Mazda CX-9 Recall: Why Ohio Vehicle Owners Should Be Concerned

Last month, Mazda recalled nearly 200,000 vehicles due to a potentially deadly auto defect in the manufacturer’s CX-9 sports utility vehicles.  According to the recall notice, model year 2007 through 2014 CX-9 vehicles “have front suspension ball joints that may corrode from water leaking into the fitting.”  This corrosion can, in turn, result in loss of steering control while the vehicle is in use, creating a serious risk of crash, bodily injury, and death.

Why Are Ohio Vehicle Owners Among Those Targeted By the Recall?

The short answer is because Mazda lacks the parts necessary to fix the large quantity of auto defects it created.

The longer answer has to do with how corrosion works.  Corrosion like that occurring in CX-9 ball joints is exacerbated by the presence of the salt used on roads during the winter months.   This means that vehicles used primarily in states which experience frequent icy weather are more likely to sustain significant corrosion.  Currently, Mazda does not have the replacement parts necessary to fix all 193,000 recalled vehicles, and is therefore targeting older vehicles registered in cold-weather states for the first stage of the recall.  This, of course, includes vehicles registered in Ohio, specifically the 2007-2009 CX-9.

After this initial stage, Mazda will then provide for repairs of 2010-2014 CX-9 vehicles in the same cold-weather states (once again including Ohio).  Finally, Mazda intends to address the auto defects in all model years of recalled CX-9 vehicles registered in warmer states.

If this slow rollout of the recall sounds dangerous, that is because it is.  Numerous factors can contribute to, or hasten, the corrosive process, meaning that drivers of new model CX-9 vehicles and those registered in warmer states face very real dangers driving these defective vehicles.  Needless to say, Ohioans driving an affected Mazda CX-9 are urged to limit or cease use of the vehicle until the necessary repairs can be made.

If you or a loved one are injured in an accident involving a Mazda CX-9 or other vehicle and you believe an auto defect may be involved, contact an experienced Ohio auto defect attorney at Lowe Scott Fisher Co., LPA for a free consultation.