2009 MAZDA MAZDA3 Complaints

RED INNER COATING ON TAIL LIGHTS APPEARS TO HAVE MELTED, MAKING A HOLE THAT SHOWS WHITE LIGHT THROUGH THE TAIL LIGHT LENS SO THAT WHEN I AM BRAKING, IT LOOKS LIKE I MIGHT HAVE MY BACKUP LIGHTS ON. *TR THIS PROBLEM WAS FIRST NOTICED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO (MID-2012) BY A FRIEND WHO WAS FOLLOWING ME ON A TRIP AT NIGHT. AT THE TIME, THERE WERE SMALL "HOLES" IN THE RED PART OF THE TAIL LIGHTS. BY EARLY THIS MONTH, WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO A MAZDA DEALER ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THE HOLES HAD BECOME QUITE A BIT BIGGER. THEY STARTED AT ABOUT THE SIZE OF A DIME OR NICKEL, LAST YEAR. NOW THEY ARE THE SIZE OF A HALF DOLLAR, AND ARE A BIGGER SAFETY HAZARD. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE ABOUT THIS. MAZDA TOLD ME TODAY THAT THE MANUFACTURER CANNOT HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM. MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP SAID MY CAR'S TAIL LIGHTS HAD "NONSTANDARD" BULBS IN THEM, AND ALSO SAID THAT THERE WERE CRACKS IN THE BULB SOCKETS. IF SO, THEN THE TAIL LIGHTS CAME THAT WAY FROM THE MANUFACTURER AND/OR THE DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD ME THE CAR NEW. I AM THE SOLE OWNER OF THE CAR, AND I HAVE NEVER CHANGED ANY TAIL LIGHT BULBS IN IT.

THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SENSOR MOUNTED IN THE RIM FAILED AND THE TIRE LOST AIR PRESSURE WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY UNTIL IT WAS FLAT AND THE SPARE TIRE NEEDED TO BE MOUNTED. THE FLAT TIRE WAS LATER TAKEN TO A TIRE SERVICE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE FLAT WAS CAUSED BY CORROSION OF THE THREADED ALUMINUM STEM ON THE TPMS CAUSING THE PLASTIC RETAINING NUT TO CRACK AND FALL OFF RESULTING IN A LEAK AROUND THE RIM AND STEM. THE CORROSION WAS SO SEVERE THAT THE TPMS COULD NOT BE USED, AND A RUBBER VALVE STEM INSERTED. THE CORROSION WAS NOT OBVIOUS AS THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE ROUTINELY INFLATES THE TIRES, THE NUT CONCEALED THE CORROSION. CORROSION THIS SEVERE WAS NOT ANTICIPATED AT 25K MILES OF DRIVING, THE TIRES WERE NOT YET WORN TO THE POINT OF REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. THE DESIGN AND APPLICATION OF THE TPMS USED FOR THIS VEHICLE IS DANGEROUS AS RAPID DEFLATION OF THE TIRE COULD HAVE RESULTED, THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE OF THE VALVE STEM DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY INDICATION OF PENDING CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, THE EXPOSURE OF THE TIRE AND VALVE STEM TO DE-ICING MATERIALS IN THE NORTHEASTERN USA IS A NORMAL ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE THAT WOULD WARRANT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER CORROSION PROTECTION THAN THE OEM TPMS THAT IS INSTALLED PROVIDES. A FULL RECALL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE TPMS'S INSTALLED IN THIS MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR NEEDS TO BE MADE. THIS TYPE OF FAILURE HAS NEVER BEEN EXPERIENCED BY THE OWNER WHEN RUBBER VALVE STEMS WERE USED IN THE PAST, IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT A NEW SAFETY DEVICE - TPMS - PRESENTS A HIGHER RISK FOR CATASTROPHIC RAPID DEFLATION OF A TIRE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THAN WOULD EVER BE EXPECTED. *TR

12/26/12, TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON, PULLED OFF HIGHWAY IMMEDIATELY, TIRE FLAT, NUT HOLDING PRESSURE STEM HAD DISINTEGRATED AND STEM WENT INSIDE TIRE. 1/2/13, ANOTHER TIRE WENT FLAT IN PARKING AREA, NEIGHBOR CAME OVER TO PUT AIR IN TIRE, NUT HOLDING PRESSURE STEM HAD DISINTEGRATED AND STEM WENT INSIDE TIRE. MAZDA DEALERSHIP MADE REPAIR AND SAID THE OTHER TWO TIRE STEM NUTS WOULD GO IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS. ALL FOUR TIRE STEM NUTS WERE REPLACED. RESEARCH ON INTERNET SHOWS THAT THIS SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURED TO MANY PEOPLE OWNING DIFFERENT MAKE/MODEL/YEAR VEHICLES. APPARENTLY A DEFECTIVE NUT AND STEM SYSTEM WITH ONE OF THREE SERIAL NUMBERS WERE ON ALL THE VEHICLES EXPERIENCING THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. I BELIEVE THESE NUT AND STEM SYSTEMS WITH THESE SERIAL NUMBERS SHOULD BE RECALLED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS TO AVOID ANYONE EXPERIENCING A DANGEROUS BLOWOUT. A NUT ON THE WHEEL SHOULD NOT BE MADE OF A MATERIAL THAT DISINTEGRATES IN LESS THAN 4 YEARS EVEN IF IT IS IN CONTACT WITH ROAD SALT. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. THE FACT THAT TWO NUTS DISINTEGRATED IN 8 DAYS AND PROBABILITY OF NEXT TWO IN TWO WEEKS SHOULD RAISE RED FLAGS IMMEDIATELY. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO ANYONE! I AM SUBMITTING THIS INFORMATION FOR MY DAUGHTER AS SHE IS STILL VERY UPSET OVER THIS HAVING HAPPENED AND HAVING INCURRED GREAT EXPENSE ON HER PART. *TR

I WAS MERGING ONTO INTERSTATE 69 FROM CENTER ROAD IN FLINT, MICHIGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2012 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:30 A.M. THERE WAS A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME MERGING AT THE SAME TIME. THAT VEHICLE MERGED IN FRONT OF A JEEP AND I MERGED BEHIND IT. THE DRIVER OF THE JEEP STATED THE VEHICLE MERGING IN FRONT OF HIM CUT HIM OFF CAUSING HIM TO BRAKE HARD AND SWERVE INTO CENTER LANE TO AVOID A CRASH. I BRAKED HARD TO AVOID REAR-ENDING THE JEEP. THE DRIVER OF THE JEEP ALSO STATED THE VEHICLE IN THE CENTER LANE SWERVED INTO THE LEFT LANE CAUSING THE VEHICLE IN THE LEFT LANE TO SWERVE OFF THE ROAD AND UPON RE-ENTERING THE LEFT LANE OVER-CORRECTED AND SLID ACROSS CENTER LANE INTO RIGHT LANE HITTING THE VEHICLE I WAS DRIVING CAUSING IT TO HIT THE GUARDRAIL THEN GOING INTO 360 DEGREE SPIN AND COMING TO A STOP APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET FARTHER ALONG THE HIGHWAY AGAINST THE GUARDRAIL. I WAS WEARING MY SEATBELT. THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. I WAS INJURED IN THE CRASH. I HAVE A FRACTURED STERNUM AND BRUISES TO MY LEFT KNEE, RIGHT ARM AND LEFT SIDE OF MY NECK. [XXX] UD-10 SERIAL #77152 FLINT POLICE DEPT.- TRAFFIC DIVISION 210 E. FIFTH ST. FLINT, MI 48502 (810) 237-6890 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MAZDA MAZDA3 EQUIPPED WITH SIEMENS SENSOR CDOV 847D TIRE VALVES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE CHECKING THE TIRE PRESSURE, BOTH OF THE REAR TIRES AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRES COLLAPSED INWARD AND BECAME DEFLATED. THE VALVE STEMS WERE REPLACED WITH RUBBER VALVES STEMS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

TPMS VALVES BADLY CORRODED AND LEAKING AIR, THESE NEED TO BE RECALLED AND REPLACED BY MAZDA DUE TO THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS OCCURRING UNDER NORMAL USE AND CARE. THIS IS DEFINITELY A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE BLOWOUTS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TR

TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON I PULLED OVER AND VALVE STEM BLEW A PIN OUT. ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE CALLED TO HELP ME AND VERIFIED IT WAS A PRESSURE VALVE STEM FAULT. SEEMS TO BE A LONG REPORTED ISSUE WITH THIS MAKE AND YEAR. WAS INFORMED TO CHECK ALL OTHER TIRE STEMS FOR DEFECTS. *TR

MAZDA HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE VALVE STEMS BREAKING EVEN WITH THE OEM CAPS BUT THEY STILL INSIST OPERATOR ERROR AND OR THERE WHERE AFTERMARKET ONES ON AT THE TIME OF THE BREAKAGE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MAZDA 3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS A WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE YAW RATE CENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V187000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MAZDA MAZDA3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SPIDERS WERE ALL OVER THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DID RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT MAZDA RECALLED THE 2009 MAZDA6 UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V134000 (FUEL SYSTEM: GASOLINE: STORAGE TANK ASSEMBLY) WHICH STATED THAT A CERTAIN TYPE OF SPIDER COULD WEAVE A WEB INSIDE THE FUEL CANISTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SAME SPIDER WAS IN THEIR VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE 2009 MAZDA WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000.