OREANDA-NEWS  Ford Motor and Mazda warn owners of more than 475,000 old cars in the United States that they need to stop driving them because of defective Takata airbags that have not been replaced, MarketWatch reports.

This applies to more than 374 thousand Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars produced from 2004 to 2014, including Ranger, Mustang, Ford GT, Fusions, Edge, Milan, MKZ and Zephyr models. In addition, the warning affects almost 83 thousand Mazda vehicles produced from 2003 to 2015, including the CX-7, CX-9, RX-8 and Speed6 models.

Since May 2009, at least 35 people have died worldwide, including 27 in the United States, due to explosions of airbag inflators by the Japanese company Takata. In addition, more than 400 people were injured.

Takata declared bankruptcy in 2017 after a massive recall of cars due to faulty airbags by the world's largest automakers. This campaign has affected about 100 million pillows worldwide, including at least 67 million in the States.

"Even minor accidents can cause Takata airbags to explode, which can lead to death or horrific injuries," the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warned. "Older-model cars put their passengers at higher risk."

If the car has an unsafe Takata airbag, owners should stop using it and call the dealer to make an appointment for repairs. Ford and Mazda offer free towing or mobile repairs, as well as car rentals if necessary, according to NHTSA.

In the United States, Ford has made more than 121 million attempts to contact owners of cars with a malfunction, including emails, phone calls, text messages and home visits to customers. The company claims that more than 95% of its customers in the United States have already replaced the pillows.