Ford Recalls F-150 Because Of Airbag Defect

Ford will recall 150,000 Ford F-150 pickup trucks because air bags may deploy without warning.

This latest recall covers trucks from the 2005-2006 model years in the US and Canada for what the auto company calls a "relatively low risk" of the air bag deploying inadvertently. The recall, however, is much smaller in scope than what the government had requested, according to the Associated Press. “The NHTSA, citing 77 injuries, told the company in a Nov 2010 memo that the recall should cover 1.3M F-150 trucks from the 2004-2006 model years,” the report said.

Earlier this month Ford recalled 350,000 F-150s for a defect that allowed the truck’s door handle to possibly open during a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that a spring in the interior door handle can break and prevent the door from latching properly. If struck in a crash, the door latch could open.

Ford continues to rake in profits, making it one of the most solvent automakers in the world. But are these recent recalls showing sloppy manufacturing for the sake of seeking market share at the expense of safety? Ford continues to battle safety concerns in a number of its vehicles including serious safety problems in its Econoline 15 passenger vans and continuing problems related to vehicle stability and roof crush. Ford has been hit with a number of substantial verdicts in 2010 after juries found Ford had put profits ahead of safety.

Let’s hope Ford uses some of its record profits to fix these safety defects and to protect the owners and occupants of its vehicles and not to further pad its bottom line.

(c) Copyright 2011 Brett A. Emison