2014 Mazda MAZDA3

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal growling sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 140,000. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the motor mounts needed to be replaced. It was later discovered that the Title mileage was 197,687.

While accelerating onto a highway, my engine overheating light flashed then stayed on and my acceleration suddenly throttled back and my car started slowing down. I was able to pull over on the shoulder, but there was a close call with a semi bearing down. I had my car towed to a repair shop, where they told me the water jacket had cracked and the overheating caused a blown head gasket. This was repaired and tested. A week later, I got the car up to highway speeds and the engine overheating light flashed again. When I stopped and looked at the engine, there was foamy tan coolant all over the place. Towed it back again and was told the weld had failed. But in trying to find a used cylinder to replace mine, the shop told me that all of their sources said they had no used ones available because the same crack happened on those as well.

SAFETY RECALL-ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, WITH MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER IN THE BACKSEAT I NOTICE MY BATTERY LIGHT COME ON. AFTER THAT EVERY WARNING LIGHT ON DASHBOARD CAME ON AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN EVEN WHEN PRESSING MY FOOT ON THE GAS. THE CAR EVEN TRIED STOPING AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP. WE WERE SUCCESSFULLY ABLE TO GET IT TOWED BUT I BELIEVED THIS HAPPEN BECAUSE THE DEALERS DIDN'T FIX THE RECALL AND INSTAED THEY BYPASSED IT.

WHILE MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND ACCELERATING TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE CAR LOST POWER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED, THE TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE CHECK TIRE PRESSURE CAME ON ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THE CAR ALSO WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO ACCELERATE PAST 35-40 MPH. AFTER TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE FOUR ENGINE COILS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. A MONTH AND HALF LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED AND ANOTHER ENGINE COIL IS NEEDING REPLACEMENT.

OCCASIONALLY THE ENGINE WILL HESITATE WHEN ACCELERATING, AND THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, TPM, AND STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE ON THE DASH. LESS FREQUENTLY, THE ENGINE WILL OCCASIONALLY STALL WHILE DRIVING OR WHILE SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT. THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD WILL REMAIN ILLUMINATED, SO I DO NOT THINK IT'S A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER.

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHEN I ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE FORWARD AND FEELS LIKE IT MIGHT BE JAMMED. THE CAR WILL THEN PROPEL INTO GEAR CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO SKID OUT. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. IT APPEARS TO BE HAPPENING THE WORST WHEN MAKING RIGHT HAND TURNS. THIS HAS RESULTED IN ONE ACCIDENT, AND TWO NEAR FATAL ACCIDENTS.

MY 2014 MAZDA 3 SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED TRUCK. THERE WAS AN EYE-WITNESS. HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED: I WAS DRIVING ON A QUIET, DEAD-IN STREET ACCOMPANIED BY MY HUSBAND. I TURNED LEFT INTO THE TURN AROUND AREA AT THE END OF THE STREET. AS I WAS COMING TO A STOP, WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED'GOING VERY FAST, VERY QUICKLY. IT LEAPT OVER THE CURB, NARROWLY MISSED A TREE AND A FIRE HYDRANT, PASSED BACK OVER THE STREET I HAD BEEN ON MOMENTS EARLIER, AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED PICK-UP TRUCK. THE AIR-BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. ALL OF THIS HAPPENED IN 2 TO 3 SECONDS. WE WERE NOT HURT. THE EYE WITNESS WAS IN HIS YARD, WHICH ADJOINS THE TURN-AROUND AREA. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, HE CAME OVER AND ASKED IF I WAS OK. HE ASKED ME IF I COULD TURN MY CAR OFF. THE EYE WITNESS LATER TOLD ME HE HAD SEEN THE WHOLE THING AND THAT I NEVER HAD CONTROL OVER THE CAR. HE SAID HE TOLD THE POLICE THAT HE WAS WATCHING ME TURN MY CAR INTO THE TURNAROUND AREA AND SAW THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATE. HE WANTED ME TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS A MECHANICAL PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. HE TOLD ME THAT WHEN HE APPROACHED THE CAR, IT WAS REVVING AND STILL TRYING TO ACCELERATE INTO THE TRUCK, EVEN THOUGH MY FEET WERE NOWHERE NEAR THE PEDALS. THAT WAS WHY HE ASKED IF I COULD TURN THE CAR OFF. I REMEMBERED BEFORE TURNING THE CAR OFF, THAT I COULD HEAR THE WHINE OF THE ENGINE AS IT SOUNDS WHEN IT IS AT HIGH RPMS. THE UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION AND THE FACT THAT THE AIR-BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY ARE BOTH SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONTACTED MAZDA CORPORATION WHO SENT AN ENGINEER TO CHECK IT OUT. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM, BUT THEY PUT AN EVENT DATA RECORDER ON THE CAR TO MONITOR IT. THEY DROVE THE CAR FOR A FEW DAYS AND NOTHING SHOWED UP. THE DEALER BOUGHT THE CAR BACK.

