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Ford re-enters Takata recall fray, four automakers still sell cars with faulty inflators

Don't expect the torrent of recall notices to subside any time soon.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
Ford, Wieck

Last week, several automakers recalled some 12 million cars, because they contain Takata-sourced airbag inflators that may fail and explode in a cloud of shrapnel. While that was a large number of vehicles to be recalled simultaneously, the fallout is far from settled. In fact, Ford's adding more vehicles to its recall list, while four automakers continue to sell vehicles containing the affected parts.

Ford's recall expansion covers some 1.9 million vehicles in North America, almost all of which are in the US. The affected vehicles include the 2005-2011 Ford Mustang, the 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln Zephyr and Mercury Milan, the 2007-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX and the 2007-2011 Ford Ranger.

This time around, the recall covers the passenger-side front airbag inflators. Other recalls have focused on driver-side components, but it's clear that faulty parts are not limited to one corner of the car.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that four automakers -- Fiat Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volkswagen -- are still selling vehicles with Takata components that will eventually require a recall. It's legal for the automakers in question to be selling these cars, but it's interesting to think that your brand new car might be recalled at any time because the airbags might not work correctly.