2004 Mazda MAZDA3

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION/MANUAL JERKS WHEN GOING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR AND AFTER A PERIOD OF HARD DRIVING THE JERKING STOPS. THIS SHOULD NOT OCCUR IN A QUALITY VEHICLE LIKE THIS ONE, HOWEVER IT SHOULDN'T OCCUR AT ALL. PLEASE PROVIDE ME A SOLUTION TO THIS ANNOYING PROBLEM. FYI: I HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED AND NEW FLUID ADDED HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL REMAINS..HELP!!! *TR

MY 2004 MAZDA 3 OFTEN STALLS WHILE I'M DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, I TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO RE-CREATE THE PROBLEM AND THEY WON'T FIX IT. I THINK MAZDA CORPORATION HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT CAUSE IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO MANY MAZDA 3 OUT THERE AND IT ALWAYS SCARE ME WHENEVER MY CAR STALLS ON THE FREEWAY AS IT IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

ON 4/17/08 MY WIFE HAPPENED TO BE FOLLOWING ME AND SHE CALLED ME ON MY CELL PHONE AND SAID IT APPEARS YOU HAVE SOMETHING HANGING UNDER YOUR CAR. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND IT WAS THE SPLASH SHIELD AGAIN. THREE OF THE FRONT BOLTS WERE MISSING BUT FOUR OTHER BOLTS, TWO ON EACH SIDE,WERE STILL ATTACHED, SO IT WAS JUST THE CENTER THAT WAS BOWING DOWNWARD. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT IMMEDIATELY AND THE CAR WAS SERVICED ON 4/18/08. ORIGINALLY THE DEALER WAS GOING TO CHARGE ME FOR THE SPLASH SHIELD. HE SAID IT APPEARS SOMETHING STRUCK THE PART. SO, AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION AND AFTER I RETRIEVED THE PART FROM THE MECHANICS WORK BENCH I WAS ABLE TO PROVE THE PART WAS DRAGGING WHICH CAUSED THE SPLASH SHIELD TO BREAK APART. THERE WERE ROAD ABRASION MARKS ON THE SPLASH SHIELD. THIS IS THE SECOND SHIELD TO BE REPLACED ON MY CAR. IS MAZDA HAVING ISSUES WITH THESE SHIELDS. THE DEALER KEEPS A SUPPLY OF THEM IN STOCK. *TR

2004 MAZDA 3, BROUGHT BRAND NEW FROM DEALER. HAD REAR BRAKE PROBLEMS, WAS FIXED DUE TO BAD EQUIPMENT/METAL USED FOR ROTORS OR THAT WAS WHAT I WAS TOLD. WARRANTY COVERED. NOW I AM AT JUST UNDER 50,000 MILES AND MY CLUTCH NEEDS REPLACED, CAUSE THEY SAID I BURNED IT UP. NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. I TOLD THEM OVER A YEAR AGO, THAT IT WHINED/SCREECHED WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, BUT ONLY WHEN IT WAS COLD. TOLD THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG, JUST WARM THE VEHICLE UP FIRST. NOW A SMELL SOMETHING BURNING AND THEY KEEP SAYING IT WAS MY FAULT. I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT DRIVES IT, GOING BACK AND FORTH TO WORK AND DROPPING MY KIDS OFF AT SCHOOL. VERY FRUSTRATED, BECAUSE I WAS TOLD ITS GOING TO COST OVER $1,000 TO FIX...... *TR

THE REAR BRAKES ON OUR 2004 MAZDA3 ARE WORN TO THE ROTORS FOR THE THIRD TIME IN 77,000 MILES. WHEN WE FIRST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THE REAR BRAKES WERE SQUEAKING, SO WE INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. WE ASSURED THAT THIS IS NORMAL, IT SHOULD GO AWAY IN A FEW THOUSAND MILES. IT NEVER WENT AWAY. I NOW NEED A THIRD SET OF REAR BRAKES, AND THE FRONTS ARE STILL IN GOOD SHAPE. IN ALL MY YEARS OF WORKING AROUND VEHICLES, I'VE NEVER SEEN A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE PASSENGER CAR THAT THE REAR BRAKES WORE FASTER THAN THE FRONT. IT'S NOW OBVIOUS TO ME AFTER DOING IN DEPTH INTERNET RESEARCH THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH BOTH THE MAZDA3 AND MAZDA6. WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL YET? IS IT GOING TO TAKE SOME GETTING INJURED OR EVEN KILLED DUE TO BRAKE MALFUNCTION BEFORE THIS IS ADDRESSED? IF ONE REAR BRAKE WEARS FASTER THAN THE OTHER, AND A DRIVER HAS TO MAKE A PANIC STOP AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, ONE BRAKE IS APPLIED AND THE OTHER......YOU GET THE POINT. *TR

CAR VIBRATES IN THE FRONT AT ALL SPEEDS. HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP (D DAHLE MAZDA OF SALT LAKE CITY) THREE TIMES AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. FIRST THE AIR COMPRESSOR WAS REPLACED AND THEN THE ENGINE MOUNTS. THE DEALERSHIP EXPLAINED ON MY LAST VISIT THAT THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL WAS BENT. HOWEVER, WHEN I HAD THE WHEELS EXAMINED BY AN ALTERNATIVE AUTOMOTIVE SHOP, NO PROBLEM WITH THE WHEEL WAS NOTED. I ALSO ROTATED THE WHEEL IN QUESTION TO THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE AND THE VIBRATION OCCURRED IN THE SAME SPOT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A RESIDENTIAL ROAD, AT A LOW SPEED, CHANGING GEARS FROM 2ND TO 3RD, THE CAR STALLED. UPON TRYING TO RESTART THE CAR, IT WOULDN'T TURN OVER. AFTER THE CAR WAS PUSHED OFF OF THE ROAD, THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF OIL LEFT BEHIND. REALIZING THAT THE CAR WASN'T GOING TO RESTART, IT WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. AFTER BEING PUT UP ON THE LIFT, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ROD SLAMMED INTO THE ENGINE BLOCKING, SEIZING THE ENGINE. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NO REASON FOR THE ROD TO CRACK ON A WELL MAINTAINED ENGINE, ON A 2004 VEHICLE. IN ORDER TO GET THIS CAR BACK ON THE ROAD, THE ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. I DON'T SEE ANY RECALLS ON THIS MAKE AND MODEL, AND I TRULY FEEL THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING COMPROMISED WITH THE VEHICLE, IN ORDER FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. THE OIL WAS CHANGED JUST 5K MILES BEFORE. THERE WERE NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ON... WE ARE VERY UPSET ABOUT THIS NEWS AND ARE HOPING MAZDA HAS EXPERIENCED OTHER PROBLEMS SUCH AS THIS ONE. *JB