Back when I owned my last E30-generation BMW 3-Series, I remember encountering a pretty scary problem with the car’s steering rack. One of the previous owners had deleted the power steering, meaning it was fully manual—sort of annoying, but seeing as how my car was a four-cylinder, it didn’t really bother me at speeds above 10 mph.
Except, whoever did the power steering delete did it very, very wrong. For some reason, they left a couple of the power steering fluid line holes going into the steering rack completely exposed to the elements, allowing all sorts of dust, debris, and water to get inside. One day, the rack began locking up for brief moments, giving me mini heart attacks on the highway, until it eventually locked up for good (thankfully in a cul-de-sac at about 3 mph). Had I known about the faulty rack, I would’ve replaced it before that happened. Instead, I sat right-seat in a flatbed for 181 miles, thinking about where I went wrong.
The point of this story? To show just how important steering is for maintaining immediate control of your car. If the engine shuts off on the highway, that’s one thing—so long as you can still steer it, you can safely come to a stop on the side of the road if you know what you’re doing. But if the steering spazzes out, all you have are the gas and brakes, with no way to change direction.
Mazda issued a recall last year to fix a similar “sticky steering” problem on its biggest SUV, the CX-90, back in 2024. But according to a new investigation opened by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, owners are reporting the same problem, even after their cars were fixed.
Here’s What Originally Went Wrong
In January 2024, Mazda issued a recall for 43,752 2024 Mazda CX-90s for “sudden and unexpected change of steering effort while driving.” While that’s not as bad as the steering fully locking up, the steering suddenly getting heavier and/or lighter while you’re making a maneuver likely doesn’t inspire much confidence.
According to the original recall document, Mazda determined the problem was caused by a spring pushing too hard on a gear within the electric power steering assembly:
A worm gear is incorporated in the steering gear assembly, which transmits the power assist generated by the power steering motor. The worm gear friction force may be excessive which results in increased force required to turn the steering wheel.
Mazda’s fix? Replace the spring with a new version, regrease the gears, reassemble the electric motor, and send owners on their way.
Mazda said in the recall document that the new spring “reduces the spring force to the worm gear in the steering assembly,” meaning it should no longer be strong enough to cause the intermittent changes in force required to turn the wheel.
People Who Got The Recall Done Are Still Complaining
Despite the new spring and regreasing, the problem might not be solved. The NHTSA launched an investigation on Monday after receiving dozens of complaints about CX-90s exhibiting the same issue:
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 26 complaints and several Early Warning Reporting (EWR) Field Reports alleging intermittent and brief increases in steering effort (described as “sticky steering”) during the drive cycle in model year (MY) 2024 CX-90 vehicles manufactured by Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) subject to Recall 24V2022.
In each case, the complaints came from vehicles that had already had the recall completed, calling into question whether the fix was effective. The original recall estimated that just 1% of the 43,752 potentially affected cars (437 vehicles) actually had the issue, so we’re talking about a pretty small number of cars. Still, that’s 437 potential crashes waiting to happen.
While the original recall only included 2024 CX-90s, this investigation names 2025 model year cars as well as 2024 model year plug-in hybrid versions (which makes sense, considering all use the same steering rack). Here’s what Mazda had to say when reached via email:
“Mazda is aware that NHTSA has opened a Recall Query related to certain MY2024 Mazda CX‑90 vehicles previously remedied under Recall 24V022. We take any report related to steering performance extremely seriously and are fully cooperating with NHTSA as they begin their review.
Mazda’s top priority is the safety and peace of mind of our customers. We are actively investigating the concerns raised in these reports and will continue working closely with NHTSA to ensure that any necessary actions are identified and addressed promptly.”
Until Mazda and the NHTSA get to the bottom of this, I suggest CX-90 owners take extra care when behind the wheel. You never know when your car might demand a lot more steering force than expected.
Top image: Mazda
I had a 1998 Chevy Tahoe as a work car and it was pretty decent, but it had this weird pattern of where going on an onramp to the right, the steering feedback suddenly went very light and the car veered a bit more to the right. Seemingly, it just got very disconnected.
Interesting. We have 2024 CX-90 with 20k miles on it, and have not experienced this. I hadn’t even heard of this being an issue.
Brian your headline reeks of clickbait. I would think Autopian should do a little better. “Mazda is under investigation” sounds as if the corporation itself is being accused of nefarious criminal activity where it’s just an unfortunate case of a recall repair perhaps not solving a known issue!
How about something a little less dramatic and more to the point…
“Mazda recent steering issue recall affecting some CX-90s may need a recall”
Less clickbait headlines please.
This could be a continuation of the other recall with the lane keep assist/emergency brake assist system. My mom’s CX-90 had this “sticking” issue on the highway, but this recall plus the new ADAS software updates made it go away as far as I can tell. I do really love driving this car, but my mom is getting *really* sick of all the recalls and being without her own car for a week or two like 6 times a year since she’s had it. These quality issues will drive people away pretty hard Mazda! You should have let the car cook in the oven longer before you released it. An extra year before you sold this new version would have been ok. (We own a CX-5 that has been flawless, we want you to succeed Mazda!)
