The Detroit Free Press recently published a report saying that Ford is reinspecting and investigating more than 250,000 vehicles after it allegedly “discovered sloppy work and false billing by dealership technicians during the required replacement of dangerous Takata air bags”. Now, Ford tells Carscoops that the report draws “inaccurate conclusions” and that the publication “mischaracterized” certain programs in its reporting. We’re here to sort out both sides.
All of this goes back to the now-infamous (and unfortunately, ongoing) Takata airbag recall saga, which has affected multiple brands and more than 65 million cars in recent years. Authorities and officials found that these airbags could be deadly when they go off. To date, 23 people have lost their lives in the U.S. due to these defective airbags, with 32 fatalities reported worldwide. Consequently, every car equipped with these airbags has been subjected to a recall.
In short, the report says a few key things and let’s chat about the parts that are correct first. Ford is actively engaged in examining the work conducted under two distinct recall actions. In the first action, a quality inspection referred to as 22B05 from 2022, Ford is scrutinizing the work completed on approximately 40,000 vehicles, encompassing models like Mustangs, Fusions, and even the GT supercar. The company says that there is evidence indicating that certain technicians failed to perform the Takata airbag replacement despite claiming otherwise.
More: Takata Is Back At It As BMW X3, X4, And X5 Recalled Over Exploding Inflators
In a letter to owners, Ford conveyed the possibility that the repair might not have been done at all. It tells Carscoops that it’s seen about 11% of those 40,000 vehicles. Among those inspected, less than two percent were found to have been fraudulently reported as fixed when they weren’t. Another way to view this is that over 98% were done correctly. If that stat line continues to be accurate, it’ll mean that around 700 vehicles may still require the necessary fix.
The other thing that The Detroit Free Press gets right is that Ford is also in the midst of a recall involving 230 Ranger pickups. These trucks also had Takata airbags and were once “repaired”, but the issue here is different. Instead of a tech lying about work being done when it wasn’t, the problem is that it might have been done wrong. Evidently, some of the associated trucks have a new updated airbag inflator that was mistakenly installed backwards. To ensure that it’s right, Ford is reviewing all of these trucks.
Ford’s response to the report
In a statement to Carscoops, a Ford spokesperson emphasized, “The Detroit Free Press conflated unrelated programs and information to draw inaccurate conclusions. Our goal is always to do things right for customers in the first place and, when they aren’t, correct them as quickly as possible. That’s what we did with the programs mischaracterized in this story.”
Ford has pointed out specific aspects of the report that it believes were mischaracterized and incorrect. For one thing, the story appears to conflate improperly installed airbags with those that are known to be deadly. Reports suggest that the improperly installed airbags will still work but they might not work properly.
The report also points out the tragic case of one Ford passenger who suffered the loss of an eye after a Takata airbag fired from the passenger side of the car and injured her during a crash. That driver’s airbag had been repaired as part of a recall; the front passenger airbag wasn’t part of that action. In addition, the passenger airbag hadn’t been reported as repaired.
Seeking Clarity on Ford’s Recall Handling
Why didn’t the dealer recognize the need to complete the other recall? We asked Ford and it said it’s not sure, but that it would get back to us. We also pried for more information about the program that it uses to catch when a tech says they completed a service, but didn’t really do it. We also asked about how many dealers and technicians were involved in the original quality assurance check. If and when we hear back, we’ll update you.
Ultimately, it appears as though Ford is doing what it can to get ahead of the issues it’s facing regarding these airbag recalls. It doesn’t appear that a full 270,000 vehicles on the road represent the same level of danger either. Nevertheless, it’s never a bad time to head on over to NHTSA.gov and double-check that your vehicle doesn’t have any active recalls associated with it. If your vehicle is inside of the Takata airbag recall population it could literally be the difference between life and death.
