Mazda recalling 317,050 CX-5 vehicles for potential fuel leak

[DETROIT] Mazda Motor Corp said on Friday it is recalling 317,050 CX-5 utility vehicles that may leak fuel if they are involved in a crash.

Almost all of those models were sold in North America. There have been no injuries, fires or deaths related to this issue in the vehicles to be recalled, which are from model years 2014 to 2016, Mazda said.

Mazda owners are asked to bring in their CX-5 to dealers, who will fix the issue for no charge, the company said. The recall is expected to begin on March 1.

Early this month, Mazda issued a stop-sales order for CX-5 models on dealer lots for the same issue. The stop-sales order has been lifted as long as the models have been repaired, a Mazda spokeswoman said.

About 266,000 of the recalled vehicles are in the US market, along with about 48,400 in Canada, 2,100 in Puerto Rico and some in Guam and Saipan, Mazda said.

The affected vehicles have a fuel filler pipe that may rupture if the CX-5 is in a crash, which may result in a fuel leak, increasing the chance of fire.

The issue was discovered in testing, US safety regulators and Mazda said.

In an unrelated announcement on Friday, Mazda said it was calling back nearly 2 million vehicles in Asia and Europe equipped with Takata Corp air bag inflators.

REUTERS