Recall 18V046 covers 327,796 2009, 2010, 2013 Mercury vehicles for passenger air bag inflators. Do not drive. Repair will be free once available.
An inflator explosion can send sharp metal fragments into the driver or other occupants, causing serious injury or death. Do not drive the vehicle, including short trips, until the passenger frontal air bag inflator has been replaced. If it must move, ask the dealer about towing. Repair will be free at any franchised Mercury dealer once available.
Mercury recall 18V046 covers 327,796 vehicles from 2009, 2010, 2013, including the Milan, with passenger frontal air bag inflators that can explode after long-term humidity and temperature exposure. Do not drive if your VIN is included; the inflator can send sharp metal fragments into occupants, and the dealer repair will be free once available.
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What's wrong?
Recall 18V046 involves the passenger frontal air bag inflator module in certain 2009, 2010, and 2013 Milan, Fusion, Mustang, Mkz, Mkx, Edge, and Ranger vehicles. The inflator is the metal canister inside the passenger front air bag. In a crash where the front air bags deploy, it produces gas that fills the air bag in front of the passenger.
The problem is inside the Takata inflator. These inflators use non-desiccated ammonium nitrate propellant, which means the chemical material is not protected by a drying agent. After long exposure to heat, humidity, and temperature changes, the propellant breaks down. If the air bag deploys in that condition, the inflator can rupture instead of filling the bag normally.
There is no warning sign before failure. The inflator sits hidden inside the air bag module, so the defect does not create a sound, smell, dashboard message, or change in how the vehicle drives before a crash deployment.
Who's affected?
Covers seven models across the 2009, 2010, and 2013 model years, all involving the passenger-side front air bag inflator module.
| 2010 Mercury Milan | front air bag |
|---|---|
| 2010 Ford Fusion | front air bag |
| 2009 Ford Fusion | front air bag |
| 2009 Ford Mustang | front air bag |
| 2009 Lincoln Mkz | front air bag |
| 2009 Mercury Milan | front air bag |
| 2009 Lincoln Mkx | front air bag |
| 2009 Ford Edge | front air bag |
| 2009 Ford Ranger | front air bag |
| 2010 Ford Mustang | front air bag |
| 2010 Lincoln Mkz | front air bag |
| 2010 Lincoln Mkx | front air bag |
| 2010 Ford Edge | front air bag |
| 2010 Ford Ranger | front air bag |
| 2013 Ford Mustang | front air bag |
| Units affected | 327,796 |
| Field incidents | NHTSA has logged no field incidents to date. |
A matching year and model does not guarantee inclusion. Check your VIN to confirm whether your specific vehicle is included.
What's the safety risk?
An inflator explosion can send sharp metal fragments into the driver or other occupants, causing serious injury or death. Do not drive the vehicle, including short trips, until the passenger frontal air bag inflator has been replaced. If it must move, ask the dealer about towing. Repair will be free at any franchised Mercury dealer once available.
What should I do?
- Check your VIN to confirm your 2009, 2010, 2013 Mercury Milan, Fusion, Mustang, Mkz, Mkx, Edge, or Ranger is included in this recall.
- Do not drive the vehicle until the passenger frontal air bag inflator replacement is complete.
- Arrange a tow if the vehicle has to be moved to the dealer; do not drive it there yourself.
- Contact a franchised Mercury dealer and ask whether the free passenger frontal air bag inflator replacement is open for your VIN.
- Bring the recall notice if you have one, and reference recall number 18V046 when you call.
What happens at the repair
Do not drive the vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Once Ford opens the final repair, a Mercury technician will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free under the recall. Parts and labor are covered. Ford has a general reimbursement plan on file for owners who already paid for this repair before the recall notice. Keep repair paperwork and payment records, then contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 and reference recall 19S01.
| Reimbursement | Reimbursement available |
|---|
Timeline
| January 11, 2018 | NHTSA published the recall |
|---|---|
| January 17, 2018 | Dealer notification began |
| January 17, 2018 | Dealer notification ended |
| February 19, 2018 | Interim owner notification (was planned for this date) |
| May 21, 2018 | Owner notification mailed |
Frequently asked questions
What is recall 18V046?
Recall 18V046 covers 327,796 2009, 2010, and 2013 Mercury Milan, Fusion, Mustang, Mkz, Mkx, Edge, and Ranger vehicles with passenger frontal air bag inflators that can explode after long-term heat and humidity exposure. The dealer will replace the inflator for free.
What should I do if my 2009, 2010, or 2013 Mercury Milan, Fusion, Mustang, Mkz, Mkx, Edge, or Ranger is on this recall?
Check your VIN to confirm your specific vehicle is included in recall 18V046. If it is included, do not drive it until the passenger frontal air bag inflator has been replaced. Call the dealer and ask how to arrange the free repair without driving the vehicle.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Federal recall law requires the manufacturer to repair the defect at no cost, and the remedy for recall 18V046 is replacement of the passenger frontal air bag inflator. Parts and labor are covered when the dealer performs the recall repair.
What does do not drive mean for recall 18V046?
Do not drive the vehicle until the dealer completes the recall repair. The passenger frontal air bag inflator can explode and send sharp metal fragments toward occupants, causing serious injury or death. Ask the dealer about towing or another way to move the vehicle safely.
What if I bought this vehicle used?
The free recall repair still applies. Ownership history does not remove the manufacturer's obligation to fix an included vehicle. Check your VIN, then give the dealer recall number 18V046 when you call so the service desk can confirm the inflator replacement path.
More information
| NHTSA campaign page | nhtsa.gov/vehicle-recalls/18V046000 |
|---|---|
| Mercury customer service | 1-866-436-7332 |
| NHTSA recall # | 18V046 |
| NHTSA recall # (full) | 18V046000 |
Source documents
-
Download Recall Document (PDF) (PDF) - Download Owner Notice (PDF)
- Download Recall Report (PDF)
- Download Misc. Document (PDF)
- Download Recall Document (PDF) (PDF)
- Download Owner Notification Letter (PDF)
- Download Quarterly Report (PDF)
- Download Recall Acknowledgement (PDF)
This article is generated from NHTSA's primary recall filings and reviewed against the source on May 25, 2026. RecallNotify does not paraphrase NHTSA's consequence language; that text is reproduced as written above. Editorial standards →