The Ford Motor Company is being told to recall about 3 million vehicles over potential issues with airbag inflators. The move will cost the company an estimated $610 million, accordingto a filing they made with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
On Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration denied Ford’s 2017 petition seeking to avoid the recall, according to multiple reports. The vehicles have potentially dangerous airbags, according to the NHTSA, produced by supplier Takata. In their decision, NHTSA said “evidence makes clear that these inflators pose a significant safety risk.”
Ford disclosed the potential cost of the recall in paperwork filed with the SEC on Thursday evening.
The recall will affect about 2.7 million vehicles in the U.S. and another 300,000 in Canada and other countries.
They include Ford Ranger, model years 2007-2011; Fusion, model years 2006-2012; Edge, model years 2007-2010; Lincoln MKZ/Zephyr, model years 2006-2012; MKX, model years 2007-2010; and Mercury Milan, model years 2006-2011.
Concerns about Takata airbag inflators have been an ongoing issue for vehicle manufacturers. About 100 million inflators installed by 19 major automakers have been recalled in the last several years.
The defect causes the inflators to rupture, sending potentially deadly metal fragments into the vehicle. At least 27 people worldwide and 18 in the U.S. have died as a result of the defect, according to Reuters.
