Either Japan’s auto industry has always had big problems and it is only now that people in America are paying close attention, or things like the recent Mazda recall and all of the trouble Toyota has been having are recent developments predicated by the need to find cheaper means of production to meet mounting production demands. Whatever the case, automakers everywhere should be thankful that the Mazda recall has not been connected with any accidents as yet. Automakers have taken their share of public image lumps lately, as Consumer Reports points out.
Mazda 3 model is part of the Mazda recall
The car that is wildly popular in China and Japan is the Axela, or rather the Mazda 3. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that Mazda Motors, which is partially owned by Ford, will recall 35,181 Axela cars in Japan and about 54,000 Mazda 3 vehicles in China due to a problem with an oil hose. The defect is related to the oil hose being too close to a radiator shroud panel. Possible friction can cause the hose to develop leaks, if the ride is bumpy. These cars were produced from January 2006 to March 2009. While two complaints have been logged in this Mazda recall, neither of them have been accident-related. The Mazda recall vehicles in question are not available in the United States; however, Mazda indicates that it isn’t known at this time if equivalent models on the European market will be affected.
Toyota’s trouble is still much more of a problem than Mazda’s recall
Toyota recalls have exceeded 8 million vehicles since late 2009. The AFP says that most of these have been related to brake and accelerator issues. The Toyota recall issues have brought executives before Congress and left the automaker’s reputation trashed. There are at least 97 lawsuits “seeking damages for injury or death linked to sudden acceleration” and an upward of 138 class actions related to loss of Toyota resale value caused by the Toyota recall. The U.S. Government wants to sue Toyota for $ 16.4 million on top of whatever damages those suits generate. Mazda should be thankful, since things could be worse than what they’re dealing with during this Mazda recall.
Sources for the article
Agence France-Presse