AUTOS

Ford to Offer New Air Bag Option: The Dearborn, Mich.-based auto maker said it will install a switch in some of its pickups that allows drivers to turn off passenger-side air bags so child safety seats can be safely used. Ford Motor Co. said it will install the cutoff switch in its 1996 Ford Ranger model, the first U.S. pickup to feature a passenger-side air bag. A child in a rear-facing safety seat placed in a vehicle’s front passenger seat can be seriously injured if an air bag is deployed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.