Mazda is recalling 11,903 examples of the 2024 model year Mazda3 and CX-90 over poorly written software. Images of the front-, side- and rearview cameras may flicker or not appear on the center display due to iffy processing logic in the view monitor camera control module.
On December 8 last year, Mazda received the first customer-submitted complaint in this regard from its home market. Come January 2023, the suspect view monitor camera control module was taken apart for in-depth analysis. The condition was confirmed on February 2 this year, and by month’s end, three additional reports were filed with the folks at Mazda. The automaker kept studying this concern through October 2023, eventually determining that said concern presents a noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety standard number 111.
Especially the loss of the rearview camera image on the vehicle’s center display increases the risk of a crash. Also worthy of note, rearview cameras are mandatory in the United States market on brand-new vehicles (including pickup trucks) since May 2018. Although Mazda North American isn’t aware of any reports of accidents related to said condition, the automaker is required to fix the aforementioned population of sedans, hatchbacks, and SUVs.
Suspect 2024 Mazda3 vehicles were produced in the period between May 25, 2023 and August 23, 2023 in both four- and five-door flavors. The CX-90 is listed with production dates ranging between December 27, 2022 and September 5, 2023. Most of the recalled vehicles are SUVs, namely 10,782 units compared to 1,121 examples of the Mazda3 sedan and its hatchback sibling.
Dealers have already been instructed to reprogram the view monitor control module with improved software, with said version having rolled out in series production for the Mazda3 and CX-90 in late August 2023. Owners will be informed by first-class mail on December 22.
Photo: Mazda
Far plusher than its predecessor, the fourth-gen Mazda3 launched at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show for the 2019 model year. Equipped with a torsion beam-style rear end as opposed to the forerunner’s multi-link setup, the compact sedan and hatchback can be had with either naturally-aspirated or single-turbo I4 powerplants. A manual transmission also needs to be highlighted, although most trims feature a six-speed automatic.
The most affordable specification available for 2024 is $24,170 at press time, not including the destination charge and other fees. The hatchback is $25,690 because its base trim has more standard kit than the sedan’s base trim. The punchiest engine available packs 250 horsepower, whereas the naturally-aspirated I4 makes 191 ponies.
Based on the rear-biased Large Product Group vehicle platform introduced by the CX-60 for Europe, the CX-90 is a three-row utility vehicle with either six or four cylinders to its name. The inline-six turbo is a mild-hybrid affair, whereas the 2.5-liter engine comes exclusively as a plug-in hybrid. Both feature similar ratings in the combined test cycle, namely 25 mpg (9.4 l/100 km).
The CX-90 PHEV offers 26 miles (42 kilometers) of zero-emission driving range thanks to a 17.8-kWh battery that powers a small electric motor integrated into the eight-speed transmission. At the moment of reporting, the CX-90 starts at $39,595 with the mild-hybrid turbo sixer or $49,945 for the plug-in hybrid four-pot powertrain.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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