NHTSA campaign 21V158000 · Ford campaign 21S12

Ford Motor Company Recall 21V-158: Driver's Air Bag Inflator May Explode

Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

NHTSA recall 21V158000 (Ford campaign 21S12) was reported by Ford Motor Company on March 10, 2021, with 2,602,668 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, Lincoln Zephyr and more for model years 2006–2012. Owners were notified on April 9, 2021, per NHTSA.

Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files

Is my vehicle included?

This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 21V158000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.

To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign: 21V158000 (also written 21V-158 or 21V158)
Filed by: Ford Motor Company
Ford campaign number: 21S12
Report received: March 10, 2021
Potentially affected: 2,602,668 vehicles (per NHTSA)
Component: Air Bags — Frontal — Driver Side — Inflator Module
Owners notified: April 9, 2021

Repair completion: 35.24% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated October 21, 2026)

NHTSA cautions against comparing completion rates across recalls or manufacturers. How try.vin reads them.

Vehicles listed for this recall

NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 21V158000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.

NHTSA's recall notice

As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 21V158000.

Defect description

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Safety consequence

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Manufacturer remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Sources

Official NHTSA notice for recall 21V158000

Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.