Mazda Daytime Running Headlights May Not Turn On

Re: NHTSA Campaign 20V063000

Laguna Hills, CA – Feb 6, 2020 – Mazda North American Operations is recalling certain 2016 CX-5 vehicles due to the failure of Daytime Running Lights (DRL) to properly turn on. If the DRL fails to turn on, the exterior visibility of the vehicle may be reduced to other motorists and could result in a crash.

The estimated total of affected vehicles is 36,761.

The Defect

Over 30,000 2016 Mazda CX-5 vehicles are under official recall citing the failure of many Daytime Running Lights (DRL) to turn on while the vehicle is in use. Mazda’s LED DRL are installed to ensure an increased visibility of the vehicle’s exterior during the daytime. If the DRL fails to turn on, the vehicles exterior may be reduced to other motorists and could result in a possible crash or injury. 

The affected LED headlight units were first documented in March 2015 when certain headlight units, installed for vehicles in the Japan market, did not properly illuminated during the testing process. This issue was due to increased damage to the LED circuit by residual static electricity sustained during certain parts of the manufacturing process. Mazda ensured that the issue did not frequently occur but continued to monitor for field occurrences and installed the LED circuit with static electricity resistance properties. Although the improved LED headlight was installed on the vehicles manufactured in Japan, U.S. CX-5 models were not installed with the new headlight. By April 2015, Mazda received reports of U.S. CX-5 models experiencing similar issues as those vehicles which were manufactured in Japan. After an investigation of returned parts in July, 2015, Mazda found similar breaking in the LED circuit as those found in the previous manufacturing process. New LED low sulfur black gasket replaced the previous LED connector sealing gasket, improving a simple aesthetic issue in the headlight locale. In March 2016, Mazda received evidence of two field reports of headlight malfunction outside of Japan. The affected vehicles were manufactured before the LED circuit improvement made during the manufacturing process in March 2015. In September, 2018, Mazda continued to experience similar failures on improved parts and decided to investigate other possible causes of headlight malfunction. In January, 2019, after an extensive investigation, Mazda found the issue to be damage to the LED circuit caused by silver sulfide. The close proximity of the LED circuit to a gray type sealing gasket (a high sulfur gasket attached to the DRL connector) could transfer sulfur to the LED circuit, resulting in malfunction of the DRL. January, 2020, Mazda decided to introduce an official recall to certain MY2016 CX-5 vehicles following pressure from field action in the Japan market.

Solution

Mazda will notify owners on  March 6, 2020 of their vehicle’s official recall. Authorized Mazda dealerships will inspect the LED circuit headlights and, if necessary, replace the gasket or headlight assembly, free of charge. Affected vehicle owners may contact Mazda customer service with the recall number 4320A at 1-800-222-5500 for more information.

For more information on this or other recalls past or present, visit MotorSafety.org.

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About MotorSafety.org

MotorSafety.org is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to vehicle safety and assisting consumers with the identification and resolution of vehicle manufacturing recalls and defects. Through education, awareness, government relations, repair facility referrals and strategic partnerships, MotorSafety.org hopes to remove every unsafe vehicle from the road, facilitate its proper repair, and ensure its prompt return to the owner once the vehicle has met the required safety and performance standards. For more information about MotorSafety.org, please email support@motorsafety.org.

Marshall EarleyMazda Daytime Running Headlights May Not Turn On