Mazda Motor Taiwan yesterday announced that it would begin recalling Mazda CX-5 and Mazda 6 Skyactive vehicles on May 6 after 36 owners complained of coolant leaks from auxiliary radiators.
It is the company’s second recall of the two models, following a recall for the same problem in early November last year.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that it has notified Mazda that it should follow the Regulations for Motor Vehicle Safety Investigation, Recall/Correction, Supervision and Management (汽車安全性調查召回改正及監督管理辦法) when recalling the vehicles.
“The Vehicle Safety Certification Center has ascertained that Mazda’s engine was not designed to prevent the situation, nor does it demonstrate a safety level that meets professional standards and reasonable expectations,” ministry senior executive officer Lee Chao-hsien (李昭賢) said.
“As such, the ministry on Monday last week officially notified Mazda that it should recall the two models again, to which the company replied on Tuesday last week that it is to begin recalling the vehicles on May 6,” Lee said.
The company also promised to respond to other requests by the owners, including providing them with lifetime warranties, allowing them to return the vehicles to dealers and asking dealers to buy back the vehicles.
Mazda said on its Web site that it is recalling some diesel-powered vehicles that were found to leak coolant from auxiliary radiators during continuous low-speed, uphill operation in high gears.
That situation triggers an engine protection program to temporarily inhibit engines from generating power, which reduces the vehicle’s operational speed to enhance safety, it said.
Mazda administered a pressure increase test on coolant passages when it tried to address the problem in last year’s recall, but the method has proved ineffective, as it failed to detect that higher engine temperatures degraded the seal of the cylinder head gasket, which has been identified as the source of the coolant leaks, Lee said.
“We want them to assure [consumers] and guarantee that they are using the most effective method to address this problem in this recall,” he said.
If the same issue occurs after the second recall, the government could order Mazda to immediately improve within a certain time frame, recall or destroy affected vehicles under Article 36 of the Consumer Protection Act (消費者保護法), Lee said.
The article also authorizes the government to order the company to cease the design, production, manufacturing, processing, importation and distribution of the vehicles, or take other necessary action, he said.
The company could also face a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$1.5 million (US$1,943 to US$48,585) for contravening Article 36, he added.
To ensure the effectiveness of any repairs performed under the recall, Mazda said that it would also test vehicles under increased pressure load and carbon dioxide levels.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
RSS