Mazda North American Operations recalls 580,455 Mazda3, Mazda5 cars and CX-3, CX-5 crossovers going back to the 2012 model year because the Showa supplied liftgate gas struts can fail from corrosion. Showa discovered the deft on another unnamed client’s vehicle line.
In the required NHTSA filing just made public, Mazda said the liftgate stay dampers may corrode by salt water due to improper coating of the outer tube at the end cap. Continued use causes corrosion to advance. which leads to outer tube swelling and eventual end cap cracking. In the worst case, the outer tube may get thin, resulting in breaking off.
Owners of record will be notified of this safety defect and instructed to take their vehicles to a Mazda dealer for repair. The repair will be to replace both the left and right side liftgate stay dampers with modified parts. The liftgate repair will be performed free of charge to vehicle owners, as required by U.S. law.
No Replacement Liftgate Struts
Mazda said it will conduct the field action for this safety recall campaign in two phases: First, Mazda will notify all vehicle owners that a recall campaign will be conducted; Second Mazda owners will be re-notified to have the recall performed when modified parts are available, likely in November of 2016.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
