Ford Fiesta Air Bag Recall Issued for 150,000 Cars
As originally programmed, the Fiesta's side curtain air bags on the vehicle's right side do not deploy in a collision when the front passenger seat is not occupied. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that while the air bag system is designed to operate in this fashion, Ford does not explain how this works in the Fiesta owner's manual as required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
To meet this standard, and to offer side curtain air bag protection to an occupant in the right-side rear seat when the front passenger seat is not occupied, Ford dealers will reprogram the side curtain air bags to deploy in all side-impact collisions.
This recall is "expected to begin shortly," according to the official NHTSA recall notice. The recall campaign ID number is 12V488000, and concerned owners can contact Ford with questions by calling 1-866-436-7332.