Mazda B Series Recalls

The Mazda B Series has 27 recalls spanning the 1994-2010 production run, with the most serious being a Takata airbag inflator defect on 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2010 models where the inflator can rupture during deployment and send metal fragments into the cabin.

The airbag issue is the dominant safety concern across the later production years and takes several forms. On 2004 models, both the driver and passenger frontal airbag inflators can rupture under excessive internal pressure, scattering fragments toward occupants or failing to deploy at all. A separate follow-up recall for 2004 models addresses cases where the passenger airbag was reinstalled incorrectly during an earlier repair and may not inflate properly in a crash. On 2006 and 2007 models, long-term humidity and heat cycling degrade the airbag propellant so that the bag fires with more force than intended, raising the risk of inflator rupture on deployment. The 2010 model year has the same propellant degradation concern on the passenger side. The 2006 driver-side airbag carries a separate elevated rupture risk on vehicles built between August and November of 2005.

The 2010 model year also has two other concerns: a fuel line on 2.3L-equipped vehicles can chafe against a throttle body shield and leak fuel, and the right rear parking brake cable can slip off its actuating lever when the brakes are frozen to the drums, leaving the vehicle without a functioning parking brake on release.

On 2009 models, a front spindle can fracture and allow the wheel assembly to separate from the vehicle while moving, causing a loss of control.

The 1998 model year has a cluster of issues: a speed control deactivation switch can overheat and start an underhood fire even when parked, a speed control cable can prevent the throttle from returning to idle when cruise control is disengaged, and a chassis-mounted fuel line can contact the exhaust manifold and leak fuel near a heat source. The 2000 model year has a seat belt buckle on both front outboard positions that may not fully latch, leaving occupants without adequate restraint in a crash.

Going further back, 1995 models share the speed control switch fire risk with the 1998 model year. The 1994 model year has cracking-prone front fuel hoses that can leak and ignite, a throttle plate that can stick open in extreme cold after extended highway driving, and a parking brake ratchet on manual-transmission models that can skip teeth and fail to hold the vehicle on a slope. The 2006 model has a wiper motor that can lose wiper function at high speed due to ungreased output shaft gears.