Mazda Recalls Vehicles for Potential Airbag Issue

Mazda in North America is recalling certain units of the Mazda3 and CX-30 from 2024-2025 model years over an airbag sensor.

Boffins at the NHTSA say this problem traces to a so-called Sophisticated Air bag Sensor (we’re picturing the sensor attends fancy parties and consumes drinks with its pinky finger stuck out) which may fail to blow the bags in a wreck after someone has let the car’s battery become depleted by leaving the ignition switch in the “ON” position for two hours or more without the engine running. 

Doing so will apparently cause the sensor to store an internal fault. According to the recall document, if the battery is then recharged and the car restarted, an airbag warning light will show up and the bags may not function when needed. This is a very specific but not impossible set of circumstances; it’s worth noting Mazda claims the defect does not occur if the battery is depleted through other means. The first report of this problem is said to have surfaced about one year ago.

Tangled up in the recall are 119,555 CX-30 crossovers and 51,857 compacts from the 3 line of cars, all from the 2024 and 2025 model years. It seems anything built after the middle of January 2025 isn’t affected by the recall, thanks to the deployment of what’s being described as ‘improved parts’ and a software change. Some of the affected units were built in Japan whilst others were hammered together in Mexico.