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Ford, GM, Mazda recall cars for safety problems

LOS ANGELES, April 12 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research), General Motors Corp. (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Mazda Motor Corp. (7261.T: Quote, Profile, Research) are recalling almost 35,000 cars for a range of defects, U.S. safety regulators said on Wednesday.

Ford is recalling over 19,000 Mustang Cobras from the 2003 and 2004 model years because the accelerator pedal can stick on the floor carpeting in the car, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

The NHTSA said the accelerator problem could cause crashes when the pedal catches on a cutout area of the floor carpeting during sharp acceleration. Ford will install carpet "shields" to address the safety issue, the agency said.

In addition, GM is recalling almost 13,000 Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS sedans because of faulty power steering hoses.

The hoses on some of the 2006 models of those GM cars equipped with V8 engines are prone to separate and leak steering fluid, regulators said. That could cause drivers to loose steering power at low speeds or trigger engine fires.

GM will replace the defective parts, the NHTSA said.

Mazda is also recalling about 2,600 MX-5 Miatas from the 2006 model year because the driver-side front air bags are prone to dislodge a horn assembly from the steering wheel.

The regulatory agency said that problem, which is prone to happen at very cold temperatures, could injure drivers.

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