Japan’s Mazda Motor will recall nearly 90,000 passenger cars domestically and in China because of an oil hose defect, the company said yesterday.
The automaker, which is part owned by US giant Ford, will start recalling 35,181 units in Japan and some 54,000 in China of the Mazda 3, known as the Axela in Japan, its most popular model.
Mazda said the cars, produced from January 2006 to March 2009, have been recalled because an oil hose and a radiator shroud panel have been placed too close together and may be damaged by friction when traveling on bumpy terrain, leading to potential leaks.
“The company has received two cases of complaints due to the problem, both in China,” said a Mazda spokesman who asked not to be named. “No accident because of it has been reported.”
Meanwhile, Toyota Motor yesterday suspended worldwide sales of its Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicle due to a rollover risk at high-speed, and said it would conduct safety tests on all its SUVs.
“The company has decided to suspend the SUV’s sales worldwide, which means also in Russia and the Middle East after North America,” said Toyota spokeswoman Mieko Iwasaki, in reference to the other markets where the vehicle is sold.
The move comes a day after Toyota suspended sales of the GX in the US and Canada after US magazine Consumer Reports gave the SUV a rare “Don’t Buy: Safety Risk” rating.
Toyota said it would analyze potential safety risks in the model which has sold 6,000 units, as well as its other SUVs.
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