The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·21V158000·Announced 2021-03-10

Ford Recalls Vehicles for Driver-Side Airbag Inflator Explosion Risk

Ford is recalling specific 2006-2012 vehicles because the driver-side airbag inflator may explode, potentially causing serious injury or death.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. 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 may result in 'serious injury or death,' which aligns with the rubric criterion for a score of 4 (Severe) involving significant injury reports or potential for serious harm.

Plain-English summary

Ford Motor Company is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The recall involves the driver's side air bag inflator, which may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death. The affected vehicles include specific model years for the Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln Zephyr, Ford Fusion, Ford Ranger, Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX.

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
MERCURY, LINCOLN, FORD MILAN, MKZ, ZEPHYR, FUSION
Brand
MERCURY
Manufacturer
Ford Motor Company
Category
Vehicle — Airbag Inflator
Hazard
Affected units
2,602,668

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 (7)

  • MILAN
  • MKZ
  • ZEPHYR
  • FUSION
  • RANGER
  • EDGE
  • MKX

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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