2014 Mazda MAZDA3

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.

I WAS TURNING SLOWLY INTO A PARKING SPACE BETWEEN TWO PARKED CARS WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. APPROXIMATELY 1/4 TO 1/3 OF THE WAY INTO THE SPACE THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED (MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE). IT JUMPED THE CURB, CROSSED OVER THE SIDEWALK, "TOOK OUT" 2 PILINGS AND LARGE FLOWER BOX AND THEN STOPPED. ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. IT HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF SECONDS AND I HAD NO TIME TO REACT IN ANY WAY. CAR HAD TO BE WINCHED OFF OF THE PILINGS WHICH NOW HAVE TO BE RESET APPROX. 15" - 18" INTO THE GROUND. I HAVE PHOTOS TAKEN BY A NEIGHBOR, BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD THEM. TOW TRUCK DRIVER TOOK SOME TO SHOW TO THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER.

MOMENTS AFTER DRIVING MY 2014 MAZDA 3, I NOTICED THE BLUE COOLANT DASHBOARD ICON WAS LIT SIGNALING THE COOLANT IS COLD. AS I DROVE WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR ABRUPTLY ACCELERATED AND I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES SO I WOULD NOT REAR END THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. PLUS, I NOTICED THE COOLANT DASHBOARD ICON TURN OFF ALSO. THE CRUISE WAS COMPLETELY OFF!

7/27/16 3:30 PM WEATHER CLEAR AND DRY ' TEMPERATURE 78 DEGREES MILEAGE ABOUT 24,000 ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE UP TO DATE I ACCELERATED ONTO WASHINGTON SR 520 EASTBOUND AT EXIT 51 TO GET UP TO MERGING SPEED. I KEPT THE CAR IN SECOND GEAR AND THE ENGINE REVVED TO ABOUT 5,000 RPM. I DON'T THINK I HAVE EVER DRIVEN THE CAR OVER 4500 RPM IN THE NEARLY 3 YEARS I HAVE OWNED IT. I AM NOT SURE WHY I DIDN'T SHIFT INTO THIRD AS I USUALLY DO. THIRD GEAR IS MY DEFINITELY MY PREFERRED GEAR FOR THIS MANEUVER AND IT ALWAYS WORKS WELL FOR MERGING ONTO A HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY. I WAS GREETED WITH MULTIPLE FLASHING IDIOT LIGHTS FOR ENGINE, TIRE PRESSURE AND ANTI-SKID. THE THROTTLE WAS UNRESPONSIVE AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY SAFELY AS MY SPEED DROPPED RAPIDLY FROM ABOUT 45 TO 30. I LIMPED ALONG IN THE FIRST LANE AT ABOUT 30 MPH, I TRIED TO TURN ON MY EMERGENCY FLASHERS BUT I DON'T THINK THEY WORKED. I AM NOT CERTAIN OF THIS LAST POINT AS I WAS PANICKED THAT THE ENGINE HAD APPEARED TO QUIT JUST HAS I WAS MERGING INTO HEAVY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC THAT WAS MOVING AT ABOUT 60-65 MPH. I COULD NOT GET ANY POWER IN ANY GEAR AND TRIED FEATHERING THE THROTTLE. I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT EXIT ' ABOUT 1 MILE. I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND LET IT REST FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON, EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. NO IDIOT LIGHTS AND THE THROTTLE RESPONDED NORMALLY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE LAST COUPLE OF MILES HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CAR BUT THIS INCIDENT SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME.

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.

AS I WAS TURNING INTO A PARKING SPOT TO PARK MY CAR, THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND RAN INTO A CONCRETE WALL. I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THIS CAR'S PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN TO GET FIXED AFTER THE SAFETY RECALL IN JANUARY '16. AS I REALIZED THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING - AND PUSHING ON THE BRAKE WOULD NOT STOP IT - I LIFTED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE CRASH ULTIMATELY STOPPED THE CAR - NOT THE BRAKE OR EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. LESS CONCERNED ABOUT THE DAMAGE TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR, AND MORE CONCERNED THAT I HAD ZERO CONTROL OVER THE CAR AND ANY ABILITY TO STOP IT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER DECREASED TO ZERO AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT ACCELERATE. ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED FOUR TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,700.

MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON THE LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY WITH 2 PASSENGERS IN THE CAR. SHE WAS DRIVING AROUND 60 MPH WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BY ITSELF. IN A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS THE CAR WENT FROM 60 MPH TO OVER 120 MPH. SHE TRIED PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS SHE COULD BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND. SHE HAD TO *JSDODGE ABOUT 7 CARS AS SHE TRIED TO GET THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN. SHE THEN PULLED THE EMERGENCY BREAK BUT THE CAR WAS MOVING SO FAST THAT IT BARELY SLOWED THE CAR DOWN. SHE GOT HER CAR TO THE SIDE (LAST LANE) OF THE HIGHWAY AND DECIDED TO PRESS THE PUSH TO START BUTTON AND THE CAR FINALLY CAME TO A HALT. THERE WAS NOT TOO MUCH TRAFFIC SO SHE WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE THE CARS SUDDEN ACCELERATION WITHOUT GETTING HURT OR DAMAGING THE CAR. A WITNESS ON THE HIGHWAY SAW MY MOTHERS CAR SPEEDING OUT OF CONTROL AND CALLED THE POLICE. THE POLICE CAME AND FILLED OUT A POLICE REPORT AND LEFT. WE GOT THE CAR TOWED TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND LEFT IT THERE OVERNIGHT SO THEY COULD FIGURE OUT THE ISSUES AS THERE WAS CLEARLY A DEFECT WITH THE CAR. THEY CALLED US BACK SAYING THAT EVERYTHING WAS CHECKING OUT NORMAL ON THE CAR AND THEY DECIDED TO HAVE THE CAR TECHNICIAN DRIVE THE CAR HOME AND BACK TO WORK THE NEXT TIME IN AN ATTEMPT TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. THEY CALLED US THE NEXT DAY SAYING THEY DROVE THE CAR 58 MILES AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE AND TOLD US THAT WE HAD TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE. THEY SAID THAT MY FAMILY FEELING SAFE IN THE MAZDA VEHICLE WAS THEIR PRIORITY BUT THAT WAS CLEARLY NOT THE CASE. THEY REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IF THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN AND WE GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT AND ALSO REFUSED TO PROVIDE US WITH A LOANER CAR OR A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE OR PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN TRADING IN THE CAR FOR A NEW ONE. THEY SAID THEY HAD DONE ALL THEY COULD AND UNTIL THIS HAPPENED AGAIN THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ASSIST US. MY MOM COULD'VE DIED IN THAT CAR. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MAZDA MAZDA3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE, TRACTION, AIR PRESSURE, AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE REPAIRS WERE UNKNOWN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,500.