2004 MAZDA MPV Complaints

WE HAVE 2004 MAZDA MPV WHICH WE BOUGHT NEW. WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, WE HAD TO HAVE COILS REPLACED. WE THOUGHT IT WAS ODD THAT WE WOULD BE HAVING TO REPLACE COILS ON SUCH A NEW VEHICLE. AFTER INVESTIGATION, WE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THE YEAR MPV WE HAVE. APPARENTLY THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW WHICH ALLOWS MOISTURE TO GET TO THE COILS, CAUSING THEM TO SHORT OUT. WE MENTIONED THIS TO FITZGERALD MAZDA IN ANNAPOLIS, MD WHERE WE WERE HAVING IT SERVICED. THEY ADMITTED THIS WAS A PROBLEM BUT BASICALLY THOUGHT WE SHOULD BE HAPPY THAT IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY..EVEN THOUGH IT WAS PROBABLY GOING TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM LONG AFTER THE WARRANTY RAN OUT. SINCE THE WARRANTY RAN OUT, WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE COILS REPLACED 2 MORE TIMES AT OUR OWN EXPENSE AND ARE WAITING TO HAVE YET ANOTHER COIL REPLACED AS I AM WRITING THIS COMPLAINT. EACH TIME WE HAVE TO HAVE A COILED REPLACED, IT IS VERY COSTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE MAKES THEM VERY DIFFICULT TO GET TO. ONCE WE HAD TO HAVE IT DONE WHILE WE WERE TRAVELING ON VACATION IN FLORIDA..THIS WAS DONE AT THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA. THEN ANOTHER TIME WE HAD A COIL REPLACED BY A MECHANIC IN OWINGS, MARYLAND. THAT MECHANIC DID EXTENSIVE RESEARCH FOR US AND CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION..THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MOISTURE GETTING TO THE COILS AND WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND AGAIN THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. WE ARE NOW DELAYING ANOTHER VACATION..PAYING OUT OF POCKET TO HAVE YET ANOTHER COIL REPLACED. WE WANT MAZDA TO STAND MY THEIR PRODUCT. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AND THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AT THEIR EXPENSE. WE HAVE SPENT CLOSE TO $2,000.00 NOW. THE WORST PART IS, IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE ANOTHER COIL GOES OUT. PLEASE HELP! *TR

CAR IS RUNNING FINE, AND THEN ENGINE STOPS. AFTER SETTING FOR A MINUTE OR SO, ENGINE WILL START AGAIN AND RUN FINE FOR DAYS ...THEN THE ABOVE RECURS. REPLACED IDLE CONTROL VALVE...NO MORE TROUBLE. *TR

2004 MAZDA MPV ENGINE COMPLETELY AND SUDDENLY DIES WHEN DRIVING - USUALLY WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AS THE ENGINE IS DECELERATING. DROVE CAR TO SHOULDER, PLACED IN NEUTRAL TO RESTART. APPEARS TO BE THE IDLE CONTROL VALVE (MADZA FORUM SITES REPORT NUMEROUS SIMILAR EVENTS). *TR

LIKE MANY OTHER MAZDA MPV OWNERS, I'VE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION COILS. IN AUGUST 2008, THE VEHICLE WAS RIDING VERY ROUGH AND HESITATING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE DIAGNOSTICS FOR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT SHOWED THAT ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS HAD MISFIRED. I HAD THE COIL REPLACED AND, AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DEALERSHIP, REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS. AT THAT TIME, MY VEHICLE WITH APPROXIMATELY 35,000 MILES ON IT, WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I PAID $476 FOR THE REPAIR BUT WAS ULTIMATELY REIMBURSED BY MAZDA ON A CUSTOMER GOODWILL BASIS. ONE YEAR LATER, IN AUGUST 2009, THE VEHICLE AGAIN BEGAN RIDING ROUGH AND HESITATING. WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. BASED ON THE EARLIER EXPERIENCE, I SUSPECTED AN IGNITION COIL AS THE CULPRIT. MY SUSPICIONS WERE REALIZED. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND THAT CYLINDER #5 HAD MISFIRED AND THAT SEVERAL OTHER COILS WERE WEAK. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE OTHER COILS WERE LIKELY TO GO AND RECOMMENDED THAT ALL OF THEM BE REPLACED. I HAD THE WORK DONE AT A COST OF $960. THE VEHICLE AT THIS POINT HAD ONLY 46,000 MILES ON IT. BOTH REPAIRING DEALERSHIPS MENTIONED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MPVS. FROM MY RESEARCH, I CAN SEE THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR 2002-2006 MPV'S. ENTIRE MESSAGE BOARDS ARE DEDICATED TO THIS MAZDA MPV IGNITION COIL DEFECT. MOST BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A DESIGN FLAW THAT PREVENTS THE COILS FROM DISPERSING MOISTURE PROPERLY, WHICH OVER TIME LEADS THE CYLINDERS TO MISFIRE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT MAZDA SHOULD HAVE VOLUNTARILY RECALLED THE VEHICLE DUE TO THIS ISSUE. HAVING PREVIOUSLY MADE A CUSTOMER ACCOMMODATION ON THE EARLIER REPAIR, MAZDA HAS REFUSED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE COSTS OF THIS LATEST REPAIR. IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT MAZDA HAS CHOSEN TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM ON A CUSTOMER-BY-CUSTOMER BASIS, RATHER THAN HAVING VOLUNTARILY RECALLED THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THIS VERY COMMON PROBLEM. *TR

2004 MAZDA MPV ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO ENGINE COILS, ONE WENT OUT IN MAY DRIVING IN THE RAIN ON THE HIGHWAY AND ANOTHER WENT OUT TWO MONTHS LATER ALSO IN THE RAIN ON THE HIGHWAY. DEALER SAID IT IS COMMON. WELL THEN THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS ABOUT 50K MILES ON IT. *TR

MAZDA MPV 2004 VEHICLE'S ENGINE HESITATED WHEN DRIVING IN RAIN AT ANY SPEED. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING BEFORE MILEAGE AND DATE LISTED BELOW. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN PARTICULARLY WHEN IT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE WASHINGTON METRO BELTWAY. AN ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER AT, ROSENTHAL MAZDA ARLINGTON, 750 N. GLEBE ROAD, ARLINGTON, VA. ( 703/527-3000) ADVISED THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS KNOWN TO MAZDA FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS AND REQUIRED AIR INDUCTION SERVICE EVERY 12,000-15,000 MILES. WE NEVER WERE WARNED OF THIS PROBLEM OR THE NEED FOR THE SPECIFIC PREVENTABLE MAINTENANCE BY EITHER THE COMPANY OR ROSENTHAL MAZDA. THE REPAIR COST $2000 AND COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF MAZDA HAD ADVISED OWNERS OF THE NEED FOR PREVENTABLE MAINTENANCE (AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD). I REPEAT THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO BE DISTRACTED AND THE CAR TO ACCELERATE POORLY, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS HESITATING WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS IN CONGESTED TRAFFIC. PLEASE CONTACT MAZDA AND INVESTIGATE AND REQUIRE THEM TO SEND WARNINGS AND REIMBURSE THOSE WHO SUFFERED MONETARY DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THEIR LACK OF WARNING. *TR

THE ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON THREE TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR. ALSO WHEN I SEARCHED INTERNET I FOUND A LOT OF USERS REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUE. *TR

2004 MAZDA MPV WITH 63K MILES. HAS BROKEN DOWN 5 TIMES WITH SAME PROBLEM AFFECTING ONE OF TWO DIFFERENT COILS. ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. VAN HESITATES/SHAKES. NO LOSS OF LIFE, BUT PLENTY OF LOST WAGES ETC AND MAZDA REP NOT COOPERATIVE. $400 AND AVERAGE 3 DAYS IN SHOP EACH TIME TO REPAIR. MECHANIC GUESSED PROBLEM BEFORE I EVEN TOLD HIM. STATES THAT THEY SEE THIS ALL THE TIME WITH THE MPV'S. *TR

FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPER ARMS BROKE OFF DURING USE ON HIGHWAY AND HEAVY RAINS. UPON LATER INSPECTION, THE CAST METAL PART OF BOTH ARMS WERE CRACKED NEAR THE HINGE POINT. THE DRIVERS SIDE ARM BROKE OFF AND WAS CAUGHT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER BLADE FOR A FEW SECONDS CAUSING IT TO SMACK AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD AND CRACKING IT. MAZDA REFUSED TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE IN DETERMINING IF THE PARTS WERE DEFECTIVE OR IN OBTAINING REPLACEMENT PARTS. REPLACEMENTS WERE PURCHASED FROM THE ORIGINAL DEALER. *TR

REAR LIFTGATE DOOR GAS STRUT MOUNTING STUD SNAPPED OFF, THERE IS A RECALL IN CANADA FOR THIS ISSUE FOR MODEL YEARS 2000-2004. WHEN I CONTACTED MAZDA ABOUT THIS ISSUE, THEY WOULD NOT HONOR THE CANADIAN RECALL EVEN THOUGH THE ISSUE IS EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED AND IS FROM 2005 HTTP://WWW.MPVCLUB.COM/RECALLS.PHP?ID=19&PRINT=1 *TR