According to The New York Times' Wheels blog, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently in the early stages of investigating issues involving the 2005 Ford F-150 and 2004-2008 Mazda RX-8 models equipped with manual transmissions.

In the case of the Blue Oval, NHTSA has received eight complaints of F-150 airbags that have either deployed during ignition or in the seconds directly after ignition. The issue has reportedly resulted in some bumps and bruises, but if NHTSA finds the issue to be a big problem, up to 530,000 vehicles stand to be effected by what could be a very expensive safety recall for the Blue Oval.

At the other end of the automotive spectrum, Mazda's RX-8 sportscar is under the watchful eye of NHTSA for a problem that could effect far fewer vehicles but the problem is equally serious. The safety administration has reportedly received 40 complaints of 2004-2008 models that have experienced clutch pedal bracket failure, and in 15 cases, the rotary-powered Mazda was moving and the drivers couldn't change gears normally as a result. Two of those drivers could have found themselves in a more dangerous situation, as the clutch pedal was reported to have become wedged under the brake pedal.

At this point, NHTSA is just beginning to investigate these issues, and if a recall results in either case, the government agency will assuredly issue notice.