2004 MAZDA MAZDA6 Complaints

DT: CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HAS A HANDLE ABOVE THE DOOR OF THE BACK SEAT. CONSUMER'S MOTHER WAS HOLDING ONTO HANDLE WHEN IT BROKE LOOSE. CONSUMER'S MOTHER IS ELDERLY AND SHE SUSTAINED A BRUISE ON HER FOREHEAD, AND PULLED THE MUSCLES ON HER NECK , BACK AND SHOULDER BLADE. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME ANYONE HAD SET IN THE BACK SEAT. WHAT EVER HELD HANDLE IN THE SLOT OF THE BODY BROKE. CONSUMER SAID IT LOOKED LIKE HANDLE WAS HELD IN WITH CLIPS.*AK *NM

CAR MAKES A NOISE FROM BRAKES WHEN TURINING ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT AND APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES. IT'S NOT A NORMAL BRAKE SQUEAL, IT'S MORE OF A MOANING NOISE. IT IS DEFINATELY COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT BRAKE. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN IT TURNS TO THE RIGHT. IT ALSO NORMALLY OCCURRS WHEN THE VEHICLE/BRAKES ARE HOT. IT HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR THE PAST 10 MONTHS. TWO SEPERATE MAZDA DEALERSHIPS SAY THERE IS NO PROBLEM AND THEY "CAN'T REPRODUCE THE SOUND." AT PINNACLE MAZDA (RENTON, WA), THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. I HAD A MECHANIC RIDE WITH ME TO TRY AND MAKE THE SOUND. DURING THE RIDE, HE STATED THAT MAZDA HAS BEEN HAVING A "TON OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT BRAKES, ESPECIALLY THE RX-8, BUT ALSO ON THE MAZDA 6 AND MAZDA 3." HE FURTHER STATED, "IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE MAZDA CAN FIND A FIX EITHER." I THOUGHT THIS WAS INTERESTING COMING FROM A MAZDA MECHANIC. ULTIMATELY, MY CAR STILL MAKES THE NOISE. I HAVE A CO-WORKER WHO HAS THE SAME CAR, AND IT TOO MAKES THE SAME NOISE.

CAR IS A MAZDA 6 SPORT WAGON 2004 WITH POWER DOOR LOCKS. THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT AGAINST A DEALER OR THE MANUFACTURER (MAZDA) AT THIS POINT. THEY ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE PROBLEM AND I EXPECT A SATISFACTORY FIX. THE ISSUE HERE IS THE FAILURE MODE OF THE PART OF THE CAR IN QUESTION WHICH PART IS DOOR LOCKS. THE FIRST DAY WE HAD THE CAR, WE HAD THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK NOT OPEN USING THE KEY FOB OR THE KEY. WE COULD NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND THEN, SUDDENLY, IT STARTED WORKING AGAIN. TWO DAYS LATER, THE FAILURE RE-OCCURED IN THE SAME WAY AND, AGAIN, WE WERE ABLE TO GET INTO THE CAR EVENTUALLY WITH REPEATED TRIAL. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART. ON APR 21, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND STOPPED AT HER DESTINATION. THE FAILURE OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK OCCURED AGAIN BUT THIS TIME SHE WAS INSIDE THE CAR. SHE FOUND SHE COULD NOT OPEN THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR BY ANY MEANS AT ALL. THE DOOR WAS NOT JAMMED, IT WAS JUST THAT THE DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK. THE FOB WOULD NOT UNLOCK, THE MANUAL BUTTON WOULD NOT UNLOCK AND THE DOOR LEVER WOULD NOT UNLOCK. SHE HAD TO CLIMB OVER THE CONSOLE (NO SMALL FEAT) AND GET OUT THROUGH THE PASSENGER DOOR. I BELIEVE THIS REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT RISK TO HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AS THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED TO GET OUT OF A CAR TO SAVE LIFE OR LIMB. I THINK THE FAILURE MODE OF THIS LOCK SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND EVALUATED FOR SAFETY RISK. *AK

ORIGINALLY, 5 MONTHS AGO, I NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH MY 2004 MAZDA 6I AT WHEN STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. I NOTICED THE CARS IDLE PICK UP AND THE DASHBOARD DISPLAY FLICKERED. THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY AND THE CAR WAS FINE. A WEEK LATER, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND AGAIN THE DASHBOARD STARTED FLICKERING AND THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND HESISTATED TO STAY AT A CONSISTENT SPEED. THIS WAS HIGHLY DANGEROUS AS I COULD NOT KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM CEASED IN A SPAN OF 2 MINUTES AND THE CAR WAS FINE. I IMMEDIATELY SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT AT MY LOCAL MAZDA SERVICE CENTER AND AFTER TWO DAYS OF INVESTIGATING, THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, THEREFORE THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM ACTUALLY NEVER OCCURED AGAIN UNTIL A FEW WEEKS AGO. I WAS DRIVING HOME AND I NOTICED SOME HESITENCY IN ACCELERATION AND AS I PULLED IN MY GARAGE, THE CAR FLAT OUT STALLED. I TOOK THE CAR OUT ON ROADS THAT WERE NOT BUSY AND THE PROBLEM DID NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. THEN LAST NIGHT AS I WAS PULLING IN ON, THE EXACT PROBLEM THAT HAPPENED PREVIOUSLY HAPPENED AGAIN AND MY CAR STALLED AFTER ENTERING MY GARAGE. I AM SOME WHAT FEARFUL OF DRIVING MY CAR ON THE FREEWAY WITH THE THOUGHT IT COULD STALL OUT. *AK

CONSUMER REQUESTING INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN MAZDA OWNERS MANUAL. THAT VEHICLE MAY CUT OUT OR LOSE POWER , ETC. WHILE DRIVING. *BF THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TO HAVE INFORMATION ADDED TO THE MANUAL REGARDING THE CONSUMERS NEED TO WATCH RPM'S AND LET OFF OF THE GAS BEFORE THE ENGINE GETS TO THE RED LINE AND SHUTS ITSELF DOWN. WHEN THE THROTTLE IS FULLY DEPRESSED WHILE PASSING, THE ENGINE DOWNSHIFTS AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO BUT WILL NEVER UPSHIFT AGAIN UNTIL THE DRIVER CONSCIOUSLY PATS THE ACCELERATOR TO MAKE IT UPSHIFT OR THE ENGINE HITS THE REDLINE ON THE RPM MODULE. *TC

WHILE PARKING ON AN INCLINE I ATTEMPTED TO SET THE CARAS PARKING BRAKE. WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, I PULLED THE BRAKE HANDLE FULLY UPWARD WITHOUT HOLDING THE BUTTON. WHEN I RELEASED MY HAND FROM THE PARKING BRAKE, I FOUND THE HANDLE TO STILL BE IN MY HAND BECAUSE IT HAD FALLEN BACK DOWN AS A RESULT OF NEVER ENGAGING. I ATTEMPTED TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE A MINIMUM OF 4 MORE TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS. IN A FINAL ATTEMPT, I PULLED THE HANDLE SWIFTLY AND MUCH MORE FIRMLY UPWARD AT WHICH POINT THE BRAKE FINALLY BECAME SET. I RETESTED THE PARKING BRAKE BY RELEASING IT AND SETTING IT AGAIN WITH SUCCESS. I RECENTLY TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE 11/8/04 BECAUSE THE CAR HAS A HISTORY OF THE PARKING BREAK RELEASING BY ITSELF BUT IT HAS NEVER BEEN TOTALLY UNABLE TO BE SET. CULVER CITY MAZDA STATES THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PARKING BREAK FAILURE SO NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT WHEN PULLING UP THE BRAKE HANDLE I SHOULD NOT PUSH THE BUTTON, WHICH IS SOMETHING I ALWAYS PRACTICED PRIOR TO THIS COMPLICATION.*AK

WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE BRAKES DISENGAGED, ALMOST CAUSING CONSUMER'S VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO OTHER VEHICLES. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, AND STATED THAT THE BRAKES WERE NOT DEFECTIVE. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD DURING THE INCIDENT. *SC *JB

THE VEHICLE DID NOT DRIVE STRAIGHT. IT CONSTANTLY PULLED TO THE RIGHT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED 5 TIMES IN WHICH THE FRONT SUSPENSION WAS REALIGNED 4 TIMES. THE FIFTH TIME SOME BOLTS WERE REPLACED. THE FAILURE STILL EXIST. *JB

I WAS ORIGINALLY MISQUOTED IN MY COMPLAINT TAKEN OVER THE PHONE SO I AM WRITING THIS AS A CLARIFICATION OF THE EVENT THAT OCCURRED. I OWN A 2004 MAZDA 6S. WHILE ENTERING A PARKING SPACE AT A SPEED NO MORE THAN 10MPH, THE BRAKES DISENGAGED FOR 2-3 SECS WHILE THE BRAKE WAS STILL BEING APPLIED. I WAS CERTAIN THAT THE CAR WAS GOING TO JUMP THE CURB, WHICH DID NOT HAPPEN. THE BRAKES RE-ENGAGED CAUSING MYSELF AND MY PASSENGER TO LUNGE FORWARD VIOLENTLY. UPON TAKING THE CAR TO A MAZDA SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THE CAR WAS TEST DRIVEN, THE BRAKING SYSTEM WAS CHECKED, AND FOUND TO WORK NORMALLY AT THE TIME OF SERVICING. *NM

VEHICLE DESIGN PROBLEM THAT COULD EASILY RESULT IN FATALITY. 2004 MAZDA 6S. THIS IS THE TRANSMISSION THAT CAN EITHER BE RUN AS FULL AUTOMATIC OR AS A SEMI MANUAL SHIFT. WHEN IN A PASSING SITUATION WITH THE THROTTLE FULLY OPEN, THE ENGINE JUMPS INTO ACTION AND THE TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTS AS IT SHOULD. HOWEVER, IF THE GAS PEDAL IS KEPT PRESSED DOWN AS IN A PASSING SITUATION, THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT UP SHIFT AT ANY POINT. THE RESULT IS THAT THE ENGINE RPMS WILL INCREASE TO THE POINT OF HITTING THE RED LINE. AT THAT POINT ANOTHER FEATURE SHUTS DOWN THE ENGINE UNTIL THE RPMS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW THE RED LINE. THE RESULT IS LOSS OF POWER AT THE MOST CRITICAL TIME IN THE PASSING MANEUVER. I WAS ABLE TO BRAKE AND RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS PLACE BEHIND THE VEHICLE BEING PASSED, BUT ALMOST DID NOT MAKE IT. HAD I BEEN MUCH FURTHER FORWARD I WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE COLLIDED WITH THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HAVE CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE. THEY TESTED IT, TALKED WITH APPROPRIATE MAZDA SERVICE CENTER EXPERTS AND REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO MALFUNTION - ALL SETTING WERE AS THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE. I CORRESPONDED WITH NORTH AMERICAN MAZDA VIA EMAIL (ATTACHED) AND FORWARDED THAT EMAIL STRING TO YOUR TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE AT [email protected]. MAZDA CONTINUES TO SAY THAT NIETHER DESIGN DEFECT OR MALFUNCTION EXISTS. TO THEM IT IS AN OPERATOR PROBLEM. IF SO, ANYONE ACCUSTOMED TO THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS IN ALL OTHER CARS WILL FIND THEMSELVES IN THE SAME POSITION, UNAWARE OF THE POTENTIAL. ALL OTHER TRANSMISSIONS THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH UP SHIFT AT EITHER A CERTAIN SPEED OR VACUUM LEVEL WELL BEFORE THE ENGINE CAN GET TO DANGEROUS RPMS.*AK