(Auto News) Mazda North America is recalling 227,814 Mazda3 and Mazda6 vehicles in the U.S. because parking brakes may drag when driving or slip when cars are parked on a slope, increasing the chance of a crash.
The recall includes the Mazda3 from the 2014 and 2016 model years and the Mazda6 from model years 2014-2015.
No injuries related to the defect have been reported to the automaker, according to a Mazda spokesman.
The company says water could get into the vehicle’s brake caliper, causing parking brakes to lose holding force while parked or drag while driving, according to the National Highway Safety Administration’s recall report.
Mazda will notify dealers of the recall on Aug. 7. Owners will be made aware starting Aug. 21.
Mazda dealers will check the parking brake actuator shafts inside brake calipers and if a shaft is corroded, the caliper will be replaced. If not, the dealer will replace the protective boot kit with improved parts.
Mazda first became aware of the defect on the Mazda6 in 2015 when a brake drag incident was reported in Canada.
Another 80,000 of the vehicles are being recalled in Canada.
In 2016, a Mazda6 owner in Germany was involved in a collision where the vehicle unexpectedly rolled backward despite the parking brake being in place.
A U.S. owner had also reported a brake drag incident in 2016. In January of 2017, the automaker began working on a boot replacement kit, which will be available to dealers for recall repairs.
There are thirteen total reports of the defect in the U.S.
