2007 MAZDA MAZDASPEED3 Complaints

2007 MAZDA ASPEED 3 IS PRONE TO MOTOR MOUNT FAILURE, I AM TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM ADDRESS LOOSE MOTOR MOUNT, WHICH ACCORDING TO RECENT DATA ON THE WEB , IS PRONE TO POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IF THE MOUNT FAILS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *AK

HEARD RATTLE IN REAR OF CAR. THE PASSENGER'S SIDE ANTI ROLL BAR LINKAGE WAS LOOSE. THE NUT THAT SECURED THE LINKAGE WAS SO LOOSE THAT I WAS ABLE TO TURN IT WITH MY FINGER. DEALER FOUND THE NUT TO BE LOOSE AND TORQUED IT TO 40 FEET-LB PER THE MANUAL. *AK

SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR WAS ROUGH SOMETIMES. I CHECKED THE TORQUE ON BOLT OF DRIVER'S SIDE ENGINE MOUNT AND IT WAS LOOSE. IT TURNED UNDER 30 FEET-LB. BOLT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 70-80 FEET-LB FROM THE FACTORY. AFTER BOLT WAS TIGHTENED TO SPEC SHIFTING BECAME A LOT SMOOTHER. I WAS CONVINCED THAT IF BOLT WAS NOT TIGHTENED FAILURE OF DRIVER' S-SIDE ENGINE MOUNT BOLT WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY RESULTED IN A COUPLE THOUSAND MORE MILES. VEHICLE ONLY HAD 3000 MILES ON IT -ENGINE WOULD HAVE DROPPED OVER LEFT SIDE DRIVESHAFT, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. REFER TO INVESTIGATION PE07015 . *AK

HAVE A 2007 MAZDA SPEED 3 WITH 4224 MILES 4 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. REPORTED A STRANGE POPPING SOUND TO THE DEALER ON SATURDAY AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT NORMAL , AND TO DROP OFF THE CAR AT THE EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. WHILE DRIVING TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE I TURNED LEFT ON A STREET AND ACCELERATED ONCE INTO 2ND GEAR. I ACCELLERATED SOME MORE AND HEARD A LOUD BANG, AND THEN SEVERAL SEQUENTIAL POPS AND NOISES. I POPPED THE HOOD TO SEE THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE MOTOR HAD FALLEN DOWN. SO FAR THE DEALER NOTED THAT IT WAS A MOTOR MOUNT/BOLT FAILURE , AND THE ESTIMATE WAS STILL TO COME ON HOW MUCH TO FIX THE CAR. *AK

MY VEHICLE LOST ITS ENGINE OFF THE MOTOR MOUNTS! THE CAR IS A 2007 MAZDA MAZDA SPEED 3 WITH 6260 MILES ON IT. DURING DOWN SHIFTING FOR A TURN I HEEL-TOED, PREPARING FOR THE NEXT GEAR AND A RIGHT TURN, COASTING AT ABOUT 30 MPH. DURING THIS ROUTINE ACTION THERE WAS A HUGE CRASHING, METALLIC SOUND THAT CAME OUT FROM UNDER THE ENGINE AREA. THEN I FELT A MASSIVE PULL ON THE CAR, AND A HEAVY GRINDING, POPPING, AND CLANKING SOUND. I COULD BEST DESCRIBE IT AS IF A GORILLA HAD JUMPED INSIDE OF THE HOOD, AND STARTED ATTACKING THE CAR, FROM WITHIN. I MANAGED TO COAST THE CAR TO A STOP, AVOIDING PERSONAL INJURY, BUT IT WAS CLOSE. IF I HAD BEEN GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, I HAVE NO DOUBT I WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY IN PERIL. I COUNT MYSELF LUCKY. AT ANY RATE, I QUICKLY PULLED THE CAR TO THE CURB, AND OPENED THE HOOD. THE ENGINE WAS SITTING ON THE CONCRETE, HALFWAY IN MY ENGINE BAY. THE HALFSHAFTS WERE OUT OF THE HUBS, THE EXHAUST BENT, WIRING BROKEN, RADIATOR HOSES PULLED, ETC. NOT GOOD. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT MAZDA, AND I AWAIT THEIR RESPONSE. *AK

