Ford Recalls 2017 Models with Faulty ARC Brand Airbag Inflators

Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 900 of its 2017 model Mustang sport coupes and F-150 fullsize pickup trucks in North America because the airbag inflators could explode in a crash. No misfires have been reported.

The campaign involves airbag modules supplied by Takata Corp., whose own faulty inflators have sparked recalls by 19 carmakers that involve more than 100 million devices. But the modules use a different type of inflator supplied by Tennessee-based ARC Automotive Inc.

ARC has been under scrutiny by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 2015 for its own inflator problems. An exploding ARC inflator was blamed for killing a driver in Canada last year.

In October, NHTSA accused the independent supplier of missing deadlines to file report crash data and test results of its devices. In a letter to the company, the agency said the company’s behavior raise “serious questions regarding the quality and integrity of ARC’s airbag inflators.”

The supplier operates factories in the U.S., Mexico and China. ARC inflators reportedly have been installed in about 8 million vehicles in the U.S.