Recall Alert: 1.2 Million 2004-2006 Ford F-150s

Under renewed pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford is expanding an earlier recall from February that now encompasses about 1.2 million pickups, according to the USA Today.
Ford is recalling certain 2004-06 F-150 pickup trucks over an issue with the driver-side airbag, which can deploy without warning. A NHTSA investigation says the airbag on the affected trucks can inadvertently deploy when a sharp edge on the airbag's horn mounting plate chafes the airbag wire, leading to an electrical short.

NHTSA took the unusual step of sending a formal letter requesting the recall after Ford refused to do so, back in February. At the time, Ford recalled 135,000 2005-06 F-150 pickups over the issue. Ford argued at the time that even with the defect, there's "a relatively low risk of inadvertent airbag deployments," Ford safety spokesman Wes Sherwood told the Detroit News.
Ford resisted the recall, but after 238 complaints and 77 injuries — including chipped and broken teeth, cuts, lacerations and minor burns — the company caved in to demands for a formal recall. Typically, automakers voluntarily recall their vehicles.
NHTSA expanded the same investigation to 1.56 million Ford trucks after the agency received complaints of about 60 injuries from unexpected airbag deployments, USA Today reported.
Ford redesigned the airbag module/wiring in the 2007 model year to correct any potential deployment issues. For more info, owners can call Ford at 866-436-7332 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.
Ford Expands F-150 Recall by More Than a Million Pickups (USA Today)

By Colin Bird