MANILA: Due to LED DRLs which may end up flickering or even completely fail to light up, Mazda has been forced to recall over 36,000 units of its CX-5 SUV in the United States and other U.S. territories. According to Mazda North American Operations, the affected units belong to the 2016 Model-Year, and a Part 573 defect announcement has been sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The culprit behind the recall is a gasket that joins the wiring connector to the LED daytime running light (DRL) module. The automaker has stated that the part was not manufactured as per the requirements and did not comply with Mazda's standards. Moreover, the faulty part may release sulfur following its degeneration, and the sulfur may go on to cause corrosion in the LED circuit. Because of the corrosion, the circuit may not function as intended and cause one or even both of the front DRLs to flicker or breakdown.

Mazda sold 112,235 CX-5 SUVs in the U.S. and U.S. territories in 2016, and around 36,761 units out of the total are said to have the faulty part. Since DRL malfunction does not come with a warning system, customers will not be able to know about the issue until and unless they witness the DRLs not working from the outside. This may lead to pedestrians and other vehicles on the road to identify the affected CX-5s, especially in low-light conditions.

As for the Philippine individuals who own a CX-5, Mazda’s exclusive distributor in the country, Bermaz Auto Philippines is yet to issue a notification regarding whether or not there are any affected units in the Philippines. So for now, all we can do is wait for Bermaz Auto Philippines to make an official statement on the matter.

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