Fuel pump recall affects multiple Mazdas

Mazdiod2 · Nov 17, 2021

Saw this...

https://www.cars.com/articles/fuel-pump-issue-impels-mazda-to-recall-121000-cars-suvs-443796/

Mazda has issued a recall for more than 121,000 cars and SUVs related to a fuel pump failure that could cause engine stalling.

Affected are model-year 2019 CX-3 SUVs; model-year 2018-19 CX-5 and CX-9 SUVs and MX-5 Miata coupes; model-year 2018 Mazda3 sedans and hatchbacks and Mazda6 sedans; and model-year 2019-20 Mazda2 hatchbacks. At fault is the impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump, a component that draws fuel from the tank and pushes it up the line toward the high-pressure pump. The impeller may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail. That could cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Pele2048 · Nov 17, 2021

Ah son of a b****... Well my CX-9 is in the shop for an engine replacement. Might as well have them do this while it's there.

Mazdiod2 · Nov 17, 2021

I'm guessing that pump is in the fuel tank. There might be an access panel under the rear seat cushion. It would be much easier if you didn't have to remove the fuel tank to replace the impeller.

StPark · Nov 17, 2021

Must be a brand new RECALL.
Just checked for mine at Recalls | NHTSA, not showing any open/unrepaired recall, yet.

sm1ke · Nov 18, 2021

StPark said:
Must be a brand new RECALL.
Just checked for mine at Recalls | NHTSA, not showing any open/unrepaired recall, yet.

The article says the recall doesn't go "live" until Jan 11, 2022, so that's probably why it isn't showing up yet.

Unobtanium · Nov 18, 2021

That's what got my 2016 at 106K miles. $1300 or so in repairs for FP and FPR failure. It barely made it to the dealership. Both of my Mazda experiences have resulted in over $1K in repairs needed by or right around the 100K mile mark, which were in no way user induced, and this is what led me to going to Toyota, in part. I want to see if I can own a vehicle that doesn't need a 4-figure repair for failure of a component within its usage envelope by 150K miles.

Sig cx-5 · Nov 18, 2021

Unobtanium said:
That's what got my 2016 at 106K miles. $1300 or so in repairs for FP and FPR failure. It barely made it to the dealership. Both of my Mazda experiences have resulted in over $1K in repairs needed by or right around the 100K mile mark, which were in no way user induced, and this is what led me to going to Toyota, in part. I want to see if I can own a vehicle that doesn't need a 4-figure repair for failure of a component within its usage envelope by 150K miles.

Yeah, those Toyotas are special! LOL

Toyota recalling 5.84 million vehicles for fuel pump issue

Toyota recalling 5.84 million vehicles for fuel pump issue

Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> said Wednesday it has expanded a worldwide fuel pump recall to a total of 5.84 million vehicles for a defect that could cause the part to fail.

www.reuters.com

edmaz · Nov 18, 2021

Unobtanium said:
That's what got my 2016 at 106K miles. $1300 or so in repairs for FP and FPR failure. It barely made it to the dealership. Both of my Mazda experiences have resulted in over $1K in repairs needed by or right around the 100K mile mark, which were in no way user induced, and this is what led me to going to Toyota, in part. I want to see if I can own a vehicle that doesn't need a 4-figure repair for failure of a component within its usage envelope by 150K miles.

Just wondering if you let the gas tank go down toward empty very often. I realize that this question is somewhat subjective, however I'd be interested to read your reply in any case.

Pele2048 · Nov 18, 2021

I can guarantee you that I'll total out a brand new Toyota vehicle before the first oil change... Because I'll fall asleep behind the wheel.

Seriously. Life's too short to drive boring cars. Every modern Toyota I've been in has been the automotive equivalent of Valium.

They can't even build a sports car now... The Supra is a BMW under all the bodywork.

Bring back Scion...
Bring back the Celica AllTrac...
Bring back the MR2...

Up until my CX-9, my Mazdas have all been used and well flogged on. Each has put in over 150K miles on what appear to be the original drivetrain... Except the track car. (I usually pull history reports from the dealership that include the original engine serial number, key cut codes and other interesting information.)

