Mazda Australia has issued a recall on the popular CX-5 and the new CX-8 in diesel form.
The recall is for an ignition problem as reported on the Product Safety Australia website by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The ignition fault means 131 of the medium-size SUVs, built on the same CX-5 platform, could “not restart after being switched off”.
“If the engine fails to restart, the vehicle will not be able to be moved.
This may pose a hazard to the vehicle occupants and other road users,” the notice states.
The new CX-8 – which only comes in diesel – went on sale in June, and the CX-5 with the Skyactiv-D 2.
2-litre diesel engine debuted in April.
Mazda Australia says the minor defect is in the software.
“On the diesel engine, due to a defect in the engine control program, a small amount of engine rotation after the engine is shut off may be judged as abnormal and the power supply to the engine control computer may not be stopped,” the company tells AutoTalk.
“In that scenario, the start-stop unit assumes there is a short in the starter circuit and prevents the engine from being started by not switching the power position to ON when the engine start button is pressed.”
Mazda says, “The resolution is to reprogram the engine control program”.
Both require power control module (PCM) calibration at an authorised Mazda dealership, however AutoTalk has learned that the recall service bulletin may not have been published to all dealer service departments.
Speaking to one major Mazda dealership, quoting the registration of a “2018 red Mazda wagon”, using the published VIN code list and the publicly available VicRoads registration check, finds the diesel ignition recall bulletin is not in the service department’s computer system, according to the dealership.
AutoTalk has also contacted the Mazda Australia customer service support 1800 hotline and found the ignition recall bulletin is also not in the technical department’s system.
Mazda Australia says vehicles sold from June onward are unaffected.
“We expect the repair process to take around 10-20 minutes.
Models currently being produced are not covered by the recall.
They already have the updated control software.”
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