Ford expands Takata airbag recall to 816,000 vehicles

US auto giant Ford Motor Company said Thursday it was expanding its safety recall of some defective airbag inflators from Japanese parts maker Takata. The action extends the recall to about 816,000 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand vehicles built in North America and sold in the United States and Canada for various model years between 2005 and 2012. Takata, which has 20 percent of the global market for seatbelts and airbags, has been ensnared since 2013 in a scandal over airbags blamed for exploding with deadly force, sending metal shards into passenger compartments.