YearToAvoid

2011 Mercury Milan Airbags Problems

Airbags account for 17 complaints on the 2011 Mercury Milan, 9% of the 191 total complaints filed for that model year. Most reports tie back to Takata inflator recalls, and NHTSA lists one related crash and one fire, with median mileage at failure of 59,000.

Airbags complaints
17
9% of 191 complaints
All complaints this year
191
Crashes reported
1
Fires reported
1
Injuries reported
0
Median mileage
59,000 mi
Related recalls
4

Typical airbag symptoms owners report

  • Owners report long waits for Takata driver and passenger airbag inflator replacements after receiving recall notice 16V384000, with dealers citing part shortages.
  • Some drivers say they were told not to drive the vehicle until the Takata repair was completed but could not get parts scheduled for months or years.
  • Owners describe dealers being unable to locate the vehicle in the parts system or refusing to perform the recall work at all.
  • One owner reported a crash and fire event involving the airbag system.
  • Some complaints describe fear of riding in the car because the passenger frontal airbag had reportedly been disconnected pending the recall fix.

When 2011 Mercury Milan airbag complaints were filed

First complaint Nov 30, 2016, latest Dec 5, 2024.

2011 Mercury Milan airbags complaints: complaints filed per month2Nov 2016Mar 2017Oct 2017Dec 2017Feb 2018Dec 2018May 2022
17 complaints filed with NHTSA from Nov 2016 to Dec 2024; peak Oct 2017 (2).

Airbags recalls for the 2011 Mercury Milan

  1. NHTSA 21V158000Mar 10, 2021Airbags2,602,668 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    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.

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

    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.

  2. NHTSA 21V081000Feb 16, 2021Airbags1,067 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

  3. NHTSA 19V001000Jan 7, 2019Airbags782,384 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

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

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.

  4. NHTSA 16V384000May 31, 2016Airbags1,892,343 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Airbags complaints by Milan model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 2006128 (60%)
  2. 2007232 (53%)
  3. 2008211 (47%)
  4. 200985 (38%)
  5. 2010106 (11%)
  6. 201117 (9%)

Frequently asked questions

How many airbag complaints does the 2011 Mercury Milan have?
NHTSA lists 17 airbag complaints for the 2011 Mercury Milan, which is 9% of the 191 total complaints filed for that model year.
Is there an airbag recall for the 2011 Mercury Milan?
Yes. NHTSA lists four related airbag recalls, including campaigns 21V158000, 21V081000, 19V001000, and 16V384000, mostly tied to Takata inflator defects.
What do owners say about the airbag problem?
Most complaints describe delays getting Takata inflator replacement parts after receiving a recall notice, with some owners saying dealers had no timeline for the repair.
Were there any injuries or crashes linked to this?
NHTSA data for this year and component shows one crash and one fire report, with no injuries recorded.
At what mileage did airbag problems typically appear?
The median mileage at failure for airbag complaints on the 2011 Mercury Milan is 59,000 miles.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.