Mazda Recalls CX-7 for Suspension Corrosion Risk

By Chris Chase

Aug 10, 2016

Summary

Saltwater is to blame, only not the kind you find at sea

Saltwater intrusion is being blamed for Mazda's latest recall, to replace front suspension control arms that could fail on the CX-7 crossover.

Mazda and Transport Canada say corrosion of the front control arm (this is the piece that attaches the front wheel to the car's structure, while allowing it to move up and down with the suspension) could cause the ball joint (that's the bit that lets the wheel turn with the steering) could separate and very likely lead to a loss of control.

We find Transport Canada's use of the term "saltwater" a little weird; we figure they're talking about corrosion caused by the road salt many Canadian cities dump on roadways during the winter months, which is the culprit behind numerous corrosion recalls related to vehicle suspension components, like this, and this.

This recall affects nearly 29,000 examples of the CX-7, a compact crossover sold between 2007 and 2012 and which was replaced for 2013 by the CX-5.

Meet the Author

As a child, Chris spent most of his time playing with toy cars in his parents’ basement or making car sounds while riding his bicycle. Now he's an award-winning Algonquin College Journalism grad who has been playing with real cars that make their own noises since the early 2000s.