Mazda Recall Issued for 500K Cars Over Power Steering Problems
About half a million Mazda vehicles worldwide are being targeted by a power steering recall issued after reports that the steering in 2007-2009 Mazda vehicles can fail without warning.
The Mazda recall was announced earlier this week and comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received 33 complaints from Mazda 3 owners that their vehicles lost power steering without warning while driving. The failure of power steering while the vehicle is being operated increases the risk of an auto accident.
The defect, a high-pressure pipe in the steering assembly that can rust, has caused at least three accidents in the U.S., but there have been no injuries reported, according to Mazda. The recall came after a July 7 letter (pdf) from NHTSA investigators to Mazda, alerting them to the complaints and the accidents. NHTSA also pointed out that Mazda appears to have known the vehicles had a power steering problem for at least a year, according to service bulletins relating to power steering failures that date back to July 2009.
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Learn MoreInitially, the recall was for 215,000 U.S. Mazda 3 and Mazda 5 vehicles from model years 2007 through 2009. But on Thursday, the company announced it was widening the recall to vehicles in other countries, including Europe and China, bringing the total to more than 500,000 vehicles.
The vehicles affected by the recall were manufactured from April 2, 2007 through November 30, 2008, according to the NHTSA. The agency said that the power steering in the vehicles could fail at any time while the cars are being driven. When the steering fails, the driver often needs to use a significant amount of physical strength to maintain control of the vehicle.
Because of a parts shortage, owners will be notified by letter in phases, with the first phase beginning on or before September 15, and the second phase beginning later in September and potentially not concluding until February 2011.
Photo Courtesy of IFCAR/Wikipedia via public domain
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4 Comments
DikeaMay 12, 2015 at 1:56 am
April 3rd 2015 I was in an accident on the highway from Vancouver BC to Kamloops BC I allowed the car to go into the medium and it turned over once so I would not cause injury to any other drivers
LyndsayAugust 30, 2010 at 9:14 pm
I had a mazda 3 which I bought brand new in 2007 which was a left over. I just got rid of it and traded it in my mazda was brought to the dealership they thought I was lying and said oh we will fix it and fix it how many times did I loose power while driving where I thought I would die in thjs mazda. I got so sick from anxiety attacks to were I didn't even want to get in the car. Mazda didn't giv[Show More]I had a mazda 3 which I bought brand new in 2007 which was a left over. I just got rid of it and traded it in my mazda was brought to the dealership they thought I was lying and said oh we will fix it and fix it how many times did I loose power while driving where I thought I would die in thjs mazda. I got so sick from anxiety attacks to were I didn't even want to get in the car. Mazda didn't give a shit! I had to trade in the car put the 8000 owed on the mazda and dump into my new car all because they wouldn't fix it nor told me they didn't know the problem!
SandraAugust 20, 2010 at 8:29 am
I purchased a 2008 mazda 5 model at Basil Green Edenvale South Africa and I experienced the same problem with the power steering on 14th August 2010. My car had to be towed to them but while waiting for the tow truck (almost an hour, i also kept starting my car and the engine light was on and the steering locked) An hour later i tried the car again and miraculously the steering unlocked and the li[Show More]I purchased a 2008 mazda 5 model at Basil Green Edenvale South Africa and I experienced the same problem with the power steering on 14th August 2010. My car had to be towed to them but while waiting for the tow truck (almost an hour, i also kept starting my car and the engine light was on and the steering locked) An hour later i tried the car again and miraculously the steering unlocked and the light was off so of course Mazda told me there was no problem with my car. After reading the article on this site, I've contacted the branch Manager at Edenvale and informed him of the article which he says he was not aware of. So he's investigating and will get back to me. In the meantime, I drive the car everyday and pray for my safety.
BethAugust 19, 2010 at 2:04 pm
My 2008 Mazda 3 has had a power steering failure 3 times since I've owned it. When I mentioned it while at the dealership for servicing, they were aware of the problem. They told me, "Oh, you just have to shut the car off, then restart it and it'll solve the problem. I find it very dangerous.