Mazda has announced a formal global recall covering a wider manufacturing period in order to place the highest priority on the safety of Mazda customers. This recall follows investigative recalls by Mazda in Japan and North America for three different types of Takata Corporation manufactured inflators and although no cases of abnormal deployment or dangerous flaws have been found in any Mazda vehicles in the course of the investigative recall; the concern had deemed an extended formal recall campaign necessary.
To date, it has been recorded that an additional estimated 19 000 units are affected in South Africa. These units include Mazda2, Mazda6, and Mazda RX-8 vehicles. Driver-side inflators in Mazda6 vehicles produced from March 2002 to March 2006 and in Mazda RX-8 vehicles produced from February 2003 to February 2008. Affected passenger-side inflators include those in Mazda6 vehicles produced from March 2005 to December 2008, Mazda RX-8 vehicles produced between August 2003 to June 2007 and Mazda2 vehicles produced from February 2010 through to September 2010.
These affected units will have VIN numbers starting with MM6DE, JM6GG, and JMZSE. They are equipped with the “PSDI-4” driver-side air bag inflator, the “SDI-160” driver side air bag inflator, or the “SPI”, “SDI-230” and the “PSPI” passenger-side air bag inflators.
The recall is due to an inappropriate production condition and storage of the propellant in the inflator. The density of the propellant may be insufficient in the inflator. This might cause the propellant to ignite abnormally at the time of airbag deployment and potentially result in an extremely high inner pressure of the inflator causing a rupture of the inflator case. In a case of a rupture, the airbag might not deploy as designed and may lead to injury.
Mazda Southern Africa is conducting a repair procedure to replace the driver-side air bag and/or passenger-side air bag inflator with an improved unit on the possibly affected vehicles.
Although the number of affected vehicles will be subject to further review and may change, Mazda SA urges all owners with possibly affected Mazda2, Mazda6 and Mazda RX-8 vehicles to contact the Mazda SA Dealer Network or the Mazda SA Customer Care Centre on 0860 069 700 or email customercare@mazda.co.za.