Too Much Weld Spatter is Disabling Steering and Airbag Functions in the 3rd-Generation Mazda6

An excess of “weld spatter” on the front seats of some 2015-16 Mazda6 vehicles is rubbing up against and disabling important electrical components, like the Occupant Classification System (OCS). The spatter recall comes after years of trying to pass off the problem as no big deal.

• December 2015 – Mazda engineers investigated reports of all the dash lights coming on at one. They confirmed that the insulation on the OCS was damaged due to weld spatter. Mazda altered production by adding protected pads to the seat frames.
• February 2016 – Mazda skipped a recall after claiming there was a low chance for “disasters” and that a driver could still control the car even if problems occurred.
• November 2016 – Mazda received 13 field reports about the harness problem, but the automaker said the incident rate was too low to do anything.
• September 2017 – Mazda issues a recall for the problem after meeting with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The recall is expected to begin on 09/27/17 and additional details are available on CarComplaints.com