Petrolhead spiders cause Mazda recall

Mazda has had to recall 42,000 vehicles in the US after it emerged that a species of spider had been weaving webs in fuel vent hoses, increasing the risk of fuel leaks and fires.

The yellow sac spider’s curious domestic activities cause a build-up of pressure in the evaporative fuel vent that – in theory at least – could result in a cracked fuel tank and therefore an increased risk of fire.

This isn’t the first time that the Mazda 6 has received the unwanted advances of a gas-guzzling arachnid, either – three years ago Mazda had to recall over 50,000 cars for precisely the same reason.

Mazda then fitted covers over the vents to prevent the spiders from getting in, but it seems that the yellow sac is a persistent critter – there have been nine confirmed instances of spiders inside the hoses since the original recall.

Still, if you’re a UK-based Mazda owner, this almost certainly isn’t something you need to worry about. Although the yellow sac spider is present in northern Europe, webs have only been found in US-spec Mazda 6 cars built between September 2010 and May 2012 with the 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. And even though that 2.5 was available in UK-spec Mazda 6s, there have been no reports of webs in British models.

Mazda is also keen to point out that no accidents, leaks or fires have been reported as a result of the yellow sac spider webs.

Of course, not all spiders are bad as far as Mazda is concerned – it’s helping to develop a new Alfa Romeo Spider using the next-generation MX-5 platform, which is due to go on sale next year. Which makes us wonder – are yellow sac spiders Italian car enthusiasts…?

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By Matt Rigby, content editor, MSN Cars