Court orders recall of Mazda 2 cars

The Civil Court on Wednesday ordered the recall of Mazda 2 cars with diesel engines produced from 2014-2018 to fix engine vibration and acceleration problems, and compensation for the owners, according to the lawyer for the plaintiffs.

Jinna Yam-uam, counsel for an open class action lawsuit, said the Bangkok South Civil Court ordered Mazda Sales (Thailand) Co to recall all Mazda 2 Skyactiv-D 1.5 litre cars made between 2014 and 2018 for repairs.

The court ordered the company to pay for the repairs, plus 1,800 baht a day pending repairs and 30,000 baht in compensation to each owner for mental anguish, he said  

The court set a 5% annual interest rate on the compensation payments until they are made.

Nine Mazda owners brought an open class action lawsuit against the company, complaining of engine vibration and acceleration troubles.

The lawyer said the court found the specified cars were substandard and unsafe to drive.

All owners of the specified Mazda 2 Skyactiv-D 1.5 cars were eligible for the repairs and compensation,  because it was an open class action lawsuit, Mr Jinna said.

"Many drivers of these cars experienced trouble when they accelerated for overtaking. The engines vibrated. They could not accelerate. People may have had accidents. If such accidents occurred,  the drivers could be mistakenly blamed and accuse of recklessness. No one would think about any defect in the engines or the cars themselves," the lawyer said.

He recommended that Mazda car owners ensure they have all repair records and receipts, particularly those describing engine vibration and acceleration troubles, and wait for the court's official announcement on the payment.