Mazda has ordered a recall of 42,000 cars for one of the more bizarre things that can go wrong in a vehicle: spiders posing a fire hazard.
Yellow sac spiders apparently like the hydrocarbons in petrol, and when they nest in the fuel tank hose, their webs can block the airflow, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents released Monday.
The air blockage can cause “excessively” negative pressure that can “cause the fuel tank to crack” and leak, increasing the risk of fire.
Mazada said it was “not aware of any fires” related to the spider attacks.
The voluntary recall affects Mazda 6 models, 2010 to 2012, with 2.5—litre engines.
Mazda, which had its first spider problem recall three years ago, has been trying to fix it since 2010. But a new spring mechanism intended to prevent a spider’s intrusion also failed to fix the problem.
Mazda said it has confirmed at least nine new cases of spider damage by December 2013, and had determined that “the condition constituted a safety related defect.”