Ranger Danger: Ford Issues 'Stop Driving' Order for Another 33,000 Trucks

After alerting drivers of nearly 3,000 2006 Ranger pickups last month, Ford Motor Company wants the owners of another 33,428 trucks to stop driving their vehicle, get out, and walk away.

The vehicles involved in this latest “stop driving” order are, like the other crop, all presently under recall for a potentially deadly airbag defect, though recent tests show they could be especially dangerous in the event of an airbag deployment. Ford singled out the earlier group of vehicles after discovering a connection between two airbag-related deaths in the United States. The unstable Takata airbag inflators found in both vehicles, which detonated and sprayed both crash victims with metal shards, were assembled on the same day.

These 33,428 Rangers could be equally dangerous, the company says.

“After Ford took this action,” the automaker stated, referring to the earlier order, “the company continued its investigation and testing. Further inflator and propellant test data showed higher propellant pressures and ruptures inside certain inflators in vehicles built during the period included in this expanded recall. Ford is not aware of any injuries or fatalities involved in these additional vehicles.”

All vehicles in this high-risk group rolled out of the Twin Cities Assembly Plant between August 10, 2005 and December 15, 2005, and from August 5, 2005 to November 4, 2005. Besides 2,825 Rangers sold to Canada, the bulk of the vehicles went to customers in the U.S. and federalized territories.

The automaker encourages drivers to type their vehicle’s VIN number into Ford’s online search tool (see link here) to see if their truck falls into this group. Some 391,000 2004-2006 Rangers, as well as some Mazda B-Series twins, fall under the same Takata airbag recall. It’s actually the second in a two-phase recall designed to get the dangerous inflators out of vehicles as soon as possible, with a final fix coming later. (Those final parts are now in stock.) The reference number for the recall is 18S02.

All recall work performed by Ford will be free of charge. Once contacted, the automaker will tow the high-risk vehicle to a repair shop, with owners eligible for a free loaner, should they request it.

[Image: Ford]