2007 Mazda MX-5

FAILED PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR DIAGNOSED BY LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP - PARTS AND LABOR NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO AGE OF CAR. PARTS/LABOR EXCEED $1600 FOR THE REPAIR. THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE IS UNDER 60K MILES, AND RARELY HAS A PASSENGER-SEAT OCCUPANT (SO VERY LITTLE STRESS/WEAR ON THE SEAT) AND HAS HAD NO PHYSICAL OR WATER DAMAGE TO THE CAR. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SIMILAR SCENARIO TO THE GM SKY/SOLSTICE VEHICLES - WHERE A LOW VOLUME SPECIALTY VEHICLE DOES NOT GARNER THE ATTENTION. REVIEWING MAZDA FORUMS SHOWS THAT THIS DEFECT IS NOT UNCOMMON, AND SHOULD BE RESEARCHED ON A PROBLEMS PER HUNDRED UNITS BASIS. MY GUESS IS THAT THE PPHU WOULD EXCEED THAT OF OTHER VEHICLES RECALLED FOR SIMILAR ISSUES.

THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, DYER MAZDA IN VERO BEACH, FL. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE AIRBAG MAY OR MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. THEY SAID I NEEDED A PASSENGER WEIGHT SENSOR, A PASSENGER SEAT TRACK ADJUSTER, AND AN SAS UNIT. APPROXIMATELY $2,000 JUST FOR THE PARTS. I CALLED THE MANUFACTURER, MAZDA, AND AFTER REVIEW, THE MANUFACTURER CONCURRED THAT THE AIRBAG MAY OR MAY NOT DEPLOY UNLESS THESE 3 PARTS WERE REPLACED. MAZDA AGREED TO PAY FOR THE LABOR ONLY, $650, BUT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE $2,000 IN PARTS. MY CAR IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, ONLY 11,752 MILES ON IT. THERE WAS NEVER ANY DAMAGE TO THE PARTS - IMPACT, WATER OR OTHERWISE. SINCE ALL 3 PARTS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE AIRBAG TO WORK PROPERLY, I FEEL MAZDA SHOULD COVER THE COST OF THE PARTS - NOT JUST THE LABOR. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. MAZDA OEM PARTS ARE ONLY WARRANTED FOR 12 MONTHS OR 12000 MILES. SINCE THESE PARTS ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SAFETY OF THE CAR, I FEEL THESE PARTS SHOULD HAVE A MUCH LONGER WARRANTY - SUCH AS 100,000 MILES - LIKE A POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE EXTENSIVELY ON THE INTERNET - SPECIFICALLY IN MAZDA OWNER FORUMS. THIS IS NOT A NEW ISSUE FOR MAZDA. THEY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR YEARS. SINCE THE FAILURE OF THIS PART CAN BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DRIVER DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY, I BELIEVE MAZDA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PRODUCT WORKING PROPERLY FOR MORE THAN 12 MONTHS OR 12,000 MILES. ANOTHER CONCERN I HAVE IS THAT IF THE PASSENGER SIDE SENSOR AIRBAG SYSTEM CAN FAIL, THEN THE DRIVER SIDE SYSTEM CAN ALSO FAIL. IF BOTH SYSTEMS FAIL, THE OWNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER $5,000 IN REPAIRS. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO ASSIST ME TO ENCOURAGE MAZDA TO STAND BY THEIR SAFETY PRODUCTS AND REPLACE THEM IF THEY FAIL. THANK YOU. *TR

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DISABLED DASH LIGHT REMAINS ON WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT IS PUSHED TO THE REAR WITH NO ONE IN THE SEAT. THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT UNBUCKLED WARNING LIGHT IS ALSO LIT EVEN THOUGH NO ONE IS IN THE SEAT. BOTH LIGHTS TURN OFF WHEN THE EMPTY SEAT IS MOVED FORWARD. I AM UNSURE IF THE AIR BAG WILL DEPLOY IF NEEDED. A MAZDA DEALER TOLD ME THEY HAD SEEN THE PROBLEM BEFORE IN OTHER VEHICLES AND THERE ARE DISCUSSIONS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THE PROBLEM IN OTHER CARS. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED MY CAR AND TOLD ME IT COULD BE ONE OF TWO PARTS BUT THEY COULD NOT BE SURE WHICH PART CAUSED THE PROBLEMS. ALL THEY COULD SUGGEST WAS REPLACING ONE PART AND THEN THE OTHER PART IF THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE PARTS ARE THE SEAT WEIGHT SENSOR ($1281.03) AND THE SEAT WEIGHT CONTROL ($523). THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN WRECKED AND NOTHING HAS BEEN MODIFIED OR ALTERED ON THE AIRBAG OR SEAT BELT SYSTEM. THE PROBLEMS BEGAN SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND THE LIGHTS WILL NOT GO OFF NOW WHEN THERE IS NO PASSENGER UNLESS THE SEAT IS MOVED FORWARD. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS COMPROMISED AND MAZDA OFFERS NO HELP OTHER THAN TO GAMBLE ON REPLACING TWO VERY EXPENSIVE PARTS WHICH SHOULD NOT CAUSE PROBLEMS DURING NORMAL USE OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE CONTACTED MAZDA BY EMAIL BUT THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO MY INQUIRIES. THE COMPANY DID NOT OFFER TO HELP THE DEALER RESOLVE THE PROBLEM OTHER THAN TO SUGGEST THAT I PAY FOR THE TWO EXPENSIVE PARTS THAT WERE SUSPECTED OF BEING THE PROBLEM.