Mazda3 recalled for faulty wipers

The recall exercise affects Mazda3 vehicles made from January 2008 to July 2010, and is with regards to an electronic glitch keeps the windshield wipers from working properly. A total of 91,588 affected cars are in Europe, and about 157,700 cars in North America. The total number of cars recalled stands at 494,500.

According to Mazda, when a first report reached Hiroshima of front wiper failure in a Mazda3 model in the US, the affected vehicle had a film of oxide around the wiper motor’s ground wire contact point, causing a loss of contact. It was found that the ground terminal could possibly be deformed during assembly of the wiper motor, and this was corrected on the parts production line.

Mazda decided to initiate the recall campaign to ensure on-going quality and customer satisfaction. Affected owners will be notified in writing in mid-July, and asked to bring their car to an authorized dealership. The reworking is free of charge, and requires adding a ground wire to the front wiper motor on all affected vehicles.

Source: Mazda