The defect
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Mazda CX-7 vehicles manufactured February 14, 2006, to May 9, 2012. In the affected vehicles, water may enter the front suspension ball joint fittings. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as from driving on snowy roads that have been treated, the ball joint may corrode and separate from the lower control arm, resulting in a loss of steering control.
The risk
A loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. As a priority, Mazda will first address all affected 2007-2008 vehicles as well as 2009-2011 vehicles currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia. West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The remaining vehicles will be addressed as parts are available. The recall began September 20, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9716H.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Mazda CX-7 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
Components: SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mazda CX-7 | 2007 | 528 | 4 |
| Mazda CX-7 | 2008 | 192 | 4 |
| Mazda CX-7 | 2009 | 65 | 5 |
| Mazda CX-7 | 2010 | 155 | 5 |
| Mazda CX-7 | 2011 | 154 | 4 |
| Mazda CX-7 | 2012 | 39 | 4 |
Other suspension recalls in 2016
62 of the 919 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2016 concerned the suspension; Mazda North American Operations filed 95 campaigns in all.
| 16V948000 30 Dec 2016 | BMW of North America, LLC |
| 16V944000 29 Dec 2016 | Timberland INC DBA Glacier |
| 16V929000 23 Dec 2016 | Mack Trucks, Inc. |
| 16V927000 22 Dec 2016 | Volvo Trucks North America |
| 16V889000 9 Dec 2016 | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC |
| 16V885000 9 Dec 2016 | Porsche Cars North America, Inc. |
| 16V845000 22 Nov 2016 | E-One Incorporated |
| 16V806000 7 Nov 2016 | Terex Advance Mixer, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2016