2003 MAZDA MAZDA6 Complaints

CAR ENGINE STOPPING WHILE RUNNING AND A NO START. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WARNINGS OVER A LONG TIME. ONE REPAIR BY MAZDA ON THE GAS CAP REPAIR, BUT I HAVE ALSO UNCOVERED A RECALL ON LEAKING SEALS AT THE TANK ON 2003 MODELS, 03V-531. SERVICE LIGHT AGAIN CAME ON FROM 10/18/10 -10/30/10. WHILE OUT OF TOWN THE CAR SAT AIRPORT PARKING ON MY RETURN IT STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING AT A LIGHT 11/22/10, BUT ALL LIGHTS AND RADIO STATIONS WERE ACTIVE, SO NO BATTERY PROBLEM. AFTER ADJUSTING THE FILLER GAS CAP SEVERAL TIMES I FOUND IT WASN'T CLOSING AND COULD BE PULLED RIGHT OFF. WE HAVE MADE SURE THE CAP IS ON TIGHTLY EACH TIME AND SINCE CANCELLED THE DEALER APPOINTMENT FOR A $100 INSPECTION, NO LIGHT SINCE. 2/9/11 AFTER DRIVING 35 MILES THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART, AAA CAME OUT AND NO BATTERY TROUBLE, BUT A 30 MILE TOWING WAS REQUIRED TO MY HOME. THE VEHICLE SITS IN A GARAGE AVG TEMP OF 35-45F. THE NEXT MORNING AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AND USING BOTH KEYS IT RESTARTED AND WE TOOK IT INTO A DEALER. @2 DAYS LATER THEY FIND A "SERVICE BULLETIN" 901-009/07) FROM 2007. POSSIBLE @ -30C (ZEROF) THE NO START OR CRANK DUE TO MOISTURE WITHIN THE MAIN RELAY AND/OR FUEL PUMP RELAY. THAT NIGHT 25-30F IN NOV NO WAY CLOSE. ON 02/12/11 WHILE DRIVING ON IS77 THE CAR QUITE RUNNING AGAIN, 911 CALLED AS I MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD UNDER HEAVY FAST MOVING TRAFFIC. THIS WEEK ON 2/22 WHILE IN THE GARAGE HESITANT TO TURN OVER AGAIN BUT DID START ON THE 3RD TRY, VEHICLE TEMP READING WAS 47F. SO NOW FOR 2 NEW PARTS FOR 2003-2005 MODELS AND $450+ REPAIRS CAN BE MADE. THE PARTS ARE IN AND PER THE BULLETIN LOOKS MORE LIKE A BY-PASS OPTION THAN REPLACING A DEFECTIVE OEM PART. CUTTING OUT WHILE DRIVING IS VERY SERIOUS, AS MUCH SO AS ACCELERATION ON A TOYOTA. SINCE MY COMPANY IS TIED TO THE TIRE/WHEEL & AUTO MFG AND WE CONDUCT 1/2 DOT TIRE TEST FOR THE USA, I'M PRETTY SURE I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ON DEFECTS. *TR

ON 17 FEB 2011 I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 MAZDA 6S AND WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED OF 25 MPH ALL MY LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD TURNED ON AND MY CAR IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO REDUCE SPEED ALMOST TO A STAND STILL. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN TIME TO AVOID ANY ACCIDENTS OR POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. I RESTARTED MY CAR AND WAS ABLE TO PROCEED IN DRIVING. HOWEVER MY ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ONLINE AND FOUND THAT SOMEONE WITH THE SAME MODEL VEHICLE AND YEAR HAD THE SAME ISSUE ALMOST VERBATIM. THE REFERENCED A SERVICE BULLETIN FROM MAZDA BULLETIN NO: 01-016/06 RELEASED IN 2006 REGARDING THROTTLE BODY REPLACEMENT. I READ THE BULLETIN AND SURE ENOUGH IT STATED TO INSPECT THE LETTERS ON THE THROTTLE BODY. IT SHOWED AA,AB,BA MARKINGS = NO GOOD AND BB MARKING = GOOD. SO I INSPECTED MY VEHICLES THROTTLE BODY LETTER AND SURE ENOUGH IT WAS "AA". I WILL HAVE TO DEFINITELY REPLACE IT, AND OF COURSE I HAVE NO CHOICE BECAUSE YOU CAN IMAGINE THE RAMIFICATIONS OF DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY OR FREEWAY AND SOMETHING LIKE THIS WERE TO OCCUR. ACCIDENTS, OR EVEN DEATH. IT IS PRETTY UPSETTING THAT SOMETHING HAS NOT BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THESE ISSUES ESPECIALLY WITH THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF THIS DEFECT! *TR

2003 MAZDA 6 WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND APPROXIMATELY 60K MILES. HAVING INCIDENTS OF STALLING AND IDLING HARD. PER ONE MECHANIC IT IS A PVC AND LINES. A SECOND MECHANIC SHOWED US A CRACK IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THESE PARTS ARE CHEAP SINCE THEY ARE PLASTIC. BUT THE QUOTED INSTALLATION IS OVER $700 FOR JUST THE PVC. *TR

