2002 MAZDA MPV Complaints

TL*-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MAZDA MPV. WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE RPMS RACED TO 5000, BUT THE VAN WOULDN'T MOVE FORWARD AT AN ACCELERATED SPEED. HE STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DECREASED IN SPEED, AND THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGED AND DOWN SHIFTED. HE WAS ABLE TO ACCELERATE A LITTLE AFTER THAT FOR ABOUT A HALF MILE, TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE LOST ACCELERATION POWER AGAIN. AAMCO INFORMED HIM THAT IT WOULD COST $2,000 TO HAVE A DIAGNOSIS OF THE TRANSMISSION. HE THEN HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO ROSENTHAL MAZDA, WHO HAD THE VEHICLE SINCE 04/02/07. WHILE THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE HE ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. HE HAD THE TCM MODULE REPROGRAMMED ON THREE OTHER OCCASIONS. HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND FILED A COMPLAINT, AND WAS GIVEN CASE# 112644580. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 64,000 MILES.*AK

HAD TO REPLACE TWO IGNITION COILS WITHIN 100 MILES OF EACH OTHER, AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE COILS HAS BEEN CAUSING PROBLEMS FOR A YEAR. ALSO, IT LED TO A CATALYTIC CONVERTER MALFUNCTION. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILURE AFTER 5 DOCUMENTED TRIPS TO DEALER ABOUT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS: - CAR BOUGHT 2/2002. - 8/6/02-10,816 - HESITATION FROM START. WIFE COMPLAINING OF POOR DRIVING CHARACTERISTICS. DEALER COULDN'T VERIFY ANYTHING, EVEN THAT THE CEL WAS ON. - 2/21/03 - 21,065 - ROUGH DOWNSHIFTING. WIFE THOUGHT TRANNY WAS SLIPPING AND KICKING IN. DEALER FLASHED TRANNY PER TSB ON THE 3-2 DOWNSHIFT KNOWN PROBLEM. - 8/27/03 - 26,235 - POOR SHIFTING. DEALER SAID SHIFT SOLENOID STICKING. FLASHED TCM AGAIN. (NOT SURE WHAT THEY DID TO CORRECT SOLENOID) - 11/19/04 - 41,979 - TRANNY & TORQUE CONVERTER FLUSHED AFTER COMPLAINING OF POOR DRIVING AGAIN. NOTE: - CONTACTED MAZDA CORPORATE ABOUT THE LACK OF TRANSMISSION MAINTENANCE IN OWNERS MANUAL. MAZDA SAID THERE'S NO MAINTENANCE REQUIRED! - 4/4/07 - 94,XXX - WITHOUT WARNING, NO ACCELERATING, CAR SIMPLY STOPPED MOVING ON THE HIGHWAY. TRANNY WAS SLIPPING BAD AND MY WIFE WAS NEARLY KILLED PULLING OFF THE HIGHWAY! FLUID LEVEL WAS OK, COLOR WAS OK, BUT IT SMELLED BURNT. CAR REQUIRED TOWING. IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I CALLED MAZDA USA, WHO SAID THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND NO ASSISTANCE WILL BE OFFERED. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS ALWAYS SERVICED, AND THEY SAID THAT THEY'VE NEVER SEEN MAZDA SUPPORT A CAR OUT OF WARRANTY LIKE THIS. I COMPLAINED TO BOTH ABOUT HOW THIS WAS A DOCUMENTED PROBLEM FROM NEW. IF I WAS SMART, I WOULD HAVE FILED A LEMON LAW COMPLAINT AND GOTTEN A FULL REFUND BACK THEN, BUT THEY JUST KEPT INSISTING IT WAS A TCM PROGRAM. I NEVER IMAGINED THAT THE TCM WOULD BE ABLE TO CAUSE THE TRANNY TO PHYSICALLY FAIL. ALSO, THE FACT THAT THESE TRANNIES HAVE INTERNAL, NON-SERVICEABLE FILTERS IS JUST POOR DESIGN. LASTLY, HONDA HAS THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR ODESSY, BUT THEY ARE COVERING THE REPAIRS IN FULL! MY FRIEND HAD HIS TRANNY REPLACED AT 88K MILES! I'M EXPLORING LEGAL AVENUES OF RECOURSE. *JB

