NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Mazda is in the hot seat Wednesday after recalling 12,300 CX-9 crossover SUVs over potentially overheating seats.
In some CX-9s equipped with electrically heated seats, the seat heater control circuit can overheat and fail due to insufficient electrical grounding. This can cause burn damage to the seat surface and, in the worst case, there is a risk of smoke and fire, according to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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| 2010 Mazda CX-9 |
Owners of SUVs potentially involved in the recall will be notified by mail. They will be asked to take their vehicle to a Mazda dealer to have a new ground wire harness installed.
In some cases, the the entire seat heater control circuit may be replaced and the seat repaired, if needed.
The problem came to the carmakers' attention in December when a dealer reported an incident in which a CX-9 seat heater could not be turned off even when the ignition key was turned all the way to the "Off" position.
As a result, the SUVs battery was drained and the seat was scorched.
"We immediately initiated an investigation into the matter," Mazda said in a recall-related document filed with the National Highway Transportation Association. 
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