WE HAVE OWNED OUR MAZDA 6 SINCE 2003. THIS YEAR THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL RUST IN BOTH REAR FENDERS. RESEARCHING THIS IT APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM, SUCH A PROBLEM THAT IT WAS A RECALL IN ENGLAND. WE CONTACTED MAZDA TO SEE IF A RECALL WAS AVAILABLE TO AMERICA, BUT ONE WAS NOT. MAZDA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS THEY MODIFIED THEIR DESIGN TO CHANGE THE REAR FENDER ON FUTURE MODELS. WE FEAR THAT THE STRUCTURE HAS DEGRADED GREATLY THAT A SIDE IMPACT WOULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO REAR PASSENGERS. *TR

AFTER BEING RUN OFF THE HIGHWAY BY A SUV THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY DURING A HEAD ON COLLISION INTO THE WOODS GOING 65MPH DOWN A 50FT EMBANKMENT. WHOLE FRONT END OF THE CAR, AND THE DRIVE SIDE OF THE CAR WAS DESTROYED, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO COME UP RESULTING IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND CONSOLE TO COME UP. *TR

CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY CRACKS CAUSING IT TO BE DIFFICULT TO SHIFT GEARS, CLUTCH WILL STICK AND NOT SPRING BACK. EVENTUALLY THE CAR IS UNUSABLE DUE TO THE CLUTCH. I DID RESEARCH TO SEE THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS PROBLEM CONCERNING MAZDA3, MAZDA6 AND THE RX8. I HAD TO BUY A NEW CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY BUT SEEMS THE PROBLEM IS HAPPENING AGAIN. MAZDA NEEDS TO MAKE A STRONGER BRACKET TO REINFORCE THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA 6. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR AN OIL CHANGE WHEN THE MECHANIC INFORMED HIM THAT THE BRAKE LINES WERE BENDING AND PUSHING INTO THE AXLE BOOTS. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE AXLE AND BRAKE LINES AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 51,000. UPDATED 10/05/10 *BF UPDATED 10/07/10

WENT TO STORE PUSHED IN CLUTCH WENT TO THE FLOOR PARKED THE CAR AND WHEN I CAME OUT I COULD NOT START THE CAR. THE SAFETY THING WOULD NOT ENGAGE TO ALLOW ME . HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY, THE CAR HAS BEEN BACK THREE TIMES IN TWO YEARS BECAUSE IT'S TOUGH TO SHIFT CLUTCH REAL SPONGY. TODAY IT WENT TO THE FLOOR AGAIN AND STALLED, CAN'T START THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION HAD TO HAVE IT PUSHED OUT OF THE WAY THEN TOWED HOME. THE MOTOR WAS REPLACED AT 32K. THE FIRST TIME THE WHOLE CLUTCH WAS REPLACED AT 40K AND IT,S NEVER BEEN RIGHT SINCE. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING, NOT WANTING TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR AND THEN WHEN IT DOES SHIFT IT JERKS THE CAR REALLY HARD. THIS USED TO OCCUR VERY SELDOM BUT SINCE THE CAR NOW HAS 98,000 MILES ON IT, THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ALMOST ALL THE TIME. I HAVE HEARD THAT THE CAR NEEDS TO BE REFLASHED, BUT I HAVE ALSO READ THAT THIS DOES NOT HELP. MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME CAR HAVE THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. ALSO THIS TRANSMISSION IS NOT ABLE TO BE REBUILT. THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR

OVER A PERIOD OF 1-1/2 HOURS, OUR 2003 MAZDA 6 QUICKLY LOST ALL ACCELERATION POWER ON 5 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING OUT OF TOWN ON THE HIGHWAY. FOLLOWING A 'SLIGHT BUMP' THE CAR WENT FROM 70 MPH TO 35 MPH TO 10 MPH, QUICKLY, REGARDLESS OF PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR. GETTING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN TRAFFIC GOING 70MPH+ WAS IN ITSELF A CHALLENGE AND AFTER PULLING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE CAR BEGAN JERKING FIERCELY. ONLY TURNING OFF THE ENGINE COMPLETELY WAS THE SYSTEM 'RESET'. THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP HOOKED IT UP AND DETERMINED THE THROTTLE BODY MUST BE REPLACED FOR A QUOTED COST OF $534.41 (MACON, GA). THE SENSOR ITSELF, THE LIKELY CULPRIT FOR THIS ISSUE, IS NOT OFFERED OR AVAILABLE FOR SALE BY MAZDA WITHOUT ITS 'BODY', UNLIKE COUNTLESS OTHER MAKES, WHICH IS OUTRAGEOUS, BUT THE MOST DISGUSTING PART OF THIS ISSUE IS THAT ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A CRITICAL NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS LOGGED ABOUT THIS ISSUE, THE TPS HAS NOT BEEN LISTED AS A RECALL. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THEY DID NOT HAVE TO REPLACE IT SINCE THERE WERE ONLY 'SERVICE BULLETINS' LISTED AND NO ACTUAL RECALLS FOR THE PARTS. THEY ARE VERY AWARE OF THE SITUATION. FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND MY DAUGHTER'S WITH THIS ISSUE, I CAN GUARANTEE THAT THIS HAS DEFINITELY CAUSED SERIOUS INJURIES, IF NOT FATALITIES, THAT JUST HAVEN'T BEEN REPORTED OR POSSIBLY IDENTIFIED. I WILL CONTINUE TO HUNT DOWN THE SENSOR AS I WILL NOT FALL PREY TO MAZDA'S 'RACKET'. THE CAR WILL SIT UNTIL I LOCATE THE PART, OR END UP BEING PARTED OUT. *TR