Mazda North America is recalling more than 150 CX-9 crossovers from 2019 to address an issue with the vehicles’ tires.
Reportedly, rubber compound used for the production of prototype vehicles was accidentally mixed into the rubber compound for production vehicles, during the manufacturing process. The mixture of the two compounds has a direct effect on tire tread strength, diminishing it.
The unstable compound could cause the tire tread rubber to separate from the tire body, which could cause the vehicle to lose stability and potentially lead to a crash. Before that unlikely event, though, the driver will feel increased vibration and even hear a flapping noise, and perhaps also observe tread separation or uneven tread wear during visual inspection of the tires.
Mazda is not aware of any incidents resulting from the issue, but will replace the faulty tires with new ones. A total of 152 vehicles are affected, 146 of them in the US and federalized territories and just 6 in Canada.