Mazda preliminary evaluation PE10021
Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the electric power assist system on 6 model years (2007–2009). Opened Jun 28, 2010, closed Nov 29, 2010 after 5 months. It led to safety recall 10V374000. became a recall
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedThe subject vehicles have electro-hydraulic power assist steering (EHPAS).The complaint counts shown above alleged a loss of power steering assist in the subject vehicles. Usually, but not always, the loss is accompanied by the simultaneous lighting of an indicator light on the dash. The complaints include 14 alleged crashes involving 6 injuries. On Mazda3 and Mazda5 vehicles manufactured from April 2, 2007 through November 30, 2008, rust may have formed inside the EPAS high-pressure pipe during manufacture due to improper processing. If the rust is present it may damage the power steering pump bearings leading to an increased load on the electric motor; this results in an elevated operating temperature for the EPAS system. To prevent excessive overheating of the system, which could potentially cause permanent damage, afailsafe mode which de-powers the electric pump is implemented. This causes a loss of power assist making it more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower vehicle speeds. Once the failsafe is implemented the EPAS system will remain disabled until the ignition is turned off. However EPAS will be re-enabled if the operating temperature is reduced (i.e., within an acceptable range) on a subsequent drive cycle. On August 8, 2010 Mazda submitted a Part 573 defect information report initiating Safety Recall 10V-374 to remedy the subject vehicles. The report, which contains additional details on the remedy repair, is available at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/.ODI notes that the affected population shown in that report includes approximately 8,000 vehicles Mazda repaired prior to initiating the recall.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one became a recall. The campaign page carries the manufacturer’s filed defect, risk and remedy, the build window and every model year covered; whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2007 Mazda MAZDA3; 2008 Mazda MAZDA3; 2009 Mazda MAZDA3; 2007 Mazda MAZDA5; 2008 Mazda MAZDA5; 2009 Mazda MAZDA5.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE10021 a recall?
No — it is the investigation that led to one. Recall 10V374000 is the campaign; its page carries the remedy.
Is PE10021 still open?
No. It closed on Nov 29, 2010 and led to recall 10V374000.
Which vehicles does PE10021 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 6 model years: 2007 Mazda MAZDA3, 2008 Mazda MAZDA3, 2009 Mazda MAZDA3, 2007 Mazda MAZDA5, 2008 Mazda MAZDA5, 2009 Mazda MAZDA5. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.