2005 – 2006 F-150 Air Bag Recall
UPDATE April 2011 – This recall has been expanded, see our newer article on the 2004-2006 F150 Air Bag Recall.
Ford is recalling approximately 144,000 F-150′s from the model years 2005 & 2006 for a problem where in some rare cases the air bags can deploy without warning and even possibly when driving (not involved in a collision).
This affects about 135,000 trucks in the US and 9,000 in Canada. In most cases vehicle owners should be alerted to a potential problem when the air bag light comes on a stays on.
The Detroit News reports:
NHTSA found that the F-150 driver-side air bag wires can be chafed by a sharp metal edge of the horn plate during normal vehicle operations or due to road vibrations. Once the wire insulation is cut, a short can cause the air bag to deploy.
In response to reports of inadvertent air bag deployments, Ford in January 2006 made a stop-gap change to the 2006 F-150 by adding a protective tape over the sharp metal edges of the horn plate.
For the 2007 model year, Ford changed the air bag wire routing, added a better wire protector sleeve and redesigned the horn plate tooling to eliminate the potential of a sharp edge.
If the airbag light is on and stays lit on your 2005/2006 F-150, definitely get that checked out ASAP! To check if your 2005 or 2006 F-150 is affected, have your VIN handy and go here: http://corporate.ford.com/news-center/news/recall-information
If you have any questions about the recall, please check with your local dealer or call Ford @ 1-800-382-3673 (US) or 1-800-565-3673 (Canada). Of course you’re always welcome to ask questions or share your experiences regarding this in our F150 Forum.
For more details on the background of this recall see Det News
Tags: 2005, 2006, air bag, deploy, f150, recall, safety, vin
March 15th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Can anyone help? I have A FORD F-150 2003 and have to change the fuel pump. Would it be easier to drop the tank or lift the box. I need self explaination on how to do. ( Or should I just take it to a shop but money is a big issue) Thanks Rose.