The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·17V788000·Announced 2017-12-11

Ford Ranger Recall: Passenger Air Bag Inflator Rupture Risk

Ford is recalling 2004-2006 Ranger trucks because the passenger air bag inflator may rupture during deployment, sending metal fragments into the vehicle.

NHTSA safety advisory

Do not drive this vehicle

NHTSA advises owners to stop driving this vehicle until the recall repair has been completed.

This is the agency’s own advisory, not our assessment. Contact the manufacturer or a dealer, and see the official NHTSA notice for the current guidance.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that the defect could result in 'serious injury or death' due to metal fragments striking occupants, which aligns with the rubric criteria for Severe (4) involving significant injury reports or structural safety defects.

Plain-English summary

Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2004-2006 Ford Ranger trucks to address a defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator. This recall supersedes a previous interim repair campaign (15V322) to implement a final repair. The affected vehicles number 328,213 units.

The defect involves excessive internal pressure within the inflator module, which may cause it to rupture upon deployment. If the passenger's frontal air bag deploys in a crash, the rupturing inflator could release metal fragments that strike vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator free of charge. The recall began on January 16, 2018. Owners who received a replacement under the previous campaign must return to a dealer to have the alternate inflator installed. Ford's number for this recall is 17S42.

The recalled product

Product
FORD RANGER
Brand
FORD
Manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
328,213

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (1)

  • RANGER

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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