Thanks for posting this one, and it's interesting to put this under a microscope. The 'Part 573 Safety Recall Report' has most of the fun stuff to kick around a bit.

In that document they wrote this:
Description of the Cause : Subject impellers were manufactured with inadequate material ...
and this:
How Remedy Component Differs from Recalled Component : Remedy fuel pumps were manufactured with improved density fuel pump impeller resin material.
and this:
Identify How/When Recall Condition was Corrected in Production : Improved density of fuel pump impeller resin material was implemented since July 1, 2019.

So they're saying that these pumps had previously been made using inadequate material, which was subsequently changed to one suitable for this application. That great, but what they didn't mention is that these same pumps were also installed on a great many Mazda vehicles prior to the 'start' dates that are listed in the vehicle specific sections of that doc. For instance, according to the cross reference, the PE0113350 pump was used all the way back as far as the 2013 Mazda 3.

So what's up with all of the vehicles having one of the affected pumps, but not included in the recall? Perhaps the rate of failure of these pumps is very low, and this is not a big deal at all? The doc has an estimated 1% failure rate. AFIK there have been very few postings on the Mazda forums, or NHTSA reports of fuel pump failures on this collection of models/years. So it seems reasonable to assume that the failure rate of this inadequate material is very low - perhaps even quite a bit lower than the 1% estimate from Mazda.

And perhaps the low failure rate might have something to do with this statement from the doc:
Subject impellers were manufactured with inadequate material which may lead to surface cracking under certain conditions, resulting in impeller deformation.
So what does 'under certain conditions' mean? The low pressure pump is located inside the tank, dunked in a bath of gasoline, spinning continuously. Seems to be no variables there, except when the tank is allowed to go nearly empty. A nearly empty tank means the pump loses the cooling effect of the fuel, and might allow the pump to heat up enough to cause that less optimal pump plastic to be affected, and eventually cause the 'deformation' described in the Mazda doc.

But IMO it's reasonably to assume that all owners let the tank get low at least every once in a while (I certainly plead guilty on that). So if one low fuel incident can't be enough to trash the pump, then perhaps 'certain conditions' means vehicles which are allowed to get very low on gas quite a bit more than occasionally. How often would it take to cause damage and how low on gas? - who knows.

Given there are so many of these pumps in service which are not failing, I suspect this pump failure issue is rare and very unlikely to happen. But OTOH, I'm going to start making a better effort to never go way low on gas, and recommend that others do so as well. Just in case

 

Thanks for posting this one, and it's interesting to put this under a microscope. The 'Part 573 Safety Recall Report' has most of the fun stuff to kick around a bit.

In that document they wrote this:
Description of the Cause : Subject impellers were manufactured with inadequate material ...
and this:
How Remedy Component Differs from Recalled Component : Remedy fuel pumps were manufactured with improved density fuel pump impeller resin material.
and this:
Identify How/When Recall Condition was Corrected in Production : Improved density of fuel pump impeller resin material was implemented since July 1, 2019.

So they're saying that these pumps had previously been made using inadequate material, which was subsequently changed to one suitable for this application. That great, but what they didn't mention is that these same pumps were also installed on a great many Mazda vehicles prior to the 'start' dates that are listed in the vehicle specific sections of that doc. For instance, according to the cross reference, the PE0113350 pump was used all the way back as far as the 2013 Mazda 3.

So what's up with all of the vehicles having one of the affected pumps, but not included in the recall? Perhaps the rate of failure of these pumps is very low, and this is not a big deal at all? The doc has an estimated 1% failure rate. AFIK there have been very few postings on the Mazda forums, or NHTSA reports of fuel pump failures on this collection of models/years. So it seems reasonable to assume that the failure rate of this inadequate material is very low - perhaps even quite a bit lower than the 1% estimate from Mazda.

And perhaps the low failure rate might have something to do with this statement from the doc:
Subject impellers were manufactured with inadequate material which may lead to surface cracking under certain conditions, resulting in impeller deformation.
So what does 'under certain conditions' mean? The low pressure pump is located inside the tank, dunked in a bath of gasoline, spinning continuously. Seems to be no variables there, except when the tank is allowed to go nearly empty. A nearly empty tank means the pump loses the cooling effect of the fuel, and might allow the pump to heat up enough to cause that less optimal pump plastic to be affected, and eventually cause the 'deformation' described in the Mazda doc.

But IMO it's reasonably to assume that all owners let the tank get low at least every once in a while (I certainly plead guilty on that). So if one low fuel incident can't be enough to trash the pump, then perhaps 'certain conditions' means vehicles which are allowed to get very low on gas quite a bit more than occasionally. How often would it take to cause damage and how low on gas? - who knows.