Did she buy a first year model. My understanding is the CX90’s that were built in late 2023 are the problematic ones.
It’s a 2024 model so it is likely it is an early build.
I have a 2024 model, but mine was built in March of 2024 IIRC. We haven’t had a single noteworthy issue have only been involved in one recall (a software update).
So the steering rack goes boing-boing-boing instead of hmmmmm?
at least it is electric assist steer and not steer by wire!
I hadn’t really considered that before, but it’s definitely more scary to have your steering fail than your engine. For example, on my lawn tractor I’ve run out of gas a couple of times and the engine shuts off. No big deal. However, one of the ball joints in the steering system wore out and popped off and that was a code brown moment because suddenly I’m headed at a tree and the steering wheel is doing nothing. I can’t imagine it happening on a highway.
I’m looking forward to returning ours at lease end this Nov. Even without the recall, I really dislike the steering. I find the steering WAY too heavy and unpleasant to drive. Also, I feel like the car “wanders” on the highway, though an alignment did seem to make that better.
I’ve had brands of tires give me that feeling with grooved concrete pavement. Driving that same stretch in the same car with different tires would then be fine. It’s unnerving.
Weird. We have over 4k miles on our 2025 CX-90 PHEV, and we’ve never experienced any steering issues. The shifts between EV and ICE power can be a little lumpy, but that has nothing to do with the steering and seems like something that could be tuned out with a software update.
I have a CX-70 Turbo S and haven’t had a problem with steering other than a slightly cockeyed steering wheel starting at about 2500mi. I am at 7600mi rn, but have had nothing like described in the article though.
I had the same issue with my 6.Take it in and have the dealer fix it.They just have to hook up their scanner and there is a code to make it straight.It was just a little off but enough to be aggravating.
I took it in not long after it started and the dealer was clueless. They blamed it on how most roads are crowned/uneven. Or that something was wrong with my tires. I’ll ask another dealership.
I genuinely loved the car. My loaner was an early 2024 model, which I drove in November 2023, which is the model year where the problem seems to be concentrated. But the intermittent nature, or scarcity, of the problem is the problem. If a steering problem cannot be definitively diagnosed, solved, and proven effective, then the vehicle is dangerous. The only worse problem would be if the steering wheel randomly came disconnected from the column.
I have a 25 MHEV with 17k miles and haven’t had this issue either. Fingers crossed it doesn’t show up
I would have purchased one of these long ago except for my experience with this issue.
On two occcasions I was given a CX-90 as a loaner in Scottsdale AZ. The turbo 6 was fine. The PHEV had this issue, and it only had a few hundred miles on it. Specifically, while driving on the highway, it would not drive straight while the wheel was centered. It had a strange notchy feel right on center that forced me to make constant micro-corrections. The constant motion made me and my wife seasick. It was basically undrivable and I was happy to return it. And before you ask, lane assist was off, tires were fine as far as I could tell with no visible or palpable bumps or defects, and tire pressure was normal.
I mentioned the problem to the service department, and they said it might be a problem with a battery, but it felt like a guess. Anectdotal evidence was thin on the internet, but the problem was being discussed. I hope this spring is the problem, but I wonder. As much as I like this vehicle, it is a hard NO as a future addition to the fleet, at least until the fix is proven sufficient.
I have had that since about ~2500mi in my CX-70 Turbo S but its been largely ignorable, besides a few complaints to service departments and a useless alignment in an attempt to fix it. I figured it was just me being stupid because roads are crowned, even though for the first few months of ownership it wasn’t happening. I hope its the spring too, I would love to get it figured out on my car.
I suspect many owners are ignoring the problem. It is likely more widespread but the soccer moms scooting around town are not paying attention to the issue.
That would make sense! When I brought it in with the intent of getting it fixed, none of the techs or service advisors seemed familiar with such a problem, let alone at 3k mi.
Im going full Obi-wan on this one: “Mazda! You were the chosen one! You were supposed to save the zoom zoom, not fall into the crap! You were the enthusiast car! I loved you!”
I really, really wanted this car to succeed and wanted to look at one for my wife but there have just been so many goddamn issues with them that I have a hard time recommending or considering them.
Inherent issue with pinion/dual pinion electric steering systems. Long stretches of highway driving drives the grease out between the worm wheel and the worm and creates a localized pocket of high friction. Basically the worm wheel dithers due to road feedback through the rack, but the worm attached to the assist motor doesn’t move as there is minimal/no steering input, and the vibration of the worm wheel squeezes its grease out bit by bit. Giving a good steering cycle will help re-spread the grease internally and make the issue go away in the short term. High chance that primarily city drivers don’t ever experience it, but road warriors could continue to experience the issue.