2009 MAZDA MAZDA6 Complaints

I USUALLY GET MY GIRLFRIENDS OIL CHANGED ON HER 09 MAZDA 6 4 CYL AT A LOCAL SHOP BUT DECIDED TO DO THE OIL CHANGE MYSELF. UPON INSPECTION WHILE WAITING FOR THE OIL TO DRAIN I NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RUST CORROSION ON THE RIGHT REAR WHERE THE SUBFRAME ATTACHES. IT'S SAD BECAUSE WE HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR A YEAR AND A HALF AND BEFORE WE BOUGHT IT IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY CLEAN UNDERNEATH. I HONESTLY DON'T SEE THIS 2009 MAZDA PASSING INSPECTION AGAIN AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF MAZDA WILL HELP OUT. DO WE KEEP DRIVING THIS CAR AND RISKING OUR AND EVERYONE ELSE'S LIFE'S ? PHOTO IS JUST THE BOTTOM. TOP SIDE OF CROSS MEMBER IS MUCH WORSE. PLEASE HELP!!??

BROUGHT VEHICLE IN TO A MECHANIC TO REPLACE RIGHT-SIDE INNER/OUTER TIE RODS DUE TO KNOCKING SOUND WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL ALL THE WAY TO ONE SIDE. MECHANIC GOT IT ON A LIFT AND SHOWED ME THE TIE RODS WEREN'T THE PROBLEM, IT WAS THE FACT THAT THE FRONT SUBFRAME WAS SO ROTTED THAT THE TIE RODS WEREN'T ATTACHED TO IT ANYMORE, THEY WERE JUST FREE FLOATING. MECHANIC SAID THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND THE SUBFRAME NEEDED TO BE REPLACE ASAP. AFTER REMOVING THE ROTTED SUBFRAME, IT WAS OBVIOUS TO SEE THAT THE LARGE AMOUNT OF RUST THAT HAD FORMED WAS DUE TO THE POOR DESIGN OF THE A/C WASTE WATER PORT. IT'S JUST A PLASTIC OPENING STICKING OUT OF THE FIREWALL, SO ALL THE WASTE WATER IS DRIPPING/POURING DOWN FROM THE OPENING AND ENDS UP SITTING ON THE SUBFRAME AND CAUSING RUST. THERE IS ALSO AN INTENTIONAL HOLE IN THE SUBFRAME RIGHT BELOW THE WASTE WATER PORT, SO THE WATER ALSO GETS INTO THE FRAME AND TRAVELS DOWN ITS LENGTH TO SPREAD OUT ALL THE RUST AND CORROSION. I HAD TO BUY SOME HOSE CLAMPS AND A PLASTIC ELBOW AND SOME VINYL TUBING TO DIRECT THE WASTE WATER DOWN BELOW MY BRAND NEW SUBFRAME SO THAT I DON'T END UP RUSTING IT OUT AS WELL.

THE FRONT SUBFRAME BROKE DUE TO BEING ROTTED THROUGH. THIS HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING

FRONT SUBFRAME AND ENGINE SUPPORT RUSTED OUT TO THE POINT THAT IT WAS CRACKED AND BROKEN HAD TO BE REPLACED BEFORE IT RESULTED IN CATASTROPHE LOSS OF CONTROL. I HAD TO REPLACE THIS PART @ $2500 JUST TO KEEP CAR DRIVE ABLE. I'VE SINCE SOLD CAR AFTER FRAME WAS REPLACED WITH NEW OEM PART.

CURRENTLY MY CAR IS STATIONARY, UNSAFE TO DRIVE, IN A REPAIR SHOP. THE FRONT SUBFRAME ON THE RIGHT SIDE IS COMPLETELY ROTTEN TO THE CORE. ALL PARTS ATTACHED (SUSPENSION, WHEEL, ETC.) TO THE FRAME ARE FALLING OFF. THE ROTTEN PART IS CHIPPING AWAY. MY CAR WAS MAKING A CLANKING, BANGING NOISE (I BELIEVED THE MUFFLER OR SOMETHING WAS LOOSE) SO I TOWED IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE REPAIR SHOP, THE MANAGER SAID SHE HAD BAD NEWS, LORD AND BEHOLD, SHE TELLS AND SHOWS ME THE FRAME. I COULD HAVE PASSED OUT. IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS CAR HAD THIS PROBLEM, I WOULD HAVE NEVER PURCHASED IT. TO MAKE IT WORST IS THE COST TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. MY CAR IS NOT REPAIRED, MAZDA DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE ISSUE WHICH IS NOT SAFE, AND MAZDA DOES NOT WHAT TO HELP WITH THE EXPENSE. NHTSA, THIS IS VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MAZDA 6 2009 MODELS; A LOT OF CUSTOMERS HAVE IDENTIFIED THIS PROBLEM AND IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS IMMEDIATELY. THE CURRENT REPAIR SHOP CANNOT FIX THE FRAME SO I MUST HAVE MY VEHICLE TOWED TO A COLLISION SHOP. I AM NOT VERY HAPPY AND I AM NOT DRIVING MY CAR. I WILL GO BACK AND TAKE PICTURES OF THE FRAME AND SEND IT TO YOU.

2009 MAZDA MAZDA6. 121000 MILES. 9.5 YEARS OLD. DRIVER SIDE OF FRONT SUBFRAME RUSTED THROUGH AND CRACKED. FIRST NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED 1/4 LEFT OF WHERE IT SHOULD BE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING STRAIGHT. HAD MECHANIC ASSESS. PAID $90 FOR ALIGNMENT. DROVE VEHICLE AGAIN. BACKED OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND HEARD POP. STEERING FELT MUCH LOOSER. DIFFICULT TO CONTROL VEHICLE. WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE QUICKLY IN TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE PULLED STRONGLY TO ONE SIDE. WHEEL WOULD NOT CENTER. VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER MAINTAIN CONSISTENT STEERING. HAD DRIVEN AND CHECKED AT MECHANIC. DIAGNOSED RUSTED AND CRACKED SUBFRAME. MECHANIC FOUND USED SUBFRAME FROM MARYLAND. QUOTED $2000 MINIMUM FOR REPAIR. COULD BE MORE IF BOLTS WERE RUSTED HOLDING FRAME IN OR REPAIR REQUIRED WORK FROM TOP SIDE. ALL OTHER SYSTEMS ON VEHICLE IN EXCELLENT SHAPE (NO ISSUES) WITH ELECTRICAL, ENGINE, ETC. HAD HOPED TO GET 3 MORE YEARS OUT OF VEHICLE. NEW YORK STATE CONDITIONS ARE CONDUCIVE TO RUST, BUT THIS FAILURE IS SERIOUS, COULD HAVE LED TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, AND SEEMS PREMATURE.

RUSTED SUBFRAME MECHANIC'S INSPECTION AT 100,000 MILES REVEALED SEVERE RUSTING OF SUBFRAME. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE IF IT BREAKS IT WOULD ALLOW THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TO FALL OUT OF PLACE. I HAVE ORDERED A REPLACEMENT PART BUT IT IS UNAVAILABLE UNTIL JULY. IN THE MEANTIME, IT FEELS AS THOUGH I AM DRIVING A TIME BOMB. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE IT SEEMS ABNORMAL FOR A STRUCTURAL COMPONENT TO ROT OUT SO QUICKLY AND BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL.

THE SUBFRAME OF MY 2009 MAZDA6 COMPLETELY ROTTED OUT FROM THE INSIDE AND THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN DURING NORMAL USE. ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 2ND, A MAZDA DEALERSHIP REPLACED MY ROTORS, PADS, AND NOTICED THE CAR WAS PULLING TO ONE SIDE SO THEY CORRECTED THE ALIGNMENT. DURING THIS TIME THEY IDENTIFIED A NORMAL LEVEL OF RUST ON THE SUBFRAME BUT WAS NOT CONCERNED BY ANY OTHER SIGNS OF FAILURE. LESS THAN 10 MILES AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP THE SUBFRAME CRACKED, MY FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL CV AXIL DISCONNECTED AND THE CAR WAS INOPERABLE. THANKFULLY I WAS GOING ONLY 35 MPH, DOWN A STRAIGHT, PAVED CITY ROAD, AND NOT ON THE HIGHWAY. I FEAR THAT AT HIGHER SPEEDS THE CAR WOULD HAVE GONE OFF ROAD OR WORSE FOR WHEN THE SUBFRAME BROKE THE CAR JERKED HEAVILY TO THE RIGHT THEN COMPLETELY STOPPED. I BELIEVE THE DEALERSHIP PROVIDED QUALITY SERVICE AND DUE TO THE TYPE OF PHYSICAL FAILURE OF ROTTING FROM THE INSIDE THE DANGER IT POSED TO MYSELF AND MY FAMILY IN THE CAR WAS HIDDEN. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMS ME THAT THERE IS A BACKORDER (400ISH) FOR THE PART AND THAT PARTS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. SEARCHING ONLINE THERE SEEMS TO BE MANY SIMILAR CASES REPORTED WITH MODELS AROUND THIS TIMEFRAME. DUE TO THE TYPE OF FAILURE, NUMBER OF SIMILAR CASES, AGE OF THE CAR, TYPE OF USE, I AM SHOCKED THAT THERE IS NOT A RECALL.

I WAS DRIVING TO A MEDICAL APPT ON LOCAL ROADS WHEN I NOTICED A THUMPING SOUND FROM THE FRONT LEFT, AS IF THE TIRE WERE GOING FLAT. I STOPPED AND INSPECTED THE TIRE AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS, SO I CONTINUED ON TO THE APPT LESS THAN A MILE AWAY. LEAVING THE APPT I FELT THE CAR SUDDENLY PULLING SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT, AND THE DSC-OFF LIGHT CAME ON. TURNING RIGHT CAUSED A LOUD SQUEAKING NOISE. I DROVE IMMEDIATELY TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP THAT WAS FORTUNATELY ONLY A MILE OR SO AWAY. THEY EXAMINED THE CAR AND FOUND THAT IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO SEVERE RUSTING OF THE FRONT SUBFRAME (RIGHT SIDE). THEY SAID THAT IF I HAD HIT A POTHOLE THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE MAY HAVE BROKEN OFF, ENDANGERING MY LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE A USED SUBFRAME, AND NEW SUBFRAMES ARE ON BACKORDER UNTIL JUNE - LEAVING ME TO FIND ALTERNATE MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION FOR AT LEAST A MONTH. LIVING IN A NORTHERN CLIMATE I EXPECT CARS TO RUST, BUT A 9 YEAR OLD CAR WITH ONLY 70,000 MILES SHOULD NOT HAVE DETERIORATED TO SUCH A LEVEL THIS QUICKLY.

TAKATA RECALL - ASSURED BY DEALER PARTS FOR RECALL IN STOCK. DEALER KEPT ME THERE, WITHOUT HAVING THE PARTS, FOR HOURS WHILE SEARCHING FOR BILLABLE WORK. SUGGESTED $759 - $1059 UNRELATED SERVICE. CAREFUL POST-VISIT ANALYSIS INDICATED NO SUCK SERVICE NEEDED. NOW I'M WARY OF RETURNING FOR RECALL OR ANY OTHER REASON. HERITAGE MAZDA CATONSVILLE MD 21228 INVOICE #5MCS115194.