2008 MAZDA CX-7 Complaints

THIS MAZDA CX-7 IS AT A MAZDA DEALER'S SERVICE CENTER RIGHT NOW GETTING THE TIMING CHAIN REPLACED, VVT ISSUE CORRECTED, A NEW TURBO SYSTEM TO KEEP IT FROM DUMPING TONS OF BLUE SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST, A/C SYSTEM FIXED, AND THERE IS AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL ISSUE AS WELL. NOT HAPPY OBVIOUSLY, AS THESE ARE ALL KNOW ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE. MAZDA HAS AGREED TO PAY FOR THE TIMING CHAIN, BUT THE REST COMES OUT OF MY POCKET. *TR

WE BOUGHT THIS CAR ON FEBRUARY 19, 2011 WITH AROUND 26,000 MILES ON IT. ON JANUARY 30, 2012 (AROUND 36,000 MILES) THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER. WE TOOK IT TO OUR MECHANIC TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED AND IT CAME BACK THAT THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR WAS BAD. WE HAD THAT REPLACED, BUT IT MADE NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND THAT MECHANIC TOLD US WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A MAZDA DEALER AND THAT IF IT WAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE POWERTRAIN, IT SHOULD STILL BE UNDER WARRANTY. WE WERE HAPPY TO HEAR THAT INDEED IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT MAZDA MOST LIKELY WOULD COVER ALL COSTS. A DAY LATER THE DEALERSHIP CALLED TO TELL US THAT MAZDA NEEDED TO SEE PROOF OF MAINTENANCE ON THE OIL CHANGES, AS THERE WAS A "SLUDGE BUILDUP." WE HAD THE OIL CHANGED AS REQUIRED, BUT WERE TOLD THAT MAZDA MAY NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY AFTER ALL...SEEMS IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU DID EVERYTHING RIGHT OR NOT, MAZDA SEEMS TO BE DENYING THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM. WE ARE STILL WAITING TO HEAR IF THIS WILL BE COVERED, AND HAVE BEEN DOING LOTS OF RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE. WE WANTED TO GET A START ON THIS ISSUE IF IT ENDS UP BEING THE NIGHTMARE THAT OTHER OWNERS ARE DESCRIBING. THERE SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR ENGINEERING FLAW AND WE ARE AFRAID OF LOSING EVERYTHING DUE TO THE EXTREME REPAIR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROBLEM. NOT TO MENTION RECURRING ISSUES THAT SEEM TO ARISE AFTER THE REPAIRS ARE MADE! MAZDA NEEDS TO STOP THE DENIAL AND RESOLVE THIS ISSUE ASAP! HOPEFULLY YOU CAN PLEASE HELP SOME HARD WORKING PEOPLE WHO CANNOT AFFORD THESE COSTS! THANKS FOR YOUR TIME... *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA CX-7. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR EXTERIOR LIGHT WOULD BURN A HOLE IN THE TAIL LIGHT COVER, MELTING THE PLASTIC. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WOULD INSPECT THE VEHICLE AT A CHARGE BUT THE CONTACT DECLINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,800 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 49,880. UPDATED 02/22/12 *BF UPDATED 03/01/12

MAZDA HAS A BULLETIN OUT TO MECHANICS ABOUT CX-7'D TIMING CHAIN. THE TIMING CHAIN PROBLEM COULD CEASE AN ENGINE ON A HIGHWAY AND CAUSE SAFTEY HAZARDS. MAZDA IS ALSO REFUSING REPAIRS ON MY TIMING CHAIN BECAUSE I CANNOT PRODUCE THE PAPERWORK FOR MY OIL CHANGES. I EVEN HAVE A 70,000 MILE WARRANTY WHICH WAS EXTENDED BECAUSE OF THE TIMING CHAIN PROBLEMS. I EVEN CALLED MY BANK TO GET STATEMENTS PROVING PAYMENT IN THE SAME AMOUNT FOR THE PLACE I GET MY OIL CHANGES DONE, WHICH MAZDA HAS A COUPLE COPIES OF, BUT THEY REFUSED BANK STATEMENTS. THIS IS HORRIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICE AND US, CONSUMERS SHOULD BE PROTECTED AGAINST THIS. MY CAR HAS 65,000 MILES AND I'M STILL MAKING CAR PAYMENTS. I CAN GUARENTEE I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MAZDA AND WILL TELL EVERYONE I KNNOW AND POST IT ON EVERY SITE I CAN. *TT