Given there are so many of these pumps in service which are not failing, I suspect this pump failure issue is rare and very unlikely to happen. But OTOH, I'm going to start making a better effort to never go way low on gas, and recommend that others do so as well. Just in case

They are talking, here, about a centrifugal "charge" pump, and I note that that is different than a georotor pump (often used in port-injected vehicles). The former is a dynamic machine, the latter a positive displacement pump. For a centrifugal pump, yes, they need cooling, but most significantly they need adequate NPSH... net positive suction head. Max NPSH occurs when submergence under the surface of the gasoline is maximized and, in the case of an immersed fuel charge pump, the intake filter (sock?) is clear. Inadequate NPSH causes impeller erosion by reasons of cavitation. I suspect that is what is happening in these cases.

So, I agree that running fuel levels in tanks higher, versus lower, is best on both accounts... for submergence and to not stir up the dregs, fouling the sock.

 

Makes the cushion of 2-3 gallons provided in the remaining miles to empty on the fuel trip estimator more beneficial.

I tried searching my VIN yesterday, but nothing came up.

Maybe I missed it on the docs, but was there a VIN range provided for this recall?
CK

 

VIN range should be listed in the Part 573 Safety Recall Report, third link in the post.

 

Thanks. I think I stopped after the 2nd link.. whoops!

Looks like it just affects 2018 Japanese made 3s. My 2018 3 made in Mexico isn't included.
CK

 

Getting a whine on acceleration, poor fuel mileage, rough idle, and weird fuel pressure readings.. 3 mPa at idle or 435 psi?

Plus we got a class action against Mazda since other manufacturers are recalling earlier year models.
CK

Mazda, Denso Facing Class Action Over Alleged Fuel Pump Problems

A class action has been filed in the wake of a recall of more than 121k Mazda vehicles said to be equipped with defective low-pressure fuel pumps supplied by Denso.

www.classaction.org

 

Replacement for 2018 3 with a 2.5L manufactured in Mexico. Delphi part #FG2185. They sell a gas tank cleaning kit too - part #FC01.
CK

Parts Catalog - Delphi Technologies

View the full catalog of auto parts Delphi Technologies offers here.

delphi.mypartfinder.com

 

So.. Aussie cars got the recall back to 2017.. based on the VINS..Malaysia and Japan made models.

Mexico is not included even though it is the same part in any recalls. None sold in AU though.
CK

Mazda issues recall for 90,000 vehicles

Mazda issues recall for 90,000 models built between 2017 and 2019.

www.whichcar.com.au

 

So, my car is one of the recalled vehicles. Funny thing is, it was written off by an Insurance company in Australia and imported to New Zealand where it was fixed, certified to go back to the streets, and I bought it.

Now, when I asked Mazda New Zealand about my car being affected by the recall, they gave me this answer:

Thank you for taking the time to contact Mazda.

Unfortunately, Mazda NZ cannot assist with the repair of your Mazda3 due to the import status being “S – written off vehicles (both statutory write-off and economic repairable write-off vehicles).”
We recommend you contact the importer of the vehicle for assistance.

I really doubt I can get anything out of the importer/seller. Do you guys reckon I should contest this now with Mazda or suck it up and accept that I won't be covered by this or any future recalls? Do you guys have any idea how much it costs to get this repaired?

 

The part is in the $300 range in the US from various online parts dealers. Supposedly, it's a doable DIY..
CK

 

well most jobs are doable DIY....i once rebuilt a RWD differential in a garden shed....doesn't make it an easy job lol.

correct me if i'm wrong, but i think you'd have to drop the fuel tank for this job.

 

Is cleaning the tank required?
CK

 

The part is like $310 MSRP.. labor will run at least 3 hours or $450 or so..
CK

This is for a mex 3.

2014-2018 Mazda 3 Fuel Pump Assembly PEAR-13-35X | Mazda-Parts

2014-2018 Mazda 3 Fuel Pump Assembly PEAR-13-35X

www.mazda-parts.com

 

Not sure why the labour... Now we DO know that tension "ring" is very poorly protected against corrosion, and may need some additional labour time.... but....

It actually may need dropping the fuel tank, though, in the Mazda3...🙁.

Recently I siphoned stale gasoline in my '97 Civic Si and I did it by removing the rear seat bottom (easy) and lifting the (centrally-mounted) pump module out of the top of the tank. Really easy/peasy.... Not anywhere near "big labour"... so ???

Incidentally, I attach a pix of the Mazda6 pump tension ring. Mazda3 very likely the same. They corrode horribly. I believe that preventive action with a paint brush (and possibly with sandpaper, prior, if nec.) is prudent!