2010 Mazda MAZDA6: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Feb 5, 2026 · Suspension · NY

I looked up recalls on my vehicle and it states that The 2011 Mazda6 is part of a recall (the federal safety agency 19V‑323, Mazda 2818I) covering 2011-2013 models for front cross member (subframe) corrosion due to insufficient rust protection . In salt-belt states, this corrosion can cause the lower control arm to detach, reducing steering control and increasing crash risk. Key Details regarding the 2011 Mazda6 Subframe Recall: Scope: The recall affects specific 2011-2013 Mazda6 vehicles (and 2009-2010 models in a previous, related recall). Location Restrictions: Vehicles must have been originally sold in, or currently/previously registered in, 23 "salt belt" states (including CT, NY, MI, MN, OH, etc.). The Issue: The front cross member may experience severe corrosion, causing structural failure of the passenger-side lower control arm mounting point. Symptoms: Drivers may notice a change in steering alignment or a broken cross member. Remedy: Dealers will inspect the cross member and replace it if necessary. Action Required: Owners should contact their local Mazda dealership to check their VIN for open recalls. The recall was officially announced in May 2019 and is an expansion of a 2018 action.Â

Filed Jul 28, 2024 · Suspension · OH

2010 mazda 6 i series sedan the entire rear subframe/cradle is rotted along with all the other parts connected to it, the A arm, bumper stops, control arms, rear sway bar the entire rear under carriage. took it to the shop and they said there have been several complaints about this exact issue on several of these cars from 09-13 models. the parts was not painted correctly like the front that was recalled. exposed to all weather elements, the shop wants almost 4k for labor only to fix but the main problem is finding the rear subframe on these cars is almost impossible next to cost a fortune. now i have a yard ornament. junk yard wants to give me 170 bucks for the car but im not doing that. Mazda needs to fix this issue. i would of never know it was rotted out unless i took it to the shop for rear swaying and sagging. its all over the road. very dangerous and will cause a wreck almost certainly. please someone do something about this issue. dont have the money to fix this let alone buy another car.

Filed Jun 13, 2022 · Suspension · MI

Crossmember rust from recall campaign 2818I is able to effect structural attachment despite recall work. The recall installed an "improved: cross member. This was not an actually replacement cross member, rather additional plate steel between the rear and front of the existing attachment points of the defective OE cross member. Improved cross member contains no provisions to support rapidly corroding lower control arm attachment point in original cross member. Added member for recall also does not appear to additionally support lateral stresses from control arm. Evaluation of original cross-member seemed inadequate to detect structural integrity based on condition of the cross member today. "improved" cross member does not support mounting points of the control arm. Based on recall documents, some "improved" cross members have supports for Lower Control Arm (LCA) mounts. This issued occurred with sudden change in steering and braking characteristics. Vehicle suddenly started pulling right. Issue further exacerbated after follow on braking. Passenger wheel suddenly lost alignment and camber is indicating lower attachment geometry change. I was able to control vehicle, but with significant effort.

Filed Jul 27, 2021 · Body, Steering · 151,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2010 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that the steering wheel was pulling without warning. There was rust on the frame. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not safe to drive. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired. Mechanic noted that Mazda’s recall repair only served to keep the car from splitting apart, but it in no way resolved the control arm issue. As a result my car was unexpectedly swerving all over the road and was difficult to control. It was with the control arm still somewhat attached, though extremely loose. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign number 18V631000 (Suspension, structure). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 151,000. Consumer stated there is significant rust on on side, where control arm attaches to steering. Vehicle has been repaired.

Filed Sep 16, 2019 · Body · 88,000 miles · OH

The passenger lower control arm broke while driving, and I lost control of the vehicle. I almost hit a car coming towards, but thankfully I was able to stop since I was only doing 35 MPH. I don't know what would have happened if I was on the highway. The mechanic said the sub-frame was completely rotted out and it was not safe to drive the vehicle anymore. Apparently, the A/C is draining right onto the control arm area, which may or may not have affected the situation.

Filed May 2, 2019 · Steering, Suspension · 98,000 miles · SC

While making a right turn, I hit the brakes to avoid colliding with someone who pulled in front of me and the passenger's side front wheel locked into a position turned to the right. I had it towed to a repair shop, where I was informed that the control arm had separated from the frame due to rust. It seems there was a recall for this issue in 2018 for certain states, and while I do not currently reside in one of the affected states, I used to and my car did for most of its life.

Filed Sep 5, 2018 · Steering · 175,000 miles · OH

Corrosion related steering issues. The frame of the car has rusted out where the lower control arm on the front passenger side connects to the frame. While coming to a quick stop the ABS kicked in and the car pulled to the right with a popping sound. The car would randomly pull to one side when driving resumed. Took the car in for new brakes and was informed that the frame has rusted out. Finding other like concerns I took the car to mazda with no communication regarding the status of my vehicle. The car is 8 years old and should not have frame rust to the point of failure.

Filed Jul 31, 2018 · Body, Engine · 100,000 miles · OH

My wife was driving on the interstate at 70 MPH when all of the sudden the car veered to the right causing her to go into the right lane as she was in the left lane. Thankfully no one was beside her and she was able to keep the car under control. She stopped and called me as I was at work to explain what had happened. She was just a few miles away from the exit in which we live just off the interstate so she was able to limp the car home. Later that evening when I went to look at it I noticed immediately that the passenger tire was pointing outward a little bit. I jacked the car up looking to see if a tie rod or control arm had broke only to find that neither had broke. I looked at the frame and seen how badly it was rusted and noticed it actually had broken apart and was shifted. This area of the subframe is directly under the A/C unit which drips straight down onto the frame area that is rotted. Which is obviously the reason the the frame rusted and broke and shifted causing the tire to point outward. Called mazda and they sent a tow truck to retrieve the car. Currently waiting on their inspection and a call from mazda corp to see if they will be covering the repair. After reading everyone else's issues with this very same problem I'm assuming mazda will tell me it's our problem. The car is only 8 years old and I've seen other's who's car are even newer and mazda is telling everyone it's not defective. I strongly disagree with it not being a manufactured defect when clearing the water from the A/C dripping down is causing all these subframes to rust much faster than any other part of the frame. We'll see what they say but I'm not holding my breath.... Seems as though we the people need to band together in a class action against mazda because this clearly is a problem for a lot of consumers. Pray no one ever gets killed do to loss of control when the frames do brk.