Mazda blamed the owners until regulators intervene

A delayed recall affects more than 170,000 vehicles after a serious airbag problem that Mazda was blamed for the owners is finally recognized

Airbags are one of the most important security characteristics and estimates of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, they saved the lives of more than 50,000 Americans between 1987 and 2017. Given their importance, it is alarming that Mazda Recalls 171,412 vehicles on airbags that may not be deployed in the event of an accident.

The recall has an impact CX-30. The government says that if the owners accidentally leave the ignition in position on for two hours or more – without the engine working – and the battery becomes completely exhausted, the sophisticated airbag sensor of the car “will store an inner fault”. This defect will prevent airbags from deploying in case of crash.

More: Mazda recalls more than 12,000 trucks in the B series on an airbag takata airbag

The NHTSA says that the owners will notice that something is wrong because, once the battery is recharged and that the vehicle is started, the warning light will be illuminated. It will be accompanied by a message in the instrument cluster indicating an airbag dysfunction.

Mazda became aware for the first time in the number last summer when they received a report on an illuminating Airbag warning following a “low battery condition”. The automaker spent the following months to investigate and finally determined that it was an unrelated to security problem, because the problem was caused by “the customer’s use and / or error”. However, the company updated the sophisticated software of the Airbag sensor at the end of 2024.

A few months later, in March 2025, the survey of the NHTSA defects office asked 15 Airbag sensor incident reports due to Airbag warnings. The request for information led to a technical examination and Mazda respected their “position according to which the problem does not constitute an unreasonable security risk, because it follows from the use and / or the error of the customer”.

It is a terrible look for the car manufacturer and in May 2025, the company finally decided to make a reminder in the United States and Canada. Fortunately, Mazda is not aware of injuries or deaths related to the issue.

The notifications of the owners should be released next month and the customers will be invited to bring their vehicle to a concession. Once there, technicians will reprogram the sophisticated airbag sensor or will replace it.