Ford and U.S. safety regulators are telling the owners of 33,428 Ranger pickup trucks in North America not to drive them because they have Takata air bag inflators "that are an immediate risk to safety."
A company investigation into Ranger inflators from the 2006 model year found test results showing that more inflators had ruptured or recorded high internal pressure readings, spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt said Monday.
Ford and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said dealers will tow the Rangers to service bays to replace the faulty inflators and provide loaner vehicles. Parts for the repairs already are available, the company said.
The Rangers added to the do-not-drive list were built between Aug. 5 and Dec. 15, 2005.
Also included on the do-not-drive list are certain 2006 Mazda B-Series trucks, which were made by Ford and are similar to the Ranger.
"Affected owners are urged not to drive these vehicles and to contact Ford and Mazda immediately to schedule a free repair," NHTSA said in a printed release.
Takata uses ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags. But the chemical can deteriorate and burn too fast, blowing apart metal canisters and hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least 22 people have died and more than 180 have been hurt because of the problem.
The inflators also caused the largest series of automotive recalls in U.S. history. About 69 million inflators are being recalled in the U.S. and over 100 million worldwide are being recalled.
Last month Ford told 2,900 owners of the 2006 Ranger not to drive them after finding out that a West Virginia man was killed by an exploding inflator.
Steve Mollohan, 56, of the Hedgesville, West Virginia, area died July 1 in nearby Martinsburg, about 80 miles northeast of Washington, D.C., according to a Pittsburgh-based lawyer for the firm representing the family of Rob Peirce III.
Ford said it was notified of the accident in December. After some investigation, the company determined that the truck's inflator was made on the same day as one that exploded and killed a South Carolina man driving a Ranger in 2015.
Ford's Weigandt said the small pickups already were under recalls for driver and passenger inflators. In most cases owners can still drive recalled vehicles, but Ford issued the do-not-drive warning because of the elevated risk.
In January of 2016, Ford recalled about 361,000 Rangers in the U.S. and Canada from the 2004 to 2006 model years to replace the driver's inflators. The recall came after the government announced the December 2015 death of Joel Knight, 52, of Kershaw, South Carolina, that was caused by a Takata air bag inflating in his 2006 Ranger. A similar number has been recalled for passenger inflators.
Weigandt said that Ford did not find a higher risk of inflator rupture in the rest of the recalled Rangers. "We respond to the data," she said.
