Mazda has issued a recall of its 2007-2009 Mazda 3 and Mazda 5’s because of a steering problem.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says the loss to power assist in the steering can increase the risk of a crash. Mazda says the problem occurs when rust forms inside the high-pressure pipe on the power steering system and particles enter the power steering pump, causing it to shut down, reports the New York Times.
In the U.S., 215,000 vehicles will be recalled one year after Mazda began fixing a similar problem in vehicles in Japan.
Mazda says it was not receiving a large number of complaints in the U.S., so it adopted a “wait-and-see” attitude and instead issued a technical bulletin to dealers to tell them how to fix the problem.
However, the problems did not go away in the U.S. and last year the NHTSA received 33 complaints about power steering. It then began a safety investigation.
The problem with this wait-and-see attitude is that under law, automakers are supposed to alert federal auto regulators within five days after they know they have a problem. A failure to do so is what brought Toyota a record $16.4 million fine when it delayed reporting for four months concerning the sticky pedal defect.
Mazda could be facing the maximum fine for failing to promptly recall vehicles – $15 million. The Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010 is threatening with an even bigger stick – allowing the government to fine automakers up to $300 million for failing to promptly notifying the appropriate agency of a problem with a defective automobile.
No surprise, automakers are fighting that provision.
Florida auto product recall attorneys would like to remind you to be safe and if you experience this problem in your Mazda vehicle, contact your dealer to have it repaired right away.