AT JUST OVER 80,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION ON MY MPV STOPPED SHIFTING INTO HIGHER GEARS. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING EXCEPT FOR A FEW TIMES WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO FEEL LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING, CERTAINLY NO WARNING LIGHTS OR MESSAGES SHOWING IT NEEDED TO BE SERVICED. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MAZDA MPV. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELBOW FITTING CONNECTED TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD DEVELOPED A TEAR WHICH CAUSED A VACUUM LEAK IN THE ENGINE AND MADE THE BRAKES LOSE VACUUM ASSIST. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE HE FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PART THAT WAS GOOD UP TO 70000 MILES. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL. *AK

AT 68,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION ON MY MAZDA MPV TOTALLY FAILED ON A BUSY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY OUTSIDE OF CHICAGO. IT WAS TOWED IN AND NEEDED A TOTALLY NEW TRANSMISSION AT A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGH COST. THE VEHICLE WAS 18 MONTHS OUT OF ITS 3 YEAR WARRANTY. THIS IS APPARENTLY A "KNOWN ISSUE" FOR MAZDA MPV TRANSMISSIONS. I WILL NEVER PURCHASE MAZDA AGAIN. *NM

LIKE SO MANY OTHERS. MY TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. APPROXIMATELY 80000 MILES. *JB

WHEN RAISING THE REAR LIFT GATE DOOR, ONE OF THE BOLTS THAT SECURES THE LIFTING PISTON TO THE VAN BROKE AND THE LIFT GATE FELL. THE PERSON LIFTING THE DOOR WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY SO NO ONE WAS INJURED. I CONTACTED MY MAZDA DEALER TO REPORT IT TO MAZDA BUT THE SERVICE MANAGER TALKED ME INTO LETTING THEM REPLACE BOTH PISTONS NO CHARGE. THE BOLT THAT BROKE WAS RUSTED AND SO WAS THE OTHER ONE. I THINK THEY SHOULD INSPECT ALL VEHICLES AND REPLACE THEM. *JB

TRANSMISSION FAILURE: IF YOU READ OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE MPV YOU WILL SEE MANY PROBLEMS W/ SHIFTING IN THE TRANSMISSION. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AND WAS TOLD THE SAME STORY BY THE DEALER; THAT THE SOFTWARE NEEDED UPGRADE, CHANGE THE TRANS-FLUID. AT 55,000 MILES MY TRANSMISSION DIED WHILE I WAS GOING 75 MPH ON A FREEWAY. I WAS NEARLY HIT BY A SEMI TRYING TO PULL MY CAR OFF THE ROAD. I WAS 5,000 MILES AND 3 MONTHS PAST THE WARRANTY OF THE VEHICLE. MAZDA DID NEGOTIATE W/ ME TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT A REDUCED COST BECAUSE I HAD REPAIR HISTORY WITH A MAZDA DEALER. THE COST WENT FROM 3,500 DOLLARS (I DID RECEIVE 3 QUOTES FROM DIFFERENT COMPANIES) TO 600 DOLLARS. LIKE MANY OF YOU I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE CONSUMER REPORT RATINGS. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS VEHICLE AND NO LONGER TRUST IT. BY THE WAY I HAVE NOT HAD THE ROTTEN EGG PROBLEM THAT I HAVE READ IN MANY PAST COMPLAINTS.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ACCELERATING OR DECELERATING, THE TRANSMISSION HAS SHIFTED HARD SINCE PURCHASE. THE DEALERSHIP HAS PERFORMED MULTIPLE SOFTWARE UPGRADES, BUT THE PROBLEM REMAINED. THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED WHILE TRAVELING UP A HILL AT 75 MPH, AND THE RPM'S REVVED ABOVE THE RED LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION.