2008 MAZDA MAZDA5 Complaints

I WAS PULLING INTO A HOTEL PARKING LOT WHICH HAPPENED TO BE A STEEP SLOPE. I STOPPED MID WAY UP THE HILL TO SEE WHERE I NEEDED TO CHECK IN AND PARK. WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE, I STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS. I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR BUT NOTHING HAPPENED, MY CAR CONTINUED TO ROLL BACKWARDS. I PUSHED THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT IT WOULDN'T ALLOW ME TO PUSH IT DOWN. IT WAS STUCK. THEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS MY BRAKE LIGHT. AS I REACHED FOR THE EMERGENCY BRAKE MY CAR STOPPED BECAUSE I RAN INTO A LIGHT POST AND A TREE DAMAGING MY CAR. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR INTO PARK AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AND THE LIGHTS WERE NO LONGER ON. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT AND PARK IT. I ASSESSED THE DAMAGE WHICH WERE BOTH REAR QUARTER PANELS WERE DAMAGED AS WELL AS A FEW DENTS AND SCRATCHES. SINCE IT WAS THE WEEKEND I WAITED TILL MONDAY MORNING TO CALL MY DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THEY WOULDN'T TOUCH IT WITHOUT ME REPORTING IT TO MAZDA CORP. FIRST. I CALLED MAZDA AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED. THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO RUN IT THROUGH MY INSURANCE COMPANY SINCE THERE WAS DAMAGE TO MY CAR. I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY THE NEXT MORNING AND REPORTED IT. I HAD TO PAY MY DEDUCTIBLE PLUS SOME MONEY FROM MY INSURANCE COMPANY TO GET IT FIXED. I ASKED FOR MAZDA TO CHECK THE EVENT DATA RECORDER TO SEE WHY THIS HAPPENED. I'M NOT SURE IF THIS WAS DONE BECAUSE IT SOUNDED LIKE THEY ONLY CHECKED THE DIAGNOSTICS AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR. I DON'T BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR MY CAR BECAUSE IT WAS FAULTY. IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

2008 MAZDA5 POWERSTEERING PUMP SHUTS DOWN WHEN HOT, MAZDA KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO RECALL. DANGEROUS FOR SMALL OR WEEK DRIVERS. HAS OCCURRED 2 TIMES ON ME IN AFTER SITTING IN TRAFFIC. INTERNET SEARCH REVEALS LOTS OF COMPLAINTS. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILURE AT LOW SPEED, POWER STEERING LIGHT COMES ON. AFTER RESTART FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. *TR

THE ENGINE ON MY MAZDA5 WAS RUNNING AT IDLE SPEED FOR APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MINUTES ON A WARM DAY. IN PULLING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT, THE POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY AND THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. IN RESEARCHING WITH OTHER OWNERS, I REALIZED THAT THIS IS A PERVASIVE PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA 5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON MAY 7, 2010, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND SHE HAD TO USE THE MANUAL STEERING POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 39,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 41,000.

2008 MAZDA5 - 40K MILES AFTER IDLING IN PARKING LOT FOR APPROX 20 MINS, PUT CAR IN DRIVE AND ATTEMPTED TO LEAVE. POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, WIFE COULD NOT TURN WHEEL AT ALL. TURNED OFF CAR. I ARRIVED 10 MINS LATER AND WAS ABLE TO OPERATE THE STEERING WITH DIFFICULTY. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILURE. NORMAL MIXED DRIVING, HIGHWAY & CITY STOP & GO, WHILE WAITING IN A DRIVE THRU FOR COFFEE, STEERING WHEEL BECAME ALMOST IMMOVABLE, WOULD STILL TURN TO NORMAL LIMITS BOTH RIGHT & LEFT, HOWEVER THE EFFORT REQUIRED WAS VERY HIGH. RETURNED CAR TO DEALER UNDER WARRANTY NOTICING THAT STEERING EFFORT REMAINED CONSTANT THROUGHOUT THE DRIVE. EFFORT REQUIRED WAS NOT DEPENDENT ON SPEED, OR DIRECTION. *TR

2008 MAZDA 5 POWER STEERING FAILURE. NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AND POWER STEERING FAILED DURING OPERATION AT HIGHWAY SPEED. POWER STEERING FLUID FINE AND NO OTHER PHYSICAL SIGNS APPARENT TO CAUSE FAILURE. POWER STEERING RESUMED ONCE THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN. *TR

I WAS ABOUT TO PARALLEL PARK IN REVERSE AND THE POWER STEERING DIED. A LIGHT SHOWED UP ON THE DASHBOARD INDICATING THE SAME. BECAUSE IT WAS A BUSY STREET A BUNCH OF CARS AND BIKE RIDERS WERE BACKING UP BEHIND ME. I MUSCLED THE CAR INTO THE SPOT WITHOUT THE POWER STEERING. WHEN I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT, THE POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. *TR

CAR WAS IDLING IN THE GARAGE FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, WHEN I WENT TO BACK IT OUT OF THE GARAGE THE STEERING RESPONSE WAS EXTREMELY HEAVY (E.G. NO POWER STEERING) AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD WAS ON. I DROVE WITHOUT POWER STEERING -- VERY DIFFICULT -- FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES -- THEN CAME HOME, TURNED OFF THE ENGINE, AND LET THE CAR COOL. AFTER COOLING OFF THE POWER STEERING RETURNED AND THE WARNING LIGHT NO LONGER CAME ON. VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS INDICATE THIS IS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH MAZDA 3S AND 5S, AND THAT THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TO MANY VEHICLE OWNERS WHILE DRIVING. MAZDA HAS ISSUED A TSB, BUT HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. SEE: [BEGIN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN] TSB: 06-002/09 2007-2009 MAZDA3 AND 2007-2009 MAZDA5 - HEAVY STEERING EFFORT WITH POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON AND DTC C1099 APPLICABLE MODEL(S)/VINS 2007-2009 MAZDA3 VEHICLES (NOT INCLUDING MAZDASPEED3) WITH VINS BELOW (PRODUCED BETWEEN APRIL 1, 2007 AND NOVEMBER 4, 2008) '2007-2008 JM1BK****** 742201 - 880507 '2008-2009 JM1BK****** 100002 - 251982 2007-2009 MAZDA5 VEHICLES WITH VINS JM1CR***** 155672 - 349055 (PRODUCED BETWEEN PRODUCED BETWEEN APRIL 1, 2007 AND NOVEMBER 4, 2008) DESCRIPTION SOME CUSTOMERS MAY FEEL THAT THE STEERING EFFORT IS HARD OR HEAVY WITH POWER STEERING MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATION AND DTC C1099 [ELECTRO HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST STEERING (EHPAS)] STORED IN MEMORY. THIS PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY CONTAMINATION OF THE SYSTEM FROM SUCH THINGS AS CORROSION GETTING INSIDE THE POWER STEERING LINE, STICKING IN THE POWER STEERING PUMP, AND LOWERING THE REVOLUTION SPEED. THE SYSTEM THEN GOES INTO A FAIL SAFE FUNCTION. CUSTOMERS HAVING THIS CONCERN SHOULD HAVE THEIR VEHICLE REPAIRED USING THE FOLLOWING REPAIR PROCEDURE. [END EXCERPT FROM TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN] I AM WRITING BECAUSE I FEEL THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT MAZDA SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO REPAIR AT ITS EXPENSE, NOT THE OWNERS'. THANK YOU.*TR