Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | ||||||||||||||||
| 10V374000 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | from 04/02/2007 to 11/30/2008 | V (Vehicle) | 215000 | ODI | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 08/12/2010 | 08/13/2010 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Mazda is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 mazda3 and mazda5 vehicles manufactured from april 2, 2007 through november 30, 2008. these vehicles may have a condition in which a sudden loss of power steering assist could occur at any time while driving the vehicle. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Power steering assist is suddenly lost reducing the driver's ability to steer the vehicle as typically expected, and increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Due to short supply of parts, the first phase of mailing of owner notification letters will begin on or before september 15, 2010 and the second phase mailing will begin in september 2010 and be completed in february 2011. owners may contact mazda customer assistance center at 1-800-222-5500. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||||
| SB-06-003-10 | 08/13/2010 | 10034527 | Mazda: steering column slightly moves in or out telescopically. some vehicles may exhibit a slight in or out movement of the steering wheel when it is pushed or pulled, even with the steering wheel release lever properly locked. *pe | 11/29/2010 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| PE10021 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 06/28/2010 | 11/29/2010 | Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist | 10V374000 | |
| The subject vehicles have electro-hydraulic power assist steering (ehpas).the complaint counts shown above alleged a loss of power steering assist in the subject vehicles.usually, but not always, the loss is accompanied by the simultaneous lighting of an indicator light on the dash.the complaints include 14 alleged crashes involving 6 injuries.on mazda3 and mazda5 vehicles manufactured from april 2, 2007 through november 30, 2008, rust may have formed inside the epas high-pressure pipe during manufacture due to improper processing.if the rust is present it may damage the power steering pump bearings leading to an increased load on the electric motor; this results in an elevated operating temperature for the epas system.to prevent excessive overheating of the system, which could potentially cause permanent damage, afailsafe mode which de-powers the electric pump is implemented.this causes a loss of power assist making it more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower vehicle speeds.once the failsafe is implemented the epas system will remain disabled until the ignition is turned off.however epas will be re-enabled if the operating temperature is reduced (i.e., within an acceptable range) on a subsequent drive cycle.on august 8, 2010 mazda submitted a part 573 defect information report initiating safety recall 10v-374 to remedy the subject vehicles.the report, which contains additional details on the remedy repair, is available at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/.odi notes that the affected population shown in that report includes approximately 8,000 vehicles mazda repaired prior to initiating the recall. | ||||||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | ||||||
| PE10021 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 06/28/2010 | 11/29/2010 | Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist | 10V374000 | |
| The subject vehicles have electro-hydraulic power assist steering (ehpas).the complaint counts shown above alleged a loss of power steering assist in the subject vehicles.usually, but not always, the loss is accompanied by the simultaneous lighting of an indicator light on the dash.the complaints include 14 alleged crashes involving 6 injuries.on mazda3 and mazda5 vehicles manufactured from april 2, 2007 through november 30, 2008, rust may have formed inside the epas high-pressure pipe during manufacture due to improper processing.if the rust is present it may damage the power steering pump bearings leading to an increased load on the electric motor; this results in an elevated operating temperature for the epas system.to prevent excessive overheating of the system, which could potentially cause permanent damage, afailsafe mode which de-powers the electric pump is implemented.this causes a loss of power assist making it more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower vehicle speeds.once the failsafe is implemented the epas system will remain disabled until the ignition is turned off.however epas will be re-enabled if the operating temperature is reduced (i.e., within an acceptable range) on a subsequent drive cycle.on august 8, 2010 mazda submitted a part 573 defect information report initiating safety recall 10v-374 to remedy the subject vehicles.the report, which contains additional details on the remedy repair, is available at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/.odi notes that the affected population shown in that report includes approximately 8,000 vehicles mazda repaired prior to initiating the recall. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | ||||||
| PE10021 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 06/28/2010 | 11/29/2010 | Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist | 10V374000 | |
