MELBOURNE, Australia–Mazda Australia has had to issue a product recall over two separate brake issues.
The company was forced to recall 30,505 vehicles after the product safety regulator found problems in the Mazda BT-50— a mid-sized ute.
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued the recall for the BT-50 series over fears relating to the vehicles’ front break hose and front brake caliper.
“A front break hose could rupture if mileage is greater than 45,000km and the vehicle is used under conditions that require the front suspension to operate through its full range of movement, e.g off-road driving on tracks,” the ACCC said in a statement.
The second possible defect is the front brake caliper material not meeting specifications, causing the front brake caliper to crack.
“If the front brake hose fails or the front brake caliper cracks, the brake system warning lamp of the instrument cluster will illuminate,” the ACCC said.
The regulator added that the failure of either the front break hose or the front break caliper could lead to the loss of brake fluid, causing increased break pedal travel and increased stopping distances, and increasing the risk of an accident.
Owners who purchased the BT-50 series (UR), which was available for sale Australia-wide from June 17, 2016 until September 24, 2018, will be contacted by Mazda as soon as parts become available.
They will then need to present the vehicle to their preferred Mazda Dealer for repairs.
The BT-50 (model code J97M) is a compact, mid-sized ute produced by Mazda since 2006. It is a larger version of the predecessor B-Series and is available as a cab-chassis, single-cab, extra-cab and two-wheel drive ute.
A full VIN list in available on the ACCC website.