My first car after I graduated High School was a 1985 Mazda RX-7 GSL. (I still own it, though it's more of a parts car for my track car which is also a 1985 GS with GSL rear axle.)

I had valvetrain issues with a 1990s Honda, so I picked up a $250 1986 RX-7 GXL out of someone's front driveway. Slapped a battery in it, changed the fluids, and used it for a couple years as a daily. (No valvetrain to deal with on an RX-7.) Normally aspirated rotaries are really reliable.

Countless other 1st and 2nd gen RX-7s have passed through my hands or my friends' hands as parts cars or flip to sell opportunities.

My old parts hauler was a 1989 Mazda B2600i 4x4 pickup. Rust got that ol' girl. She still ran solid at over 300K miles.

My previous family hauler was a 2003 Mazda MPV minivan. 200K miles and it ran just fine. It also took two pretty severe collisions.

Mazda has treated me well. They build a long lasting and safe vehicle that's engaging and fun to drive. I have no doubt they'll take care of me with this CX-9.

I've even picked up a 2003 Mazda 6i as a temporary vehicle while the CX-9 is down for repairs.

Unobtanium · Nov 18, 2021

Sig cx-5 said:
Yeah, those Toyotas are special! LOL

Toyota recalling 5.84 million vehicles for fuel pump issue

Toyota recalling 5.84 million vehicles for fuel pump issue

Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> said Wednesday it has expanded a worldwide fuel pump recall to a total of 5.84 million vehicles for a defect that could cause the part to fail.

www.reuters.com

Cool. Doesn't affect mine.

Unobtanium · Nov 18, 2021

Pele2048 said:
I can guarantee you that I'll total out a brand new Toyota vehicle before the first oil change... Because I'll fall asleep behind the wheel.

Seriously. Life's too short to drive boring cars. Every modern Toyota I've been in has been the automotive equivalent of Valium.

They can't even build a sports car now... The Supra is a BMW under all the bodywork.

Bring back Scion...
Bring back the Celica AllTrac...
Bring back the MR2...

Up until my CX-9, my Mazdas have all been used and well flogged on. Each has put in over 150K miles on what appear to be the original drivetrain... Except the track car. (I usually pull history reports from the dealership that include the original engine serial number, key cut codes and other interesting information.)

My first car after I graduated High School was a 1985 Mazda RX-7 GSL. (I still own it, though it's more of a parts car for my track car which is also a 1985 GS with GSL rear axle.)

I had valvetrain issues with a 1990s Honda, so I picked up a $250 1986 RX-7 GXL out of someone's front driveway. Slapped a battery in it, changed the fluids, and used it for a couple years as a daily. (No valvetrain to deal with on an RX-7.) Normally aspirated rotaries are really reliable.

Countless other 1st and 2nd gen RX-7s have passed through my hands or my friends' hands as parts cars or flip to sell opportunities.

My old parts hauler was a 1989 Mazda B2600i 4x4 pickup. Rust got that ol' girl. She still ran solid at over 300K miles.

My previous family hauler was a 2003 Mazda MPV minivan. 200K miles and it ran just fine. It also took two pretty severe collisions.

Mazda has treated me well. They build a long lasting and safe vehicle that's engaging and fun to drive. I have no doubt they'll take care of me with this CX-9.

I've even picked up a 2003 Mazda 6i as a temporary vehicle while the CX-9 is down for repairs.

My Prime is more fun than my CX5 GT-R, and a TON faster. So there's that, I guess?

Unobtanium · Nov 19, 2021

edmaz said:
Just wondering if you let the gas tank go down toward empty very often. I realize that this question is somewhat subjective, however I'd be interested to read your reply in any case.

Typically not. I never once ran it out of fuel, and I would usually fill up before the empty indicator came on.

edmaz · Nov 19, 2021

Unobtanium said:
Typically not. I never once ran it out of fuel, and I would usually fill up before the empty indicator came on.

