2008 MAZDA MAZDA3 Complaints

1) STOPPED FOR FUEL. TURNED CAR OFF. EVERYTHING HAD BEEN OPERATING FINE UP TO THIS POINT. 2) TURNED CAR ON AFTER REFUELING. POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY AND POWER STEERING WAS INOPERATIVE. TRIED TURNING CAR OFF AND BACK ON TWO OR THREE TIMES TO NO AVAIL. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR OF DRIVING WITHOUT POWER STEERING, STOPPED AGAIN FOR LUNCH. TURNED CAR OFF. 3) AFTER LUNCH, TURNED CAR ON. POWER STEERING SEEMED TO BE ONCE AGAIN OPERATING PROPERLY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 8/2008. *TR

POWER STEERING WAS CUTTING OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. DEALER HAS REPLACED POWER STEERING PUMP MOTOR. *TR

POWER STEERING CUTTING OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. VERY HARD TO STEER. MY YOUNG GRAND DAUGHTER ALMOST HAD A CRASH. POWER STEERING CUT OUT THREE TIMES BEFORE I GOT IT TO THE DEALER. (REPLACED POWER STEERING MOTOR -SEE 10315633 FROM THE SAME COMPLAINANT). *TR

I WAS DRIVING A 2008 MAZDA 3 WHICH I PURCHASED NEW. IT HAD ABOUT 25000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING AROUND A CURVE WHEN THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY WENT OUT. I CROSSED THE DOUBLE YELLOW LINE NEARLY CAUSING A CRASH SINCE I WASN'T PREPARED FOR SUCH A HARD TURN. I CONTACTED MAZDA SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY STATED THEY WERE AWARE OF THE DEFECT AND THEY SENT A TOW TRUCK FOR IT. I WAS GIVEN ANOTHER MAZDA 3 FOR A REPLACEMENT WHILE MINE WAS BEING FIXED. AFTER ROUGHLY TWO WEEKS OF DRIVING IT THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. I WAS ONCE AGAIN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. THEY ONCE AGAIN SENT A TOW TRUCK AND GAVE ME A DIFFERENT CAR FOR A REPLACEMENT. WHILE TALKING TO THE SERVICE MANAGER WHERE I BOUGHT MY CAR THEY SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. THE ISSUE WAS DEFECTIVE POWER STEERING LINES. THESE LINES CORRODE FROM THE INSIDE AND THEN GET INTO THE POWER STEERING PUMP CAUSING IT TO FAIL. IT TOOK THEM SIX WEEKS TO GET MY CAR BACK TO ME. THEY SAID IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET IT REPAIRED BECAUSE THEY ARE HAVING TROUBLE FINDING THAT MANY REPLACEMENT PARTS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 75 MPH, TRIED TO AVOID A VEHICLE THAT WAS UNSAFELY CHANGING LANES. PUSHED BRAKES AND VEERED TOWARDS LEFT. THE BRAKES (WHICH ARE NOT ABS) RESPONDED SLOWLY AND I SLAMMED IN THE MIDDLE DIVIDER. A COUPLE MONTH BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE DEALER HAD THE ROTORS RESURFACED SINCE THE CAR WAS SHAKING VIGOROUSLY WHILE BRAKING AT HIGH SPEEDS. ALSO THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THE ACCIDENT. TOOK CAR TO A MECHANIC AND THE MECHANIC WAS AMAZED THAT BASED ON THE VISUAL FRONTAL DAMAGE TO THE CAR THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

TURNING LEFT ON A T JUNCTION WHEN SOME ONE RAN A RED LIGHT AND CRASHED INTO MY DRIVERSIDE FRONT AND REAR DOORS. THE HIT WAS HARD ENOUGH TO PIN THE STEERING WHEEL WITH THE SMASHED IN DOOR, BUT THE SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT GO OFF. NO CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN AS THE VEHICLE WAS TITLED AS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

