Mazda5 minivans recalled over fuel pump concerns

 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a safety recall on certain Mazda5 minivans from the 2009 and 2010 model year.
This recall focuses on the van’s fuel pump, with NHTSA citing that water may not have been completely removed from the pump’s harness connector before vehicle assembly. Thus, the connector pin may corrode, causing the pin to break. If the harness connector breaks, this could lead to an inoperative fuel pump. The Mazda5′s engine could stall, and the inability to restart the engine increases the risk of a crash.
Approximately 16,200 of the Mazda minivans are effected by this problem, and the safety recall is expected to begin on or before December 11th. Dealers will inspect the fuel pump connector and replace the harness free of charge. For the full details, follow the jump to read NHTSA’s official statement.

Mazda3 gets Revised 1.6-liter Diesel in Europe, Returns 4.4lt/100km or 53.5mpg

Mazda has updated the 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel engine offered in the Mazda3 hatchback and sedan models, making it Euro 5-compliant, more powerful (115 hp vs 109 hp) and even more economical. The new version needs just 4.4 lt/100 km (64.2 UK mpg or 53.5 US mpg) and it's mated for the first time to a six-speed manual transmission.

The five extra horses won't rock your world, but the 1.6 MZ-CD delivers 30 more newton-meters (22 lb-ft) of torque, which should definitely count. Engineers achieved this by using a new common-rail fuel injector system, with piezo injectors, and a variable-geometry turbocharger, which not only increased the torque to 270 Nm (199 lb-ft), but also made it available between 1,700-2,700 rpm. Peak power is delivered 400 rpm lower than before, at 3,600 rpm.

The extra oomph doesn't really translate into better acceleration figures - at least not on paper- but the Mazda3 1.6 MZ-CD is no slouch either. It accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 11 seconds, matching its predecessor, and can reach a top speed of 186 km/h (116 mph).

Also new is the maintenance-free diesel particulate filter (DPF), which no longer needs an additive to burn off the particulate matter, thus reducing running costs. Also thanks to the DPF, the new engine emits just 117 g/km of CO2 in the combined cycle.

Mazda hasn't provided any information on pricing and availability yet.

By Csaba Daradics

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Mazda3 gets Revised 1.6-liter Diesel in Europe, Returns 4.4lt/100km or 53.5mpg

Mazda has updated the 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel engine offered in the Mazda3 hatchback and sedan models, making it Euro 5-compliant, more powerful (115 hp vs 109 hp) and even more economical. The new version needs just 4.4 lt/100 km (64.2 UK mpg or 53.5 US mpg) and it's mated for the first time to a six-speed manual transmission.

The five extra horses won't rock your world, but the 1.6 MZ-CD delivers 30 more newton-meters (22 lb-ft) of torque, which should definitely count. Engineers achieved this by using a new common-rail fuel injector system, with piezo injectors, and a variable-geometry turbocharger, which not only increased the torque to 270 Nm (199 lb-ft), but also made it available between 1,700-2,700 rpm. Peak power is delivered 400 rpm lower than before, at 3,600 rpm.

The extra oomph doesn't really translate into better acceleration figures - at least not on paper- but the Mazda3 1.6 MZ-CD is no slouch either. It accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 11 seconds, matching its predecessor, and can reach a top speed of 186 km/h (116 mph).

Also new is the maintenance-free diesel particulate filter (DPF), which no longer needs an additive to burn off the particulate matter, thus reducing running costs. Also thanks to the DPF, the new engine emits just 117 g/km of CO2 in the combined cycle.

Mazda hasn't provided any information on pricing and availability yet.

By Csaba Daradics

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________