Mazda and Kia Recall Affected Vehicles in the US

MANILA: The Mazda 3 has been officially recalled in the United States for the detection of faulty shut-off valve in the car’s fuel tank. There was a leakage issue in case too much fuel enters the fuel tank. A charcoal filter canister was installed that seals vapors from the tank and allows less amount of fuel to enter but the said system lacked in performance.

The 2015 and 2016 models, around 14,270 Mazda 3 sedans including hatchbacks are affected. However, there is no report of any accidents or injuries due to this problem, but looking into the issue, Mazda Motor Corporation has decided for a recall in order to take suitable measures to fix the issue. The owners having affected vehicles will be contacted by Mazda North America to bring their vehicles for replacement of the faulty valve in the fuel tank.

For the time being, Company has confirmed recall of vehicles only in US. There is no official announcement for other countries so far.

Meanwhile, Kia will recall more than 419,000 affected SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because the vehicles were found violating the safety laws. The transmission system made the car shift out of park even when the driver’s foot isn’t on the brake. The problem occurs in case the gear shift lever is pushed too hard which breaks the shift mechanism. It has already caused three injuries and isn't safe at all.

The recall has been made for vehicles from 2011 to 2013 model years. The biggest problem is that the cars can roll away unexpectedly, causing a crash eventually, Kia explained the issue in documents posted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It received a letter from a lawyer stating that a child suffered a broken leg as the SUV, Sorento rolled in a parking lot. Since then, Kia is investigating the issue and found 54 warranty claims. So, the company decided to recall Sorento on September, 28.

The company dealers will replace the brake-shift interlock mechanism with improved parts. Owners will be notified during November last week. Kia appealed the owners to apply firm brake while parking and make sure that the shift lever is securely in park mode before exit.