Ford has recalled 2,902 units of the 2006 Ranger pickup trucks, equipped with an airbag made by the Japanese company Takata, after confirming that the death last year of an occupant of one of the affected vehicles was caused by an exploding airbag.

Ford asked the owners to stop driving their vehicles immediately until they were repaired.

"We take this matter very seriously and are advising owners of these specific 2006 Ford Rangers to stop driving their vehicles so dealers can make repairs immediately," the company said in a statement.

The recall comes after the American automaker confirmed that an accident on July 1, 2017, in which a person in a 2006 Ford Ranger died, was caused by a defective Takata inflator.

Ford explained that it was notified of the accident on Dec. 22 and after inspecting the vehicle on Dec. 27, it determined that the airbag of the front passenger had exploded, leading to the death of one person.

This is the second death attributed to a defective Takata airbag in a Ford vehicle. The first death occurred in January 2016.

The recall affects 2,712 vehicles in the United States and 190 in Canada, according to the statement.

The car manufacturer reiterated that the airbag inflators in the affected vehicles were faulty and at higher risk of rupturing in the event of a crash.

Ford added it was willing to loan an interim vehicle to the owners of the affected 2006 Ranger pickup trucks until they were repaired.