Mazda Australia has had to issue a recall notice for some of Australia’s most popular vehicles, with the Mazda 3, 6 and CX-5 all reporting engine issues.

More than 35,000 vehicles built between 2012 and 2018 with a diesel engine have been affected after it was found that several issues in the models could lead to engine failure.

The cause of the issues is related to a build-up of carbon deposits which causes premature wear of components in the engine. This has lead to varying performance problems in different models, with reports of a drop in power, dashboard warning lights malfunctioning, reduced braking power, engine stalling and smoke coming from the engine bay.

There has been no reported incidents as a direct result of these issues.

Mazda discovered the fault during routine testing of their vehicles, and an official spokesperson has said the recall is performance related, not safety related.

“We’re always testing cars and it came out of internal testing,” said the spokesperson.

“The recall is related to more of a gradual loss of power rather than anything that would cause an accident”.

Without stating the specific specifications of the affected components, Mazda has said issues vary between models and are difficult to pinpoint without thorough inspection.

“They are quite generic symptoms so its hard to associate one with the other.”

All affected vehicle owners will be contacted directly by Mazda Australia and requested to take their vehicle to their preferred Mazda dealership for a free repair.

Recalled vehicles include:

2014-2016 Mazda 3

2012-2018 Mazda 6

2012-2018 Mazda CX-5

14 Oct 2019

Original source: News.com.au | Mazda recalls more than 35,000 cars