ON FEBRUARY 23, 2015, I PURCHASED A NEW 2014 MAZDA 3 S GRAND TOURING SEDAN WITH TECHNICAL PACKAGE, VIN # [XXX]. THE VEHICLE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 5,470. SINCE PURCHASE, THIS CAR HAS HAD A STALLING PROBLEM THAT IS INTERMITTENT, UNPREDICTABLE, AND NOT REPRODUCIBLE ON DEMAND. STALLING MEANS IT DOES NOT RESPOND TO NORMAL PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR, AND LITERALLY COASTS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. THIS TIME MAY VARY FROM 2 TO 10 SECONDS IN A GIVEN INSTANCE. DURING THIS TIME THE MOTOR IS RUNNING, THERE IS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND NO CODES ARE THROWN. I HAVE LEARNED THAT QUICKLY REPEATED PRESSING OF THE ACCELERATOR MAY HELP TERMINATE THE STALLING. COMMON FACTORS WHEN STALLING OCCURS SEEM TO BE WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARM. THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR A WHILE, AND THEN THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED FOR A SHORT TIME, RESTARTED, AND MOVED BACK TO TRAFFIC FOLLOWED BY A 90 DEGREE RIGHT OR LEFT TURN OR CAR IS DRIVING NORMAL ROUTE THEN STOPS FOR A STOP LIGHT/STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC, FOLLOWED BY A 90 DEGREE RIGHT OR LEFT TURN. IN BOTH THESE SCENARIOS, THERE IS A SHARP TURN. THE CAR WILL JUST FINISH THE TURN AND THEN STALL WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS PRESSED. IT SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING THAT IF THIS PROBLEM OCCURS AT THE WRONG TIME, IT COULD BE A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD TO LIFE AND PROPERTY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

IN PARKING GARAGE, TURNING INTO PARKING SPOT. CAR ENGINE REVVED UP, AND CAR ACCELERATED INTO THE GUARD RAIL, SMASHING THE FRONTEND OF THE VEHICLE AND DAMAGING THE RADIATOR. DRIVER DID NOT PUT FOOT ON THE GAS; CAR LUNGED FORWARD ON IT'S OWN. THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED, AND DRIVER HAD DARK BRUISES ON ABDOMEN, LEFT ANTERIOR THIGH, AND LEFT SIDE OF NECK D/T SEAT BELT, AND ALSO HAD MINOR WHIPLASH. FORTUNATELY, NO OTHER CARS OR PEOPLE WERE AROUND WHEN CAR ACCELERATED. ALSO, HAD THE CAR HAD MORE THAN JUST A FEW FEET TO RUN INTO SOMETHING, THE DRIVER WOULD HAVE BEEN INJURED WORSE. PRIOR TO INCIDENT, CAR ENGINE REVVED UP FOR SEVERAL SECONDS ON ITS OWN TWICE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY.

MY VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH STANDARD "PUSH-BUTTON" START WHICH IS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A RADIO CONTROLLED "KEY FOB." WHILE STANDING WITHIN A CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE VEHICLE, THE DOORS WILL UNLOCK WITH THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON ON THE DOOR HANDLE AND THE VEHICLE WILL START WITH THE TOUCH OF THE INTERIOR START BUTTON AND THE BRAKE PEDAL PUSHED DOWN. THE SAME INTERIOR START BUTTON IS PUSHED AGAIN TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE. ON APRIL 15, 2015, AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, ENGAGED THE HAND BRAKE, AND EXITTED THE CAR, FORGETTING TO PUSH THE INTERIOR START BUTTON TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE. I LEFT THE VICINITY OF THE VEHICLE (ABOUT 100 YARDS AWAY) AND THE CAR ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN UNTIL I RETURNED, 2 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES LATER TO TURN THE CAR OFF. MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALER SAID THIS WAS NORMAL AND THERE WAS NO BUILT-IN SAFETY MECHANISM TO PREVENT THE CAR ENGINE FROM RUNNING WHILE THE "KEY FOB" WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE CAR. IMAGINE THE SAFETY CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS? IF THE CAR WERE PARKED IN A RESIDENTIAL GARAGE, THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN DISASTEROUS. WHY DOESN'T THE ENGINE AUTOMATICALLY CUT OFF WHEN THE KEY FOB IS A CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM THE VEHICLE? WHY ISN'T THE ALERT (A SHORT SERIES OF BEEPS IDENTICAL TO OTHER BEEPS THE CAR MAKES WHEN LOCKED) DISTINCTIVE AND ALARMING? THIS IS A SERIOUS, LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF KEYLESS START ENGINES THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR