I have always dreamed of having my very own Porsche 550 Spyder. And that is “spyder” with a “Y”, not an “I”. You have probably heard of spiders and other insects infesting the interiors of cars. Spiders are often found within the engines of cars and trucks. In fact, we wrote a blog on this very issue a while back. But it is hard to imagine forty two thousand cars having to be recalled over some yellow sac spiders. However, not too long ago, the car company, Mazda, was forced to do this very thing. That must have been a particularly embarrassing recall for the CEO.
Mazdas are not the most luxurious of cars, so buyers are not expecting much when they drive one out of the dealer’s lot. But I am sure that buyers would think twice if they knew that their new car could have a yellow sac spider living within the engine’s fuel hose. According to a Mazda spokesperson, Jeremy Barnes, the yellow sac spider is attracted to the hydrocarbons in gasoline. Once these spiders catch a whiff of these hydrocarbons, they cannot help making contact with the engine.
Apparently, finding yellow sac spiders in fuel tanks and fuel hoses has been a recurring issue for the car company. In fact, engineers employed by Mazda were tasked with developing additional gadgets on the engine that would work to prevent a spider’s access to the fuel tank and/or fuel hose. Although it may surprise you, this spider presence in the car’s fuel hose could be dangerous. The yellow sac spider could weave a web within the hose, which could block airflow. This, in turn, could cause the fuel tank to crack, which may result in a fire. So imagine if your life ended in a mazda due to the shenanigans of a yellow sac spider. The big question is why do yellow sac spiders, of all spiders, only prefer to catch gasoline fumes on Mazda vehicles, and not other vehicle brands? Barnes has been at a loss to explain this connection.