- Vehicles
- 136,526
- Built between
- Dec 1976 – Feb 1983
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 14 February 1986
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between December 1976 and February 1983. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1979-1982 Mazda 626Built December 1976 to February 1983
- 1977-1983 Mazda GLCBuilt December 1976 to February 1983
- 1979-1983 Mazda RX7Built December 1976 to February 1983
What the defect is
In certain high salt areas, the idler arm is exposed to road salt which causes the dust seal to deteriorate resulting in idler arm pin corrosion. This causes the pin to freeze and break. Consequence of defect: a broken idler arm pin could result in loss of steering control and may cause an accident.
What gets fixed
REPLACE PIN WITH ONE OF IMPROVED CORROSION RESISTANT QUALITY.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtDecember 1976 to February 1983
- Recall reported to NHTSA4 September 1985
- Owners notified14 February 1986
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 4 September 1985.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- MAZDA (NORTH AMERICA),INC
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Vehicle description: passenger cars with rear wheel drive.system: steering.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.