2003 MAZDA MPV Complaints

MY DAUGHTER, DANIELLE GRANDE, WAS BURNED ON THE LEG BY THE TAILPIPE OF MY MAZDA MPV MINIVAN. HER LEG TOUCHED THE TAILPIPE BECAUSE IT STICKS OUT PAST THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE BACK BUMPER. I CALLED MAZDA AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM BUT THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT OR TAKE ANY ACTION.

1. USE OF CRUISE CONTROL ON WEST VIRIGINA TURNPIKE WITH MPV 2. CRUISE CONTROL FAILS TO MAINTAIN SET SPEED. SPEED WILL VARY +/- 3 MPH. IN GOING UP HILL CRUISE CONTROL OVER SPEEDS SET SPEED BY 3-4 MPH, SOMETIMES ACCELERATING AT THE INCREASED SPEED BY SEVERAL SECONDS. AT 70 MPH THIS CAUSES THE DRIVER TO HAVE TO BRAKE TO AVOID REAR ENDING THE CAR IN FRONT EVEN THOUGH THE CAR AHEAD MAY BE 8 OR MORE CAR LENGTHS AWAY. THIS IS A TOTALLY UNSAFE CONDITION. 3. DEALER WOULD DO NOTHING TO REPAIR SAYING THAT THE SPEED VARIATION WAS WITHIN MFG. LIMITS?*AK

CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WASI NVOLVED IN A COLLISION, AND THE DEALER REPAIRED THE DOOR, BUT DAMAGED THE SIDE BODY MOLDING. SERVICE MANAGER REFUSED TO REPAIR WHAT WAS DAMAGED, AND ASKED CONSUMER NOT TO RETURN. ALSO, VEHICLE WAS IN FOR A TIRE ROTATION. CONSUMER WANTED TO KNOW HOW THEY GAINED ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE WITHOUT HAVING THE KEYS. CONSUMER WAS VERY ANGRY BECAUSE IT WAS A FORMER EMPLOYEE WHO DID THIS. THE SERVICE MANAGER DENIED THE INCIDENT, AND ASKED CONSUMER AGAIN NOT TO RETURN TO THIS DEALERSHIP. *AK

2004 MAZDA MPV EX. WHILE PARKED IN A PARKING LOT (CAR TURNED OFF), IN PASSENGER BUCKET SEAT BEHIND DRIVER, I SAT DOWN MY 2 YEAR OLD IN ORDER TO CHANGE HIS DIAPER. I KNEW THAT THE SEATS RECLINED USING THE LEVER ON THE SIDE. WHILE MY SON SAT ON THE SEAT, I TURNED THE LEVER, EXPECTING SEAT TO RECLINE, HOWEVER, THERE IS A SPRING MECHANISM (?) THAT AUTOMATICALLY TRIES TO CLOSE THE SEAT, FOLDING THE BACK OF THE SEAT FORWARD, FOR STORAGE AND REMOVAL. I WAS NOT EXPECTING THE AUTOMATIC FOLDING OF THE SEATBACK AT THE FORCE AT WHICH IT CLOSED. WHEN I PULLED THE LEVER THE LEAT BACK CLOSED ON MY SON AND PUSHED HIM INTO THE BACK OF THE DRIVERS SEAT (WHICH HAS A HANDLE ON THE BACK OF IT). HE HIT HIS MOUTH AND FOREHEAD ON THE BACK OF THE DRIVERS SEAT AND COMPLAINED OF A SORE MOUTH/TONGUE AND HAD AN ABRASION ON HIS FOREHEAD. *LA

TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ROUGH. IT SEEMS THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AND THEN SLAMS INTO GEAR. IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY, SOME DAYS MORE THAN OTHERS AND SOME DAYS HARDER THAN OTHERS. SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I AM GOING TO GET WHIPLASH WHENEVER IT SLAMS INTO GEAR. I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE LATE LAST YEAR BUT THE DEALER CANNOT SEEM TO FIX IT. THEY KEEP REPLACING THE COILS BUT THAT DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY MENTIONED THAT THEY SEEM TO BE HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH A LOT OF 2003 MPV'S. IT HAS BEEN TO THE SHOP FIVE TIMES SINCE JANUARY AND IT IS STILL NOT FIXED.*AK

WHILE BRAKING AT 45 MPH VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER RESTARTED VEHICLE, AND PULLED OVER. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

VEHICLE SHIFTED OUT OF PARK AND ROLLED BACKWARDS OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND HIT THE CONSUMER'S PREGNANT WIFE. *MR THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *SC *JB

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK INTO DRIVE. VEHICLE COLLIDED WITH BRICK BUILDING . AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOYED, ALSO HAS PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER DOOR LOCKING AND UNLOCKING FOR NO REASON WHILE DRIVING. *AK

ON MAY 13, 2004, MY 33-WEEK PREGNANT WIFE PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY WITH OUR DAUGHTER SLEEPING IN BACK OF OUR 2003 MAZDA MPV. MY WIFE PUT THE CAR IN PARK, ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND LEFT THE CAR RUNNING. PSE&G WORKERS REQUESTED THAT MY WIFE TALK WITH THEM. WHILE SHE DID SO, THE CAR REMAINED STATIONARY FOR 5-10 MINUTES. MY WIFE THEN ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE REAR AUTOMATIC DOOR. IT BEEPED INSTEAD. MY WIFE OPENED THE FRONT DOOR AND PUSHED THE BUTTON THERE TO OPEN THE REAR DOOR. IT BEEPED AGAIN. MY WIFE CHECKED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT WAS IN PARK. IT WAS. THE CAR THEN STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS. WITNESSES SAY THEY HEARD A RATCHETING NOISE WHEN THE CAR STARTED ROLLING. MY WIFE PULLED UP THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS FULLY ENGAGED. THIS DID NOT STOP THE CAR. MY WIFE WAS KNOCKED TO THE GROUND AND THE DOOR CAUGHT MY WIFES ABDOMEN AND CONTINUED TO ROLL OVER HER, SCRAPING HER AS SHE TRIED TO PROTECT OUR BABY. THE CAR ROLLED INTO THE STREET WITH OUR DAUGHTER IN IT. THE CAR HIT THE CURB AND JUST MISSED BEING HIT BY A CAR. THE REAR DOOR THEN POPPED OPEN. A PSE&G WORKER TURNED OFF THE CAR AND STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD INDICATED THAT THE MPV WAS STILL IN PARK WHEN HE DID SO. ON MAY 14, OUR MAZDA DEALER RAN DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND ADVISED US THAT IT WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE ACCIDENT. MAZDA TOOK THE POSITION THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. MAZDA SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE MY WIFE FAILED TO PUT THE CAR FULLY IN PARK. I ADVISED MAZDA THAT THIS MADE NO SENSE BECAUSE THE CAR WAS STATIONARY IN OUR DRIVEWAY FOR 5-10 MINUTES AND IT WAS STILL IN PARK WHEN IT STOPPED. THE NOTION THAT THE MPV SLIPPED INTO REVERSE AND THEN BACK INTO PARK MAKES NO SENSE. MAZDA HAS GIVEN US NO ADEQUATE EXPLANATION FOR WHY THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT 2003 MAZDA MPVS ON THE NHTSA'S WEBSITE ABOUT THEIR TRANSMISSIONS, INCLUDING DOWN SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS AND GEAR SLIPPAGE. *AK

CARBON MONOXIDE WAS RELEASED INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT DUE TO CATALYTIC CONVERTER MALFUNCTIONING. THIS PART WAS REPLACED SEVEN TIMES. HOWEVER THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK