Vehicle recall 97V211000 · November 18, 1997
Mazda 323 and MX-3
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with front seat automatic shoulder belts.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with front seat automatic shoulder belts. The rail of the automatic shoulder belt can wear sufficiently such that the cable which retracts the buckle assembly can become jammed in the rail rendering the shoulder belt inoperative.
- Consequence
- A seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the passive shoulder belt assembly with a modified one (with additional dust lip) in vehicles which have experienced a problem. In vehicles in which the automatic shoulder belt functions properly, the rails will be inspected and replaced with modified rails if they exceed the inspection criteria.
- Notes
- Owner notification began March 31, 1998 and will be completed by August 1998.OWNERS who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 97V211000
- Reported to NHTSA
- November 18, 1997
- Filed by
- MAZDA (NORTH AMERICA),INC
- Owner notification
- March 31, 1998
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 134,000
- Initiated by
- NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation
- Components
- Seat belts › Front › Webbing
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
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