The Recall Desk
CriticalNHTSA·18V402000·Announced 2018-06-15

Mazda Recalls Vehicles Due to Passenger Air Bag Inflator Explosion Risk

Mazda is recalling specific 2003-2011 models because passenger air bag inflators may explode during deployment, potentially causing serious injury or death.

NHTSA safety advisory

Do not drive this vehicle

NHTSA advises owners to stop driving this vehicle until the recall repair has been completed.

This is the agency’s own advisory, not our assessment. Contact the manufacturer or a dealer, and see the official NHTSA notice for the current guidance.

What this means for you

Highest-severity recall. Risk of serious injury or death is documented or strongly suspected. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly states that an inflator explosion may result in serious injury or death, meeting the rubric criteria for a Critical severity score.

Plain-English summary

Mazda North American Operations is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6, 2004-2006 MPV, and 2004-2011 RX-8 vehicles. The recall includes vehicles nationwide, with specific geographic restrictions for 2005-2006 MPV models. This recall was expanded in July 2019 to include certain RX-8 vehicles previously recalled under a different campaign that have not yet been repaired.

The defect involves passenger frontal air bag inflators that may explode due to propellant degradation after long-term exposure to humidity and temperature cycling. In the event of a crash requiring air bag deployment, this explosion could send sharp metal fragments into the vehicle, striking the driver or other occupants and resulting in serious injury or death.

Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator free of charge. The recall began on July 6, 2018, with mailings to affected RX-8 owners beginning July 6, 2019. Owners can contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
MAZDA MAZDA6, MPV, RX-8, MAZDASPEED6
Brand
MAZDA
Manufacturer
Mazda North American Operations
Category
Vehicle — Air Bag
Hazard
Affected units
308,591

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (4)

  • MAZDA6
  • MPV
  • RX-8
  • MAZDASPEED6

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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