| The subject vehicles have electro-hydraulic power assist steering (ehpas).the complaint counts shown above alleged a loss of power steering assist in the subject vehicles.usually, but not always, the loss is accompanied by the simultaneous lighting of an indicator light on the dash.the complaints include 14 alleged crashes involving 6 injuries.on mazda3 and mazda5 vehicles manufactured from april 2, 2007 through november 30, 2008, rust may have formed inside the epas high-pressure pipe during manufacture due to improper processing.if the rust is present it may damage the power steering pump bearings leading to an increased load on the electric motor; this results in an elevated operating temperature for the epas system.to prevent excessive overheating of the system, which could potentially cause permanent damage, afailsafe mode which de-powers the electric pump is implemented.this causes a loss of power assist making it more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower vehicle speeds.once the failsafe is implemented the epas system will remain disabled until the ignition is turned off.however epas will be re-enabled if the operating temperature is reduced (i.e., within an acceptable range) on a subsequent drive cycle.on august 8, 2010 mazda submitted a part 573 defect information report initiating safety recall 10v-374 to remedy the subject vehicles.the report, which contains additional details on the remedy repair, is available at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/.odi notes that the affected population shown in that report includes approximately 8,000 vehicles mazda repaired prior to initiating the recall. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - POWER STEERING FLUID | ||||||
| PE10021 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 06/28/2010 | 11/29/2010 | Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist | 10V374000 | |
| The subject vehicles have electro-hydraulic power assist steering (ehpas).the complaint counts shown above alleged a loss of power steering assist in the subject vehicles.usually, but not always, the loss is accompanied by the simultaneous lighting of an indicator light on the dash.the complaints include 14 alleged crashes involving 6 injuries.on mazda3 and mazda5 vehicles manufactured from april 2, 2007 through november 30, 2008, rust may have formed inside the epas high-pressure pipe during manufacture due to improper processing.if the rust is present it may damage the power steering pump bearings leading to an increased load on the electric motor; this results in an elevated operating temperature for the epas system.to prevent excessive overheating of the system, which could potentially cause permanent damage, afailsafe mode which de-powers the electric pump is implemented.this causes a loss of power assist making it more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower vehicle speeds.once the failsafe is implemented the epas system will remain disabled until the ignition is turned off.however epas will be re-enabled if the operating temperature is reduced (i.e., within an acceptable range) on a subsequent drive cycle.on august 8, 2010 mazda submitted a part 573 defect information report initiating safety recall 10v-374 to remedy the subject vehicles.the report, which contains additional details on the remedy repair, is available at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/.odi notes that the affected population shown in that report includes approximately 8,000 vehicles mazda repaired prior to initiating the recall. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | ||||||
| PE10021 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 06/28/2010 | 11/29/2010 | Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist | 10V374000 | |
| The subject vehicles have electro-hydraulic power assist steering (ehpas).the complaint counts shown above alleged a loss of power steering assist in the subject vehicles.usually, but not always, the loss is accompanied by the simultaneous lighting of an indicator light on the dash.the complaints include 14 alleged crashes involving 6 injuries.on mazda3 and mazda5 vehicles manufactured from april 2, 2007 through november 30, 2008, rust may have formed inside the epas high-pressure pipe during manufacture due to improper processing.if the rust is present it may damage the power steering pump bearings leading to an increased load on the electric motor; this results in an elevated operating temperature for the epas system.to prevent excessive overheating of the system, which could potentially cause permanent damage, afailsafe mode which de-powers the electric pump is implemented.this causes a loss of power assist making it more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower vehicle speeds.once the failsafe is implemented the epas system will remain disabled until the ignition is turned off.however epas will be re-enabled if the operating temperature is reduced (i.e., within an acceptable range) on a subsequent drive cycle.on august 8, 2010 mazda submitted a part 573 defect information report initiating safety recall 10v-374 to remedy the subject vehicles.the report, which contains additional details on the remedy repair, is available at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/.odi notes that the affected population shown in that report includes approximately 8,000 vehicles mazda repaired prior to initiating the recall. | ||||||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | ||||||