I DID MAJOR RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET. MOST OF THE INFO I USED WAS FOUND HERE: HTTP://WWW.MAZDA3FORUMS.COM/INDEX.PHP?TOPIC=68975.0;ALL. I STARTED READING HERE JUST FOR FUN AND DISCOVERED THAT I MAY HAVE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE ON MY HANDS. THE TRANSMISSION MOUNT BOLT ON MY 2007 MAZDASPEED 3 LOOSENED AT 18-20 FT-LBS OF TORQUE!! THERE WERE SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO HAD THIS SAME ISSUE. NO LESS THAN 5 PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS BOLT FAIL AND THEIR ENGINE HAS FALLEN ONTO THE FRAME OF THE CAR!! THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. MANY OTHERS HAVE FOUND THAT THIS BOLT IS NOT TIGHTENED TO FACTORY SPECS. I RAISED THE TRANSMISSION ABOUT 1 INCH (TO RELIEVE PRESSURE) BEFORE CHECKING THE TORQUE ON THE BOLT. I APPLIED BLUE LOCKTIGHT AND RE-TORQUED TO 75 FT-LBS. THERE WERE NO METAL SHAVINGS ON THE BOLT AND IT LOOKED FINE. THE THREADS INSIDE THE MOUNT ALSO APPEARED FINE. I ALSO HAD A STRANGE NOISE FROM THE LEFT FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CAR THAT STARTED WITH LESS THAN 300 MILES ON THE CAR!! YOU COULD FEEL A VIBRATION AND IT WAS VERY LOUD AND AUDIBLE. IT SOUNDED LIKE A LOW PITCHED GROAN OR SOMETHING RUBBING. IT WAS INTERMITTENT AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. ODDLY, APPLYING THE BRAKES STOPPED THE SOUND AND VIBRATION, EVEN IF YOU JUST BARLEY TOUCHED THEM. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY COULD REPRODUCE THE ISSUE, BUT COULD NOT FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THE PROBLEM LESSENED THE MORE I DROVE THE CAR. EVEN SO, I ALWAYS FELT LIKE SOMETHING DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT. AFTER LOCKING DOWN THE BOLT TO CORRECT SPECS, I HAVE NOTICED THAT EVERYTHING FEELS MUCH MORE SOLID NOW. THE NOISES HAVE GONE AWAY AND THE SHIFTER LINKAGE IS FIRM AGAIN, NOT "SPONGY" LIKE BEFORE. SINCE MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE, I FEEL THAT MAZDA NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN BY ISSUING A RE-CALL. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE AND A BIG SAFETY PROBLEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. *JB

I WAS ROLLING IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC AND WENT TO SECOND GEAR DOING MAYBE 15 MPH AND HEARD A CLUCK. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS REFLECTORS ON THE ROAD AS THAT WAS WHAT IT SEEMED LIKE. I MADE A TURN , AND AS THE THUNK PERSISTED, I IMMEDIATLY STOPPED AND POPPED THE HOOD AND OBSERVED THE MOTOR FELL FORWARD IN THE THE RADIATIOR. IT WAS DUE TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE TRANSMISSION MOUNT THAT CAME LOOSE.*AK

I WAS SHIFTING INTO SECOND ON MY 07 MAZDASPEED 3 AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE ENGINE MOUNT OR BOLT BROKE AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO DROP.

IN THE SPIRIT OF BEING PROACTIVE; I WILL LIKE TO SHARE A POSSIBLE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN WITH ALL NEW 2007 MAZDASPEED 3 CARS. FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS I HAVE BEEN OBSERVING ON VARIOUS WEB FORUMS A DISTURBING TREND OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THE DRIVER SIDE MOTOR MOUNT BOLT COMING LOOSE CAUSING THE MOTOR TO FALL WHILE DRIVING. I'M INFORMING THE NHTSA IN HOPES THAT AN INVESTIGATION WILL ENCOURAGE MAZDA INTO A RECALL/TSB BEFORE THIS ISSUE CAUSES A SERIOUS INJURY/FATALITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION IN THIS MATTER. *JB

MAZDASPEED3 TRANS MOUNT FAILURE I WILL BE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND WANTED TO REPORT THIS AS A DATA POINT RATHER THAN AN ACTUAL INCIDENT (MY APOLOGIES IF THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT WAY TO GO ABOUT THIS, PLEASE INFORM ME AS TO ANY OTHER WAY TO GO ABOUT LOGGING THIS ISSUE). THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE REPORTS OF THE TRANS MOUNT FAILING ON THIS VEHICLE, ALONG WITH PICTURES AND DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE VEHICLE AND THE STEPS TAKEN BY THE DEALER/FACTORY TO DATE. I WOULD POINT YOU AT THESE LINKS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON A COUPLE OF CASES: HTTP://WWW.MAZDA3FORUMS.COM/INDEX.PHP?TOPIC=65861.0 HTTP://WWW.MAZDA3FORUMS.COM/INDEX.PHP?TOPIC=63851.120 IF EITHER OF THESE HAD OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS I'D HATE TO THINK WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATE INCLUDED ON THIS FORM WAS THE DATE AT WHICH THE INCIDENT ON THE FIRST LINK BELOW OCCURRED. THIS IS NOT MY VEHICLE. I DON'T CURRENTLY OWN A SPEED3 (YET). I'VE SEEN A TOTAL OF SIX OCCURRENCES OF THE FAILURE SINCE I STARTED AN ONLINE INVESTIGATION EARLIER TODAY. I HOPE THIS HELPS. *JB