A new day at the office, another recall from Ford. It seems like we are always talking about the same one, but no, Ford has issued approximately 115 recalls this last year, and in this case the affected model is the Ranger, with more than 100,000 units affected because their side airbags do not work properly (how can they put vehicles with faulty airbags on the market????). Well, these trucks manufactured between 2024 and 2026 are on the list of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to be repaired as soon as possible. According to the administration itself, these devices can break when deploying, something that obviously violates federal standards and puts the occupants of the vehicle at risk…
What is happening with Ford?
The investigation has discovered that the side airbags of the vehicle, when activated in a collision, can rub against the internal reinforcements of the B pillar. That contact causes tears in the fabric, right at the moment when protection is most needed, and end up being absolutely useless…
And imagine, having a complicated accident and the airbags do not work… the result of the crash can be fatal.
What is Ford going to do?
Well, Ford is already used to issuing this type of recall, we repeat that they have had a rather busy year with these issues. They want to fix these vehicles by installing a protective shield that prevents the airbag from hitting the pillar reinforcement. Of course, this repair will be covered by the automaker, you as the driver do not have to pay absolutely anything.
Ford will have to comply with the federal regulation FMVSS 226, which regulates ejection mitigation.
The recall campaign already has a number: 25C41, and the first warning letters should have already started arriving since they began to be sent on September 8, and the repair, according to them, will be ready by December, when absolutely all workshops have all the necessary parts.
How to know if your truck is included
The owners of a Ranger from those years can easily check it on Ford’s official website, in the recalls section. The toll-free customer service line is also available at 1-866-436-7332 or through your VIN number, as always.
A complicated year for Ford
Ford had to recall more than 312,000 vehicles just a few weeks ago, and lately it seems that the word Ford is always accompanied by Recall, even in vehicles that seemed like they would not have any problem.
Even though Ford is trying to show its best image in the gallery, the reality is that the internal problems we are seeing with so many recalls are negatively impacting the brand’s image and reliability, and that, in a market as fierce as the automotive one, is not the best news we could give…
What is going to happen now?
100,000 vehicles under review are no small thing, in fact, they are too many. And yes, we know that recalls happen often but this brand has been chaining one after another… and with rather complicated failures. We will see in the very near future if Ford manages to stay afloat or if each recall causes the brand to fall more and more…