| PE10021 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 06/28/2010 | 11/29/2010 | Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist | 10V374000 | |
| The subject vehicles have electro-hydraulic power assist steering (ehpas).the complaint counts shown above alleged a loss of power steering assist in the subject vehicles.usually, but not always, the loss is accompanied by the simultaneous lighting of an indicator light on the dash.the complaints include 14 alleged crashes involving 6 injuries.on mazda3 and mazda5 vehicles manufactured from april 2, 2007 through november 30, 2008, rust may have formed inside the epas high-pressure pipe during manufacture due to improper processing.if the rust is present it may damage the power steering pump bearings leading to an increased load on the electric motor; this results in an elevated operating temperature for the epas system.to prevent excessive overheating of the system, which could potentially cause permanent damage, afailsafe mode which de-powers the electric pump is implemented.this causes a loss of power assist making it more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower vehicle speeds.once the failsafe is implemented the epas system will remain disabled until the ignition is turned off.however epas will be re-enabled if the operating temperature is reduced (i.e., within an acceptable range) on a subsequent drive cycle.on august 8, 2010 mazda submitted a part 573 defect information report initiating safety recall 10v-374 to remedy the subject vehicles.the report, which contains additional details on the remedy repair, is available at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/.odi notes that the affected population shown in that report includes approximately 8,000 vehicles mazda repaired prior to initiating the recall. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 03/08/2011 | 67000 | ||
| Took car in due to recall notice for power steering failure for replacement part. new part installed was defective and resulted in loss of steering ability. | |||
| 08/24/2010 | 17789 | ||
| On 8/24/10 i was driving in sf city traffic as i neared an intersection, my power steering on my 2008 mazda 5 failed. i pulled over into a red zone, barely out of traffic, and turned off the car. i read the manual and it suggested turning the car on again. i did but the steering light remained on. i moved the car (with difficulty and no small amount of stress) to a safer location. i called mazda and they came and towed the car to the dealership. they repaired the car in 4 days time. they told us they were about to send out recall notices on the mazda 5. the next day (8/25) i read in the ny times auto section that the mazda corp. in japan had known about this power steering failure for 2 years. this seems incredible to me, given that the car is barely 2 years old. luckily nothing happened but 5 minutes before i had been on the freeway going 55 miles an hour. what would have happened if the power steering had gone out then? | |||
| 07/14/2010 | 22999 | ||
| Loss of power steering two times on my mazda 5 | |||
| 08/24/2010 | 17789 | ||
| On 8/24/10 i was driving in sf city traffic as i neared an intersection, my power steering on my 2008 mazda 5 failed. i pulled over into a red zone, barely out of traffic, and turned off the car. i read the manual and it suggested turning the car on again. i did but the steering light remained on. i moved the car (with difficulty and no small amount of stress) to a safer location. i called mazda and they came and towed the car to the dealership. they repaired the car in 4 days time. they told us they were about to send out recall notices on the mazda 5. the next day (8/25) i read in the ny times auto section that the mazda corp. in japan had known about this power steering failure for 2 years. this seems incredible to me, given that the car is barely 2 years old. luckily nothing happened but 5 minutes before i had been on the freeway going 55 miles an hour. what would have happened if the power steering had gone out then? | |||
| 07/14/2010 | 22999 | ||
| Loss of power steering two times on my mazda 5 | |||
| 08/24/2010 | 17789 | ||
| On 8/24/10 i was driving in sf city traffic as i neared an intersection, my power steering on my 2008 mazda 5 failed. i pulled over into a red zone, barely out of traffic, and turned off the car. i read the manual and it suggested turning the car on again. i did but the steering light remained on. i moved the car (with difficulty and no small amount of stress) to a safer location. i called mazda and they came and towed the car to the dealership. they repaired the car in 4 days time. they told us they were about to send out recall notices on the mazda 5. the next day (8/25) i read in the ny times auto section that the mazda corp. in japan had known about this power steering failure for 2 years. this seems incredible to me, given that the car is barely 2 years old. luckily nothing happened but 5 minutes before i had been on the freeway going 55 miles an hour. what would have happened if the power steering had gone out then? | |||
| 07/14/2010 | 22999 | ||
| Loss of power steering two times on my mazda 5 | |||
| 08/15/2010 | 26400 | ||
| First incident, power steering was lost while making a u-turn. warning light illuminated. regained power after half an hour. second incident, attempted to avoid a swerving car, but steering wheel locked up and could not control vehicle. ended up spinning out and crashed into another car and the center median. | |||
