Spiders are the last culprits Mazda might have expected to cause a major safety recall.
But the Japanese manufacturer is asking for 67,000 Mazda 6 cars to be returned over fears that the insects could cause enough damage to set the fuel tanks on fire.
Yellow sac spiders like to build their nests in parts of the fuel system, it said, which can cause the tank to crack and leak when they weave a web in a connected vent.
It has ordered 52,000 to be returned in America and an additional 15,000 recall from Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
The spider’s web could clog up the ventilation and put pressure on the tank, leading to a crack which can cause fuel leakage and present the risk of a fire.
There have been 20 reported cases of spider infestation in the Mazda 6 cars and all have been in four-cylinder engines, with the V6 engines unaffected.
Mazda has been baffled by why the yellow sac spider likes to nest inside its cars.
‘A certain type of spider may weave a web in the evaporative canister vent line and this may cause a restriction in the line,’ it said in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The fuel tank pressure can become negative when the evaporative canister vent line, running from a charcoal-filled canister cleaning air exiting the gas tank, is blocked.This puts stress on the tank - but the company is not aware of any leaks causing fires.
Mazda said dealers will now inspect the cars and repair the fuel system if necessary.
They will also install springs to 'prohibit spider intrusion’ and letters will be sent to the owners of affected vehicles this month.
The vehicles affected were built between April 2008 and February 2010, but the issue was first investigated by the company in early 2009.
A company spokesman said it is unclear why the yellow sac spider prefers their Mazda 6 vehicle, because all modern cars have similar equipment.
‘Maybe they just like cars that go “Zoom-Zoom”,’ he said. ‘We honestly don't know.’
[via dailymail.co.uk]