Mazda recalls cars over fuel pump defect

Tokyo - Japanese carmaker Mazda Motor said on Thursday it would recall more than 72 000 cars at home and overseas due to a fuel pump defect that may cause their engines to stall.

In Japan, Mazda will recall a total of 28 238 units of its Premacy and Biante models produced between June last year and April this year, a company spokesperson said.

It will exchange for free fuel pump components that may corrode due to moisture being accidentally trapped inside the pump during air tightness inspections in the factory.

"The problem may lead to an engine failure in the worst case," the spokesperson said.

The company will also recall some 44 000 Premacy models overseas mostly in North America, Europe and China, where it is known as the Mazda 5, due to the same problem, "following each country's regulations," the spokesperson said.

Japan's top carmakers have seen hundreds of thousands of recalls in recent months but none more affected than Toyota, the world's biggest car maker, which has pulled around 12 million units over the past year.