| 06/28/2010 | 41000 | ||
| Power steering failure at low speed, power steering light comes on. after restart functioned normally. | |||
| 06/18/2010 | 57000 | ||
| The engine on my mazda5 was running at idle speed for approximately 10-15 minutes on a warm day. in pulling out of the parking lot, the power steering failed completely and the warning light came on. in researching with other owners, i realized that this is a pervasive problem. | |||
| 05/07/2010 | 39000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2008 mazda 5. she stated that on may 7, 2010, while waiting in traffic the power steering failed and had to use manual steering power. the vehicle was taken to a repair facility and was diagnosed electrical failure to the steering module and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer was contacted and she was informed that vehicle was not under warranty. the manufacturere was not contacted. the failure mileage was 39,000 and current mileage was 41,000..mr | |||
| 05/28/2010 | 4000 | 1 | |
| 2008 mazda5 - 40k miles after idling in parking lot for approx 20 mins, put car in drive and attempted to leave. power steering light illuminated, wife could not turn wheel at all. turned off car. i arrived 10 mins later and was able to operate the steering with difficulty. *tr | |||
| 02/18/2009 | 19718 | ||
| Power steering failure. normal mixed driving, highway & city stop & go, while waiting in a drive thru for coffee, steering wheel became almost immoveable, would still turn to normal limits both right & left, however the effort required was very high. returned car to dealer under warranty noticing that steering effort remained constant thruout the drive. effort required was not dependent on speed, or direction. | |||
| 05/26/2010 | 15700 | ||
| 2008 mazda 5 power steering failure. normal driving conditions and power steering failed during operation at highway speed. power steering fluid fine and no other physical signs apparent to cause failure. power steering resumed once the car was turned off and then on again. | |||
| 05/05/2010 | 74900 | ||
| I was about to parallel park in reverse and the power steering died. a light showed up on the dashboard indicating the same. because it was a busy street a bunch of cars and bike riders were backing up behind me. i muscled the car into the spot without the power steering. when i shut the car off and restarted it, the power steering worked again. | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 40518 | 1 | |
| Car was idling in the garage for about 20 minutes, when i went to back it out of the garage the steering response was extremely heavy (e.g. no power steering) and the power steering warning light on the dashboard was on. i drove without power steering -- very difficult -- for about 10 minutes -- then came home, turned off the engine, and let the car cool. after cooling off the power steering returned and the warning light no longer came on. various online forums indicate this is a persistent problem with mazda 3s and 5s, and that the problem has occurred to many vehicle owners while driving. mazda has issued a tsb, but has not issued a recall. see: [begin technical service bulletin] tsb: 06-002/09 2007-2009 mazda3 and 2007-2009 mazda5 - heavy steering effort with power steering malfunction indicator lamp on and dtc c1099 applicable model(s)/vins 2007-2009 mazda3 vehicles (not including mazdaspeed3) with vins below (produced between april 1, 2007 and november 4, 2008) | |||
| 04/20/2010 | 50000 | ||
| I own a 2008 mazda 5 with just over 50,000 miles on it. i travel in sales, so i am put quite a few miles on per year. in the past month i have experienced 3 occasions where upon starting my car, the power steering light comes on and there is no power steering. each time, i put the car in park and restart and the light goes out and the power steering returns. heat seems to play an issue in this. also, the power steering will not reset after restarting the car unless the air conditioning is first shut off. there is a section in the owners manual that addresses what to do if the power steering light comes on and the power steering fails to respond. this would indicate to me that mazda has seen this occur. as someone who was in the automotive industry for over 30 years, i have no clue why a auto manufacturer would add electronics to a power steering system. i have contacted my local mazda dealer and they told me that they have seen this problem before. apparently, it could be the pump or the hoses to the steering rack and naturally the warranty ends at 36,000 miles. i know pumps run over $ 650.00 which does not include labor. i am 58 years old and have never had to replace the power steering on any vehicle, especially one with such low mileage. needless to say i am not pleased. | |||
| 03/13/2010 | 23580 | ||
| 2008 mazda5 lost power steering while driving. ps light came on. pulled over and turned car off. waited with engine off for 30 minutes. ps restored after engine turned back on. | |||
| 04/07/2010 | 16800 | ||
| The power steering on the mazda 5 fails - no steering and light comes on | |||
| 04/03/2010 | 39000 | ||
| We were driving from reagan airport to kensington, maryland. while changing lanes on i-495, the power steering gave out on our mazda5 with 39k miles on it. we were able to drive home with great effort. we took the car to the mazda dealership and they know about this problem, that it is typical for mazda5s. | |||
