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Spiders Gasoline Huffing Cause Mazda Recall

Move over, Porsche. Mazda’s got a real spider car. For the second time in just a few years, Mazda has had to issue a recall for North American made Mazda6 sedans because of – yep – spiders in th...
Spiders Gasoline Huffing Cause Mazda Recall
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  • Move over, Porsche. Mazda’s got a real spider car.

    For the second time in just a few years, Mazda has had to issue a recall for North American made Mazda6 sedans because of – yep – spiders in the engine. You know, I always knew spiders were demons sent here to destroy us. The idea that some of them thrive in noxious gasoline might slightly disturb some of you too. More importantly than a bad case of the heebie-jeebies, however, is a bad case of being on the inside of a Mazda-tov Cocktail. And this is just what can happen when their woven homes halt vapor release.

    Mazda has thus issued a recall for 42,000 of these 2.5-liter engine sedans from model years 2010 to 2012. Fortunately, no fires have been reported as a result of the issue.

    Why Mazda and not other cars?

    Some scientists surmise the spiders likely stole into hoses at a warehouse prior to being shipped to the actual assembly plant. This specific breed doesn’t just like getting high on fumes. It also thrives on hiding in tubes during day hours and hunting at night.

    What’s happened here is the same as the incident during their 2011 recall, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Yellow Satan Sac spider simply is attracted to the petrol scent. Once inside the car, its silky domicile blocks evaporative canister vent lines.

    The arachnid cascade of events is that the web it constructs restricts fuel flow, that fuel restriction alters tank pressure, that pressure change stresses the fuel tank, and that tank stress can cause cracks and fuel leaks. Boom.

    Actually, Mazda is trying its hardest to avoid more than a figurative “boom” from happening.

    For instance, adding a spring canister vent line was meant to prevent the octo-intruders from gaining entry. While that mostly worked out, there were a good many reports of fuel tanks cracking in sedans that had the spring, so more investigation was needed. Ultimately, engineers deduced that changing the car’s software would halt tank cracking, whether or not spider webs were blocking a vent.

    To mitigate Mazda drivers’ anxieties, the company reports that only this particular model made in a Flat Rock, Michigan plant has aforementioned bug blockage. Car owners to whom the recall applies will be able to bring in their cars to dealers, acquire reprogrammed software, and have their vent line checked and cleared of creatures.

    Party’s over, ya freeloading fuel huffers!

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

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