U.S. issues a 'second public plea' on recalled vehicles with defective airbags

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took the rare step of issuing a "second public plea" Monday out of concern that too few owners of two truck models in the Takata airbag recall have gotten their airbags replaced.

Only 49.2 percent of MY 2006 Ford Rangers and 55 percent of 2006 Mazda B-Series trucks have been fixed, according to NHTSA quoting of the auto companies' numbers.

"These vehicles are under a “do not drive” warning and the air bags must be replaced immediately," the release read. "NHTSA is issuing a second public plea to owners to schedule a free repair today for their own safety and the protection of their loved ones."

The NHTSA says 48 unrepaired trucks are in the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton market and 11 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale. The only two markets with more unrepaired trucks than West Palm-Boca are Wilmington, Delaware; (80) and Knoxville, Tennessee (72).

Ford and Mazda are providing free towing to dealership service departments so these trucks can be repaired.

Car owners wondering whether their car is under recall can go to NHTSA.gov, but should bring their cars' Vehicle Identification Numbers.

This story was originally published May 7, 2018 at 1:17 PM with the headline "U.S. issues a 'second public plea' on recalled vehicles with defective airbags."