Mazda Recall: Spiders Blamed for Mazda 6 Recall
Who is to blame for this week's Mazda recall? Spiders. That's right, a Mazda recall of 52,000 Mazda 6 cars from 2009 and 2010 is due to spider web dangers. Yep, spider webs.
The Yellow Sac spider can potentially get inside of fuel tanks, which can create a blockage that eventually causes a fuel tank leak, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The spiders don't like the cold, and have found that the inside of the fuel tank is a warm safe place, albeit a temporary one.
The Yellow Sac spider "may weave a web in the evaporative canister vent line and this may cause a restriction in the line," the NHTSA said in a statement. Mazda has noted 20 cases so far in the recall.
If your vehicle is part of the Mazda recall, spider or no spider, dealers will inspect and clean up the canister vent line and install a spring to keep such spiders from entering the vent. The service is done free of charge beginning around March 25. Owners can contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500.
Owners may also contact the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Recalls are usually a pretty boring affair, but throw in a spider and you get gems like this:
"Why it chose the Mazda6 over any other vehicle I'm not sure ... Apparently, the spider likes to go zoom zoom," spokesman Jeremy Barnes told USA Today of the Mazda recall, spiders edition.
Related Resources:
- Itsy bitsy spider causes Mazda recall (CBS News)
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- Unintended Acceleration: Toyota to Fix 3.8 Million Gas Pedals (Findlaw's Common Law)