ONE MORNING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURN ON, THE COMPUTER CODE CAME BACK AS EGR VAL,I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR OVER 3YRS THIS IS A PRICEY PART, I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCE THIS AS SOON AS THEY REACH THE 62K MILES THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I HOPE THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A NOISE THAT THE ENGINE HAVE EVER SINCE O BOUGHT IT WHICH THE SAID IT WAS NORMAL... AS PER THE TIRES I HAD TO REPLACE THEM AS SOON AS I REACHED THE 1 YR, NEVER WILL I BUY A MAZDA AGAIN.... *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. TURNS OUT THE TIMING CHAIN, GASKETS, LOCK, AND BOLT, OIL PAN GASKET, AND EGR VALVE NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR ONLY HAS 37,437 MILES ON IT. TO HAVE MAJOR ENGINE PROBLEMS IS RIDICULOUSLY UNSAFE. MAZDA HAS MANY CASES WITH THESE SAME ISSUES AND YET HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. EVEN WITH THE WARRANTY COVERING ENGINE PARTS/LABOR IT'S ABSURD! THEY NEED TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR SELLING LEMONS TO THE PUBLIC. *KB

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR CLOSE TO HOME AND I WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 30 MPH. I HEARD A FEW TAPS AND THEN TURNED OFF THE HEATING/AIR CONDITIONING. AS I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY, THE NOISE RESUMED AND A BURNING ELECTRICAL SMELL STARTED AND ACTUALLY THE SMELL REMAINED THE ENTIRE NIGHT. I HAD IT TOWED THE NEXT DAY TO MY LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR PLACE AND AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS THE CLUTCH BURNED UP IN THE COMPRESSOR AND THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, RUSSEL, IN BALTIMORE AND ASKED IF THERE HAD BEEN THESE PROBLEMS AND I WAS TOLD NO. I HAVE SINCE READ MANY STORIES THAT ARE ABOUT THE SAME. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING IN VALENCIA ON THE 5 FREEWAY AND THE INTERIOR OF MY 2008 MAZDA CX-7 FILLED WITH SMOKE TO THE POINT WHERE I FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. I PULLED TO THE EXIT (MAGIC MOUNTAIN PKWY) AND PULLED TO THE SIDE TURNING OFF THE ENGINE. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES I LIFTED THE HOOD TO FIND THAT THE ENGINE WAS STILL SMOKING AROUND THE BELT AREA. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO FIRESTONE NEWHALL, CA WHERE THEY ARE STILL LOOKING AT IT. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE AC COMPRESSOR SEIZED CAUSING THE BELT TO FIRE AND ALMOST CATCH FIRE. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL. *TR

ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 OUR 2008 MAZDA CX-7 EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. THIS FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHILE DRIVING ON A FREEWAY: THE ENGINE HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEMS OR MADE ANY UNUSUAL NOISES, NO INDICATOR LIGHTS HAD SIGNALED A PROBLEM, AND WE HAD MADE OIL AND OIL FILTER CHANGES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. THE FAILURE CREATED AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION, AS THE CAR LOST POWER AND THIS MEANT THAT SEVERAL CRITICAL FUNCTIONS, MOST NOTABLY, THE STEERING, WERE SEVERELY COMPROMISED; THE DRIVER ONLY JUST MANAGED TO BRING THE CAR TO A SAFE STOP. THE MAZDA SERVICE CENTER EXAMINED THE ENGINE OF THE CAR ON SEPTEMBER 26 AND REPORTED THAT THE PISTON IN THE NUMBER 2 CYLINDER HAD FAILED DAMAGING THE ENGINE BEYOND REPAIR. THE SERVICE MANAGER VERIFIED OUR MAINTENANCE RECORDS AND INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS FREE OF SLUDGE OR OTHER BUILD UP. *TR

PURCHASED MY 2008 MAZDA CX7 BRAND NEW 12/08/2008. STARTED NOTICING WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE TAIL PIPES WHILE IDLING AND I LIVED IN SOUTH FLORIDA AT THE TIME. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE CAR WAS LEAKING OIL AND THEY WANTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM BY PUTTING IN OIL THAT WOULD COST OVER $100 PER OIL CHANGE. AFTER PUTTING IN THE OIL THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN AND THEY THEN STATED THAT THE ONLY FIX WOULD BE TO REPLACE THE TURBO AND THAT I HAD TO CONTACT CORPORATE TO GET IT FIXED. AFTER SPEAKING WITH CORPORATE THE TURBO WAS REPLACED, BUT I AM NOW HAVING WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR AGAIN AND I AM AT 45,500 MILES. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT I SEE LISTED OFTEN ON THIS SITE AND WITH SOME CARS STARTING ON FIRE. I HOPE THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN, BUT IF MAZDA HAS CHANGED THE TURBO DUE TO THIS PROBLEM IN NEWER MODELS A RECALL SHOULD BE LOOKED AT TO KEEP THE PROBLEM FROM OCCURRING. *TR