2011 Mazda MAZDA6

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON 290 IN THE MORNING TRAFFIC DOING SPEEDS AROUND (30-50MPH) THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN PROGRESSIVELY ROTATING COUNTER-CLOCKWISE WITH THE VEHICLE PULLING DRASTICALLY TO THE RIGHT. THE DYNAMIC STABILITY CONTROL TURNED OFF AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND THE VEHICLE ACTED AS IF IT WERE ON ICY/SLICK SURFACES NO LONGER PROVIDING SUPPORT TO THE DRIVER. THE STEERING/BRAKING SYSTEM BEGAN TO STRUGGLE NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT ON THE EXPRESSWAY CAUSING A FISHTAIL WITH THE ABS ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE. AT THIS POINT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS REGISTERING STRAIGHT’ WITH THE STEERING WHEEL TURNED APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES LEFT. THANKFULLY I WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE EXPRESSWAY AND PULL INTO A JUST TIRES SHOP, WHO INFORMED ME THE FRONT SUBFRAME HAS RUSTED COMPLETELY THRU AND EVEN TWISTED DUE TO THE CORROSION. NOW MY 2011 MAZDA6 IS NOT DRIVABLE AND HOPEFULLY NHTSA WILL FORCE MAZDA TO DO A RECALL FOR SUBFRAMES BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT.

ON OCTOBER 2, 2018, DURING THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED 6-MONTH MAINTENANCE AND OIL CHANGE, MECHANIC AT MAZDA DEALERSHIP NOTIFIED ME OF SEVERE CORROSION ON FRONT AND REAR SUB FRAMES. SERVICE DIRECTOR NOTIFIED ME THAT THE VEHICLE WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO ME DUE TO SAFETY ISSUE AND HE WAS GOING TO CONTACT MAZDA CORPORATE ON MY BEHALF. ON FRIDAY OCTOBER 5, 2018, DEALERSHIP NOTIFIED ME THAT MAZDA WAS GOING TO REPAIR IT AT NO CHARGE TO ME. I WAS CONTACTED AGAIN TODAY OCTOBER 9, STATING THAT MY VEHICLE PASSED THE INITIAL INSPECTION TEST, THERE IS NO PERFORATION DEVELOPED FROM CORROSION, THE CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE AND I SHOULD COME OVER TO PICK IT UP. AFTER LENGTHY DISCUSSION EXPRESSING ALL MY SAFETY CONCERNS (PLUS THE FACT THAT THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE THAN 30 REPORTS INVESTIGATED WITH THE SAME ISSUE), MAZDA AGREED TO REPLACE IT AT GOODWILL. I REALLY HOPE NHTSA CAN CREATE A PRESSURE ON MAZDA TO START THE RECALL, BECAUSE THERE ARE NUMEROUS DRIVERS OF EFFECTED MODELS THAT DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MAZDA 6. THE CONTACT STATED THE MAIN WIRE HARNESS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BURNED OUT AND THE VEHICLE SHOOK WHEN BEING DRIVEN. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE BURNT WIRE HARNESS COULD CAUSE A FIRE OR CAUSE THE AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY ON THEIR OWN. THE DEALER (BAKERSFIELD MAZDA, 3201 CATTLE DR, BAKERSFIELD, CA 93313) STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

VEHICLE HAS A 3.7L V6 DURATEC ENGINE DESIGNED BY FORD. I WAS ENTERING THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 55MPH, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON, THEN VEHICLE SHUT OFF, AND I LOST BOTH POWER AND STEERING. WAS ABLE TO GET TO SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT CRASHING. STEAM/SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE HOOD AND THE TEMP GAUGE WAS PINNED AT H. DEALERSHIP ADVISED THAT COOLANT HAD GOTTEN MIXED WITH OIL AND ENGINE WAS DESTROYED. COST TO REPAIR - $7400 USED $13K NEW ENGINE. TOLD IT WAS NOT DUE TO ANY NEGLECT OR MAINTENANCE ISSUE. IT WAS A WATER PUMP FAILURE. THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THIS ENGINE. THE WATER PUMP IS INTEGRATED INTO THE ENGINE AND TIMING CHAIN. WHEN THE PUMP FAILS IT DAMAGES THE ENGINE, ALLOWING COOLANT TO MIX WITH THE OIL. NUMEROUS FORD AND MAZDA OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM BUT BECAUSE IT USUALLY HAPPENS AT OR AFTER 100K MILES THE MANUFACTURERS DO NOT REPORT IT. THEY WILL ALSO DO NOTHING TO HELP THE CUSTOMER WHO IS LEFT WITH A HUGE REPAIR BILL OR A TOTALED CAR. PLEASE HELP ME AND OTHER OWNERS. I HAVE RESEARCH WITH THE NAMES OF OTHER OWNERS WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR FORD OR MAZDA.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 55 MPH I HEARD A LOUD NOICE AND THE CAR SUDDENLY STARTED TO SWERVE, THE STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN AND PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY AND TO A PARKING LOT. DURING THE RIDE AT A MUCH SLOWER SPEED AROUND 20-25 VERY LOUD NOISES CAME FROM THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE CAR ESPECIALLY,WHEN THE THE WHEEL WAS TURNED. THE VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVABLE AND HAD TO BE TOWED. THE SUB FRAME RUSTED OUT AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARM PUSHED THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE INTO THE BACK OF THE WHEEL WELL.

RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING DOWN A STRAIGHT ROAD ABOUT 35 MPH MY STEERING STARTED TO FAIL IN ORDER TO KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT THE WHEEL HAS TO BE TURNED TO THE LEFT AND HELD IN PLACE. THE INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON THAT MY BRAKE ASSIST SYSTEM IS OFF/FAILING. THE CAR SLIGHTLY JERKS TO THE RIGHT WHEN TRYING TO STAY GOING STRAIGHT. THERE WAS NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE CAR WHEN TURNING AND GOING IN REVERSE. UPON INSPECTION FOR THE BODY SHOP THE SUBFRAME IS PREMATURELY ROTTING AND THAT IS WHY I LOST PROPER STEERING ALONG WHY THE OTHER ISSUES OCCURRED TOO. THE CAR IS INOPERABLE AND THE SUBFRAME IS NOT HOLDING AS IT SHOULD

I AM WRITING THIS LETTER BECAUSE I RECENTLY LEARNED ABOUT A SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY CAR DURING A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE ON THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018. I WAS MADE AWARE BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE SUBFRAME ON MY 2011 MAZDA6 IS COVERED IN RUST AND SHOULD BE REPLACED. UPON TRUSTED INSPECTIONS FROM TWO DIFFERENT AUTO SHOPS, THE RESULT IS THE SAME: I NEED A NEW SUBFRAME BECAUSE IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF IT BROKE AWAY. I BOUGHT MY CAR NEW IN 2011, SO I AM SHOCKED THAT A MAJOR STRUCTURAL COMPONENT OF MY CAR IS NOW COMPROMISED, PUTTING MY SAFETY AT RISK. THE SUBFRAME IS ON NATIONWIDE BACK ORDER, WHICH TELLS ME (AND BOTH MECHANICS ECHOED EACH OTHER) THAT THIS IS A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM. MY DAILY COMMUTE TO MY JOB HAS ME DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, AT 70 MPH, AT A TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY 80 MILES PER DAY. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE WHEN DRIVING MY CAR. I DID SOME ONLINE RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED MAZDA HAD OVER 20 REPORTS FROM OWNERS WHO SAY RUST IN THEIR 2009-2010 MAZDA 6S HAS CAUSED, OR NEARLY CAUSED, A STEERING FAILURE. THIS EXTENDED EVEN FURTHER INTO OTHER MODEL MODELS FOR SUBFRAME ROT DEEMED DANGEROUS. IN 2016, MAZDA HAD TO RECALL 190,000 CX-7S FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE WHEREIN CORROSION WAS CAUSING SUSPENSION FAILURE. DAYS LATER, 2.2 MILLION MAZDAS WERE RECALLED WORLDWIDE. I CALLED MAZDA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT THEY DECLINED TO HELP ME BECAUSE 'I DIDN'T CONTINUE MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MAZDA", AFTER MY WARRANTY WAS UP. HOWEVER, WHILE UNDER WARRANTY, I ONLY TOOK MY CAR TO MAZDA FOR SERVICE BECAUSE I KNEW I HAD TO DUE TO THE WARRANTY, DESPITE THEIR COMPLETE INCOMPETENCE. DURING THE TIME MY CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS SERVICED AT MAZDA, THEY INSTALLED MY DRIVER'S WINDSHIELD WIPER BACKWARDS. IT POPPED OFF THE NEXT DAY DURING A DOWNPOUR. TWO TIMES THEY DIDN'T CLOSE MY HOOD FULLY (ONCE LEFT OIL CAP ON TOP OF MY ENGINE). FOR THESE REASONS, I SOUGHT OUT A MORE RELIABLE MECHANIC AFTER WARRANTY.

PASSENGER SIDE DASHBOARD IS GETTING A STICKY SURFACE ON TOP. THE TOP LAYER ALMOST SEEMS LIKE IT IS MELTING. IT IS JUST STARTING TO GET STICKY AND IT IS JUST ON TOP. THE STICKINESS HAS JUST STARTED IN THE LAST 2 WEEKS. THE STICKY SURFACE IS CAUSING A GLARE AND IS AFFECTING THE VISIBILITY WHEN DRIVING. FURTHER, THE DASHBOARD CRACKED ALL THE WAY DOWN AFTER HAVING THE AIR BAG REPLACED DUE TO THE RECALL. NO PRESSURE/DAMAGE/HITS HAS OCCURRED ON THE DASHBOARD BY CONSUMER AND YET IT CRACKED ALL THE WAY DOWN IN JANUARY 2018.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MAZDA 6. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION IN OCTOBER OF 2016 FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V593000 (SUSPENSION). THE DEALER (CONTINENTAL MAZDA OF NAPERVILLE, 2363 AURORA AVE, NAPERVILLE, IL 60540) STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE FOR REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR AND WAS NOT SURE OF A DATE FOR THE REMEDY. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. *TT THE CONSUMER STATED PLEASE CLOSE CASE REPAIR HAS BEEN MADE. *TR