Spiders prompt itsy-bitsy Mazda recall
Is this the strangest car recall ever? Mazda has been forced to recall 65,000 of its saloon cars in the US, Canada and Mexico after spiders were discovered nesting in their fuel pipes.
Nobody can explain why the spiders have chosen the Mazda6 but there have been enough incidents to prompt a wide scale recall.
What's even more unusual is that the spiders have only appeared in cars with four-cylinder engines
The first incident happened in October 2009, when a Mazda6 was brought to a dealer with a fuel leak. A spider had spun a web in a fuel tank vent pipe, which created a vacuum in the tank, eventually cracking it.
There have been 19 further episodes since then, not restricted to any region, prompting the recall.
Mazda will check each car for evidence of spiders or webs, and fit a part to prevent spiders from entering any pipes around the fuel tank.
Speaking to AFP news agency, a Mazda spokesperson said: "There doesn't seem to be any particular reason why he's chosen the Mazda 6."
There's a chance that a leaking fuel pipe could cause a fire, though none have been reported so far.
No cars in the UK have been affected.
Mark Nichol