The owner of a vehicle who received a recall notice for the driver airbag inflator in the summer of 2015 is still waiting for it to be replaced.
Aquanetta Brobston of Woodway, who owns a 2014 Ford Mustang, said she has used it only a few times since last spring due to concerns of the Takata airbag inflator rupturing, which can lead to metal fragments striking and seriously hurting someone.
News Channel 25 first spoke with Brobston in April of 2016 about her concerns.
According to the NHTSA, the defective parts have been responsible for 11 deaths and nearly 180 injuries in the United States. According to that agency, drivers are more likely to be injured.
"I'm just afraid there would be some kind of accident and the airbags would cause more damage than just the accident,” Brobston said. "It really bothers me. It hurts that we can't enjoy [our Ford Mustang] anymore.”
She said a Ford representative told her she would get a replacement by the third quarter of 2016, but she is still waiting to receive a letter indicating the part is available.
While she waits for the part, Brobston is using another vehicle she bought last spring.
"I have more miles on my other car, on my newer car, than I do on this one,” Brobston said.
Brobston’s grandson Anthony Miller also received a recall notice last year for the driver side airbag inflator for his 2010 Ford Mustang, and his airbag inflator was replaced before the summer. In July of 2016, he received another recall notice for the passenger side airbag inflator.
"After the first one, I thought it will be fixed and all the safety issues would be taken care of but now I have something else to deal with. I'm just hoping this one gets fixed and that's it for all the safety recalls,” Miller said.
Due to safety concerns after receiving the first recall notice, his wife doesn’t drive the vehicle as much.
"Ford, like other automakers, is following [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s] coordinated remedy, and we will continue to cooperate with the agency on the issue as we always do," Ford Motor Company Spokesman John Cangany said in a statement.
The statement said the company has parts available, which include permanent repair for 2005-2012 Mustang driver side inflators. In addition, the statement indicated Ford has limited replacement inflators for other vehicles in the highest risk areas in the meantime.
Ford stated it plans to notify customers to schedule repairs in mid-January as it receives more parts from its suppliers.
Brobston said she will continue driving the other car until she gets the airbag inflator replaced.
NHTSA and Takata have indicated the highest risk vehicles include older models in areas of high humidity and high temperature cycling, according to the Ford statement.
"We're forced to wait. I want Ford to fix it or talk to us to let us know what's going on," Brobston said.
Brobston said if the company can't fix it, it should offer an alternative, such as buying the car back.
The NHTSA has launched an order to continue the acceleration of recall repairs for the Takata air bag inflators.
For more information regarding the recall, click here.
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