Mazda recalls 217500 vehicles on acceleration defect

Mazda said Friday it will recall 217,500 vehicles in the United States due to a problem with unintended acceleration that led to the recall of nearly 485,000 Ford vehicles. The Mazda Tribute shares most of its parts with the Ford Escape sport utility vehicle, including the faulty cruise control cable. The defect can cause the throttle to stick, causing the vehicle to speed out of control. US safety regulators announced last week that they were opening an investigation following a complaint about a number of accidents, including a fatal crash last January, resulting from the defect. The Mazda recall affects Tributes from model years 2001 through 2006 and 2008.