Thaco recalls more than 10,000 Mazda 3 cars

Thaco recalled more than 10,000 Mazda 3 cars to check and fix the "check engine light" phenomenon that has caused a stir in recent times.

The Department of Vehicle Registration has just approved Vina-Mazda Automobile Manufacturing and Assembly Company Limited, a member of Truong Hai Automobile Joint Stock Company (Thaco), to recall more than 10,000 Mazda 3 vehicles to inspect and fix the "check engine light" phenomenon that has caused controversy in recent times.

Mazda 3 model introduced at Vietnam Auto Show held in Ho Chi Minh City

According to the registration agency, all Mazda 3 All New cars (1.5L engine) of Vina-Mazda manufactured since December 9, 2014 with 10,100 cars including 7,740 Mazda 3 15G AT SD cars and 2,360 Mazda 3 15G AT HB cars are subject to recall in this period.

Mazda Vietnam will begin this recall program on June 16 at all authorized Mazda dealers nationwide. The estimated time for free inspection and repair for customers for this error is 270 minutes/vehicle. Vina-Mazda plans to end the recall program for this error by the end of 2017.

According to the manufacturer's recommendation, for the affected Mazda 3 All New vehicles, when the engine is running, on some vehicles, the phenomenon of carbon soot is generated and sticks to the fuel injector tip, causing the cross-section of the injection holes at the injector tip to narrow. This leads to a gradual reduction in the amount of fuel injected into the combustion chamber, to which the ECU (engine control unit) will issue a warning by lighting up the "check engine light".

The main cause of the above phenomenon is the presence of zinc sulfate. Due to the presence of zinc sulfate, soot is not removed by the self-cleaning mechanism at the injector tip during engine operation.

For vehicles with a "check engine light" on, it can lead to a number of phenomena such as sluggishness, reduced power or engine vibration during vehicle operation.

Therefore, for vehicles subject to recall, customers can take their vehicles to the nearest authorized Vina-Mazda service stations for inspection and repair (such as cleaning the injectors, using the cleaning service (deposit cleaner), updating the engine control software (increasing fuel injection pressure) and replacing non-zinc components in the fuel system).

In addition, the manufacturer also recommends that customers use fuel purchased from reputable dealers, ensuring quality to limit zinc impurities in fuel.

Previously, the registration agency issued a document requesting Thaco to recall Mazda 3 vehicles and will stop registration of this vehicle line if no action is taken before April 30.

Previously, a representative of VinaMazda said that no cases related to safety in operation had been recorded. However, to prevent and find out the official cause, VinaMazda decided to recall and notify all customers to bring their cars to Mazda service workshops for inspection and replacement of the above-mentioned improved spare parts.

The problem of the check engine light on Mazda 3 assembled and distributed by Vina-Mazda was discovered in July 2015. At the end of 2015, in two meetings with the Competition Management Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Registration Department, Thaco mentioned the time frame of March 2016, the Japanese Mazda Group will specifically announce the root of the problem and the direction of resolution.

However, on April 1, 2016, the company announced a new replacement part option. Previously, the temporary solution the company offered was to wash the injector with Deposit Cleaner solution./.

According to VOV