected vehicles
2001 – 2003 Nissan Maxima
2001 – 2004 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 – 2006 Nissan Sentra
2001 – 2004 Infiniti I30/I35
2002 – 2003 Infiniti QX4
2003 – 2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
2006 Infiniti M35/M45

BMW: 627,615 potentially affected vehicles
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible

Chrysler/Dodge: 617,573 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2008 Dodge Ram 1500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Ram 2500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 3500
2006 – 2008 Dodge Ram 4500
2008 Dodge Ram 5500
2005 – 2008 Dodge Durango
2005 – 2008 Dodge Dakota
2005 – 2008 Chrysler 300
2007 – 2008 Chrysler Aspen
2006 – 2007 Charger
2005 Dodge Magnum

Ford: 538,977 potentially affected vehicles
2004 – Ranger
2005 – 2006 GT
2005 – 2008 Mustang

Mazda: 330,000 (est.) potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2007 Mazda6
2006 – 2007 MazdaSpeed6
2004 – 2008 Mazda RX-8
2004 – 2005 MPV
2004 – B-Series

Truck Subaru: 17,516 potentially affected vehicles
2003 – 2005 Baja
2003 – 2005 Legacy
2003 – 2005 Outback |
2004 – 2005 Impreza/WRX/STI

Mitsubishi: 11,985 potentially affected vehicles
2004 – 2005 Lancer
2006 – 2007 Raider

General Motors
2005 – Saab 9-2X (unknown number)