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Turn to 10: Disabled Tarpon Springs man stuck at home because of recall

Louis Fillie needs a little help to get around, but an airbag had him in a tough spot! That is, until he turned to 10.

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. -- An airbag recall with no place to go -- that’s why a Tarpon Springs man says he feels deflated. He’s disabled, and his accessorized vehicle is a necessity.

The recall now has him turning in his keys for a rental, but that rental comes at a price he can’t afford.

No matter how Louis Fillie gets around, he always needs extra help.

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Louis is disabled and says he can’t walk to the mailbox without his scooter. When he heads out, his Ford Edge equipped with a scooter lift allows him to get around town.

Last month, he received a call from Ford saying his car had an airbag recall.

“They recalled the airbag. They said, ‘Do not have someone sit in the passenger seat,’” says Fillie.

Problem is, anywhere Louis goes, he usually has help.

“A month later, I got this letter and they told me they would pay for a rental car,” says Fillie.

The letter states the parts are not available yet to fix the recall.

“They said probably not until December, January,” says Fillie.

Ford also mentions in the letter they would pay at up to $30 dollars a day for a rental car but finding one equipped with what Louis needs will cost him a lot more.

“I told them they needed something with a ramp or something to get the chair. They told me they found a place in Tampa with a handicap van, but it would cost me $60 a day,” says Fillie.

On a fixed income, Louis says $60 a day is impossible for him to afford.

We reached out to Ford asking if it ever helps someone with a disability when their vehicle is recalled.

At first, Ford downplayed the airbag recall, saying the risk of it exploding is low, and the car is still drivable.

When we pressed the company again, Ford told us “We sent the info to our customer care team and they will review and determine the proper course of action for his case. I don’t have further info to share beyond that at this time”

“How many other people are disabled? I think they should. A lot of people are handicap because they can’t walk,” says Fillie.

A few days after we reached out to Ford, they called Louis saying they would pay the entire cost for the rental car he needs. They also rushed the needed part to the dealership and it was fixed by the weekend.

Now when it comes to the airbag recalls, 15 deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the Takata airbags in the U.S.

More than 37 million vehicles have been impacted.

To check if your car may have a recall, visit the NHTSA website.

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