| 08/01/2009 | 3000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mazda5. while the contact was driving approximately 10 mph, the power steering failed without warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. the identical failure occurred eight months after the first occurrence. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer twice. the vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. the failure mileage was 3,000. the vin was not available. the current mileage was 15,800. | |||
| 03/25/2010 | 33200 | ||
| I was sitting in very slow moving traffic on a surface street, traveled 1/4 mile in approximately a 45 minute time span. as i turned right on to a new street i noticed the steering became very difficult. i immediately took the vehicle to the parking lot to my left. it took great strength to turn the wheel to make the left hand turn. i stopped the car, checked the power steering fluid. it was at proper level. i restarted the vehicle and still no power steering. after sitting for approcimately 15 minutes. i restarted the vehicle again and the power steering had returned. i had the car towed to the dealership. i am reading several reports of similar instances of this occurring in the same make and model of vehicle under similar cirumstances. | |||
| 03/18/2009 | 53000 | ||
| 2008 mazda5 with 55,000mi (90% highway driven). while driving about 20 mph in town the steering wheel all of a sudden became very difficult to turn and i noticed the the steering failure light on the dashboard. pulled to a safe location and called my dealership. the mechanic indicated that it was a voltage trip and if i turned off the car and restarted it would reset and work again. the steering did work after i started the engine and i have driven about 200 miles with no other occurance. on friday i had my oil changed at the dealership and when i told them of the problem they indicated that i would have to replace my pump and a length of hose. why the hose too? its 6,000mi out of warranty. after some internet sleuthing, it seems that this is a very common mechanical failure that mazda is not dealing with responsibly. hard to imagine they are not learning from toyota's and honda's experience. this is a huge safety issue especially if this failure occurs unexpectedly on the highjway while driven by an inexperienced driver. not sure about now but many owners earlier in 2010 were having to wait over 5 weeks to get a replacement pump due to a backorder issue. i can't believe that mazda is not proactively doing a voluntary recall. please investigate this serious problem and suggest to mazda that replacing the failty pumps under an extended warranty is good for safety and good for business. | |||
| 03/06/2010 | 22950 | 1 | |
| Parked into parking space, when i put it in reverse to back up and drive away the power steering suddenly turned off and an orange caution light turned on my dash board, the power steering did not work during the drive home. after some research it seems that this a recurring problem with the mazda 5. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 23000 | 1 | |
| Power steering failed while driving downhill in a parking garage. *tr | |||
| 12/09/2009 | 8000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mazda 5. while driving 30 mph the power steering warning light illuminated and the steering wheel locked. the contact was able to drive with difficulty to the emergency lane. the vehicle was turned off for 30 minutes. when the vehicle was restarted it functioned normally. the dealer stated that they would have to see the warning light illuminated before replacing any parts. the failure has occurred 3 times and no repairs have been made to the vehicle. the failure mileage was 8000. the current mileage was 10,000. updated 03/16/10 *bf | |||
| 05/15/2009 | 31000 | 1 | |
| Power steering goes out sporadically. there have been three occasions so far in the past year that the power steering has went out on my mazda 5. twice i was able to stop the car wait ten seconds and restart the car and it reset. once it took two hours of sitting off before it reset itself. *tr | |||
| 05/22/2009 | 15000 | 1 | |
| Driving for 2 hours of a 4 hour drive, power steering went out on vehicle. i was stopped at a gas station and went to pull out when it happened. it had not happened before and 24 hours later it was working again. mazda has taken my car for repair and has given me a rental car. however due to the frequency with which this has been happening to the mazda 5 the parts (pump and pipe) are on back order and my car will not be repaired and returned for 15 weeks. if i were to take possession of my car i would have to sign a waiver that mazda is not responsible for any accident if it is caused by the part failure. *tr | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 04/04/2010 | 14428 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mazda 5. while driving at approximately 10 mph and attempting to park, the power steering light illuminated. the driver stated that it became very difficult to steer at that point. she was able to maneuver the vehicle to a safe area and turn it off. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where she was informed that the failure was caused by a defective power steering pump. he called the manufacturer and communicated the failure. the contact had planned to have the vehicle repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were 14,428. | |||