I've been trying to figure out what a pump failing 'under certain conditions' could mean, given that there are very few variables in life of a fuel pump. The only exceptional condition I can come up with is when the fuel in the tank gets low enough to expose the pump to the air. And that happening would, in theory anyway, allow it to overheat and/or cavitate.

But your response would seem to take your vehicle's pump failure out of that scenario, unless the pump can be exposed to air before the low fuel light comes on. Just speculation there, along with the entire idea as well. However I can't think of any other 'conditions' that could happen with the operation of an in-tank fuel pump, except for contamination of the fuel. However I would expect fuel contamination to show operational/performance issues, before the pump is actually damaged.

These 'certain conditions' may very well turn out to be another one of those automaker mysteries that they choose to never share with the public. And not being forthcoming about problems is exactly what I've come to expect from them.

Unobtanium · Nov 19, 2021

edmaz said:
I've been trying to figure out what a pump failing 'under certain conditions' could mean, given that there are very few variables in life of a fuel pump. The only exceptional condition I can come up with is when the fuel in the tank gets low enough to expose the pump to the air. And that happening would, in theory anyway, allow it to overheat and/or cavitate.

But your response would seem to take your vehicle's pump failure out of that scenario, unless the pump can be exposed to air before the low fuel light comes on. Just speculation there, along with the entire idea as well. However I can't think of any other 'conditions' that could happen with the operation of an in-tank fuel pump, except for contamination of the fuel. However I would expect fuel contamination to show operational/performance issues, before the pump is actually damaged.

These 'certain conditions' may very well turn out to be another one of those automaker mysteries that they choose to never share with the public. And not being forthcoming about problems is exactly what I've come to expect from them.

It was what it was. I got rid of the car, so did not request a failure analysis like normal. I never really liked the 2015 CX5, so I chose then to step into a 2019 GT-Reserve, which I did like.

Mazdiod2 · Nov 19, 2021

edmaz said:
These 'certain conditions' may very well turn out to be another one of those automaker mysteries that they choose to never share with the public. And not being forthcoming about problems is exactly what I've come to expect from them.

We don't know yet. Maybe extremely cold conditions, with a certain percentage of ethanol in the fuel...?

I suppose they could be referring to conditions in the production, etc. of the parts.

cz5gt · Nov 24, 2021

Could be. I noticed Mazda released a bulletin recently saying something like that the newer cars should not be used with ethanol more than 10%. Also another bulleting explaining how to measure the ethanol % in the gas.
But thats just a guess of course on whether it plays a role or not.

On the topic for the fuel pump issue, calling few dealers for this new recall confirmed that there is no remedy available yet as the part(s) are not available and may be availble next summer.

Replacement of the low pressure pump if its the whole fuel pump/sensor/level assembly is about 15 mins. In and out the new one plus a new gasket. Its below the rear seat cushon and rasily accessible.
If they plan to replace only the pump (that would be the poor man choice I guess) then the assembly has to be taken out and then disassembled to remove the pump out of it. It takes more time and effort. And hopefully it wont introduce more junk back in the tank.
I prefer to change it on my own if I had the new part available.

StPark · Nov 24, 2021

Mazdiod2 said:
We don't know yet. Maybe extremely cold conditions, with a certain percentage of ethanol in the fuel...?

I suppose they could be referring to conditions in the production, etc. of the parts.

NHTSA.gov shows;

Description of the Cause : Subject impellers were manufactured with inadequate material which may lead to surface cracking under certain conditions, resulting in impeller deformation. The impeller may deform to the point where it interferes with the fuel pump body, causing fuel pump failure.

Then to remedy, new fuel pumps were manufactured with improved density fuel pump impeller resin material. Improved density of fuel pump impeller resin material was implemented since July 1, 2019.

I'm sure Mazda will replace the whole fuel pump itself, not just impeller. Mass production is much cheaper than paying labor to replace impeller.

cz5gt · Nov 24, 2021

there is no impeller spare part. The reference to the fuel pump assembly element (many parts all together) or the pump itself which requires dismantling the assembly part and the re-assemble it back.