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Feds Warning Drivers To Park Cars Due To Takata Airbag Recall

DIXON (CBS13/AP) — The U.S. Department of Transportation is again urging owners of vehicles with defective Takata airbags to seek repairs immediately.

The agency singled out Ford Rangers and Mazda B-Series trucks from 2006, which are under a "do not drive" warning. The agency said Monday that it is "deeply concerned" that they are not being returned for repairs quickly enough.

RECALL: Find out if your car is affected by a recall

Thomas Willing-Mayer, who works at Ron DuPratt Ford in Dixon says he's worked on vehicles that have come in for the Takata airbag recall but says not enough people are heeding the warnings.

"Maybe they've changed addresses, haven't gotten the mailer," he said.

ALSO: Takata Recall Spotlight

Chemicals used to inflate the airbags can deteriorate in some conditions, causing them to explode with too much force and blow apart a metal canister that can lead to hurling shrapnel.

At least 22 deaths and more than 180 injuries have been linked to the defect. Some 50 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled in the United States and millions more globally. Lawsuits are pending against the company.

The Dixon dealership is trying to get more customers in the door to get the repairs done. It's starting a mobile service that will handle the recall wherever you are.

"We can get people to be responsible, to have someone come to their place, not taking up personal time, can do it at work or anything like that," Willing-Mayer said.

According to the manufacturers, only 49.2 percent of the 33,320 impacted Ford Rangers, and 55 percent of the 2,205 Mazda B-Series trucks, have been fixed.

Both automakers will have the vehicles towed to a dealership at no cost.

The focus is on 21 cities and Puerto Rico where, according to the agency, many of the vehicles are located.

"I cannot stress strongly enough the urgency of this recall - these airbags are dangerous," said Heidi King, deputy administrator at the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Every vehicle must be accounted for now."

The agency is urging consumers to visit NHTSA.gov and use a Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, to find out if their vehicle is included in the recalls.

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