Ford is recalling 470,000 Mustangs for Airbag problems

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it is recalling 470,000 Ford Mustangs from the 2005-2008 model years to recalibrate how forcefully the air bag deploys on the front passenger side of the car.

Internal testing showed the air bag could injure a small, unbelted passenger, said Ford spokesman Wesley Sherwood. The recall was posted on the website of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sherwood said the fix would address "a very rare scenario," and there were no reports of injuries or accidents tied to the recall.

Nearly 435,000 of the recalled Ford Mustangs are in the United States, with most of the remaining vehicles in Mexico and Canada.

The Dearborn-based automaker will notify customers by mail in early March. Owners can take their vehicle to a dealer to have the air bag recalibrated to deploy at a lower force.

For additional details, owners can call Ford at (866) 436-7332 or visit the company's owner services Web site at http://www.ford.com/owner-services.

On the Net:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov