Mazda MX-30 recalled for brake lights, hill start assist

The Mazda MX-30 has been recalled in Europe for braking-related issues, reports German site kfz-betrieb.vogel.de. These involve two separate issues – the lighting up of the vehicle’s brake lights when reversing, even when the brakes are not being applied, and the possibility of the vehicle starting to move after coming to a stop after driving on surfaces of different grip levels.

“If the vehicle drives from a slippery surface, such as ice, on to a surface with high friction and the driver applies the brakes, it is possible that the vehicle will start moving after the brake is released,” said the report of the second issue. This is due to the Motor Hill Assist function mistakenly interpreting the situation as stopping on a hill, and therefore could apply torque once the brake pedal is released.

A total of 11,774 units are affected, with 3,825 of these located in Germany. Some affected units will have one of the issues, though most of those affected will have both issues, said the news site. Affected vehicles with possibly both issues were manufactured between May 19, 2020 and November 17, 2020, while examples of the MX-30 with the possible brake light fault were produced between May 19, 2020 and December 4, 2020.

The MX-30 is Mazda’s first series-production electric vehicle, featuring an electric motor with 141 hp and 264 Nm of torque driving the front wheels. This draws from a 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and offers up of 209 km of range. The Japanese manufacturer has also confirmed that the crossover will gain a range extender variant with a 38 PS 330 cc single-rotor engine to boost range up to 380 km.

For Malaysia, local distributor Bermaz Auto said the Mazda MX-30 had initially been planned for market entry by the end of 2020, however this was delayed to the first quarter of 2021 due to the pandemic. When it does arrive, it will do so as an e-Skyactiv mild-hybrid variant, as the company thinks Malaysian EV infrastructure is not yet ready.

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