Nov. 20, 2017—Ford and Mazda's requests for more time to test Takata airbag inflators were denied by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), according to a Seattle Times report.
Both automakers submitted these requests to avoid recalls that could involve approximately three million vehicles from Ford and 6,000 from Mazda.
Here are the facts that played a factor in NHTSA's denial of both automakers' requests for more testing time:
- Takata determined that the Ford and Mazda drivers' front inflators were defective on July 10. That finding forced Ford and Mazda to file defect reports covering the 2007-2011 Ford Ranger; the 2006-2012 Ford Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ; the 2006-2011 Mercury Milan; and the 2007-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX. Also covered were Mazda B-Series pickups from 2007 through 2009.
- Ford and Mazda contend that testing by Takata didn’t show problems with their inflators.
- NHTSA said in documents posted Nov. 15 that the requests for a delay aren't reasonable or supported by current testing.
- NHTSA will accept public comment on the Ford and Mazda petitions for another month.