IN EARLY AUGUST 2009 AT APPROX. 21K MILES WHEN I PERFORMED MY 7500 MILE TIRE ROTATION I NOTICED THAT ALL THE 4 OE GOOD YEAR RSA TIRES WERE VERY WORN ON THE INSIDE, NOT THE THREAD AREA BUT THE AREA WHERE THE SIDEWALL STARTS. I HAD NOTICED THIS BEFORE BUT HAD NOT THOUGHT MUCH OF IT AS IT WASN'T TOO BAD. I DROVE ON A 500 MILE TRIP SHORTLY AFTER THIS AND BECAME MORE CONCERNED . I HAD THE ALIGNMENT CHECKED AT THE DESTINATION AND IT WAS WITHIN MFG. SPEC. THE ALIGNMENT PEOPLE SAID THE CAUSE WAS PROBABLY DUE TO THE NEGATIVE CAMBER ON THE REAR WHEELS WHICH AT -2.3 AND -1.7 WAS PROBABLY THE REASON FOR THE WEAR AND THAT I SHOULD REPLACE THE TIRES. MAZDA DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR ADJUSTING THE REAR CAMBER. NOT HAVING THE RESOURCES AT THE TIME, THINKING MAYBE IT WAS A OVERZEALOUS SALES EFFORT, AND TO ME THE TIRES STILL LOOKED USABLE I DIDN'T REPLACE THEM. NOW AT 27K MILES I HAVE THE RESOURCES TO REPLACE THEM AND THE AREA ON THE INSIDE CORNER IN MUCH MORE WORN. MAZDA GIVES NO EXPLANATION, ONE SAID SHOULD ROTATE @ 5K MILES, ANOTHER SAYS THEY PUT CRAPPY TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. ON THE INTERNET, PEOPLE WHO REPLACE THE TIRES SAY THEY CONTINUE TO HAVE THE PROBLEM AND THAT IT IS CAUSED BY THE EXCESSIVE NEGATIVE CAMBER THAT CANNOT BE ADJUSTED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT, WITH A SOUR ECONOMY MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD REPLACEMENT TIRES, MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO OR PAY TO ROTATE TIRES AND MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT CHECK THEM AT ALL. AT THE MINIMUM MAZDA SHOULD PROVIDE FOR ADJUSTMENT OF THE REAR CAMBER. *TR

PARKING BRAKE FAILED WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. VEHICLE ROLLED DOWN SLIGHT DECLINE AND SLAMMED INTO A TRUCK. *TR

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT EAGLE-RSA 205/50VR17 TIRES ON MY MAZDA 3- 5DOOR ARE SHOWING EXAGGERATED WEAR ON ALL FOUR TIRES. EVEN IF I DO THE TREADWEAR CALCULATION, I SHOULD HAVE REACHED 18,720 MILES BEFORE NEEDING REPLACEMENT. AT 17,MILES, THE TIRES ARE DOWN TO THE WEAR INDICATORS. EVEN BEFORE THAT, I HAVE ALMOST BEEN IN TWO ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE EXTREMELY POOR WET AND SNOW TRACTION OF THE "ALL SEASON" TIRES. UNLESS IT IS DRY AND ABOVE 60 DEGREES, THESE TIRES HAVE LITTLE TO NO TRACTION. ATTEMPTING TO PULL OUT OF MY STREET ON TWO RAINY DAYS HAS RESULTED IN UNNECESSARY WHEELSPIN AND NEAR LOSS OF CONTROL. THIS WAS BEFORE 10,000 MILES ON THE TIRES. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 18 YEARS AND HAVE ONLY EXPERIENCED WHEELSPIN IN THE RAIN WITH MY 1970 MERCURY WITH 300HP. AT A MINIMUM, GOODYEAR SHOULD BE HIT WITH A FALSE ADVERTISING SUIT FOR ADVERTISING THE EAGLE-RSA AS AN "ALL SEASON" TIRE. I AGREE WITH ANOTHER COMPLAINANT THAT GOODYEAR MIGHT BE INTENTIONALLY NOT GIVING WARRANTY'S FOR THE TIRES AGAINST WEAR BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE PRODUCT WILL NOT LAST THAT LONG. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST SET OF GOODYEARS THAT HAVE NOT MADE IT TO THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY. I HAD ASKED THE DEALER TO SWITCH TIRES WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE, BUT ALL OF THE MAZDA3- 5DOORS ON THE LOT HAD THE SAME AWFUL TIRES. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SET OF GOODYEARS OR A VEHICLE THAT HAS THEM AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES. *TR

I OWN A MAZDA 3, PURCHASED 7/08, CAR HAS 20K MILES, THE GOODYEAR TIRES RSA 205-50R-17 NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A DEFECT IN A PART TO CORRECT A REAR CAMBER ISSUE, THE DEFECT CAUSED THE TIRES TO WEAR UNEVENLY AND HAVE VERY LOW TREAD LIFE. THE DEALERSHIP AND ZONE OFFICE WILL REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART BUT I AM HAVING DIFFICULTLY HAVING THEM PAY FOR REPLACEMENT TIRES. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN EFFECTED BY THE DEFECTIVE PART THEREFORE THE WARRANTY SHOULD COVER THE FULL COST OF REPLACEMENT TIRES. I AM WAITING FOR THE DEFECTIVE PART TO ARRIVE AT THE DEALER, THE PART IS ON BACK ORDER. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE REAR CAMBER PART ISSUE SINCE GOOD TIRES LEADS TO SAFETY. *TR