Ford Motor Co. to recall 27,500 cars in Canada to replace Takata airbags

Ford Motor Co. will recall 27,516 vehicles in Canada to replace airbags make by Takata Corp. that can malfunction.

Ford agreed Thursday to a demand by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that its recall for driver’s side airbags be extended nationwide. The recall also affects Canada and Mexico.

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An earlier recall of 55,000 vehicles with the Takata airbags applied only to the humid states in the southern U.S., because it was believed that high humidity led to deterioration of the product’s inflator.

The inflators can explode with too much force, spewing shrapnel into drivers and passengers.

Ford is aware of one accident with an injury that may be related to the airbag, it said in a press release.

Honda and Mazda have already recalled vehicles with Takata airbags nationwide. Ford’s decision to extend its recall across North America puts pressure on Chrysler and BMW to follow suit.

The affected vehicles are mainly Ford Mustangs made between 2005 and 2008, with 500,439 to be recalled in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Also affected are the two-seater Ford GT from model years 2005 and 2006, of which about 2,050 are affected.

Dealers will replace the airbags at no cost to the car owner.