2007 Mazda CX-7

I WAS ACCELERATING TO MERGE INTO EXPRESSWAY TRAFFIC WHEN I HEARD A LOUD WHINE/SQUEAL FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THE CAR LOST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF POWER. THE NOISE WAS SO UNEXPECTED AND UNRECOGNIZABLE THAT THE SHOCK I EXPERIENCED WHEN I HEARD IT CAUSED ME TO TENSE UP AND VEER OFF TO THE RIGHT. FORTUNATELY AS I WAS ON A RAMP THERE WERE NO VEHICLES TO THE RIGHT OF ME TO HIT. I WAS ABLE TO GET UP TO HIGHWAY SPEED BY GRADUALLY ACCELERATING ON THE SHOULDER BEFORE MERGING AND THEN EXITED AT THE NEXT EXIT. THE VEHICLE IS NOW AT A MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND I'VE BEEN TOLD IT WAS A TURBO CHARGER FAILURE. MY RESEARCH INTO THIS ISSUE ON THIS MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR, HAS PROVEN THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR MAZDA AND THEY HAVE EXTENDED THEIR STANDARD WARRANTY COVERAGE TO OWNERS FOR ADDITIONAL MONTHS AND/OR MILES. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL HOWEVER AND I THINK THAT CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF THESE INCIDENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED, ONE WOULD BE WARRANTED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MAZDA CX-7. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VARIABLE VALVE TIMING (VVT) BURNED OUT AND CAUSED SMOKE TO EMIT FROM THE EXHAUST PIPES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VVT VALVE TIMING CHAIN WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED THE VVT VALVE TIMING CHAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VVT VALVE TIMING CHAIN WAS REPLACED FOUR TIMES PRIOR TO THE RECENT FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

STARTED SMELLING STRONG BURNING RUBBER ODOR EMANATING THROUGH VENTS OF CAR WHILE IN OPERATION, EXITED HIGHWAY UPON SEEING WHITE SMOKE FUMING FROM UNDER HOOD. LOSS CONTROL OF STEERING AND VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT CRANK AGAIN. MECHANIC DETERMINED AC COMPRESSOR HAS SEIZED AND SERPENTINE BELT WAS SNAPPED DUE TO FRICTION FROM PULLEYS. IF I HAD STAYED ON FREEWAY INSTEAD OF EXITING, WITH THE LOST OF STEERING I SURELY WOULD HAVE POSED A DANGER TO MYSELF AS WELL AS OTHERS ON THE ROAD. THIS COMPLAINT IS ONE OF NUMEROUS THOUSANDS THAT HAVE BEEN FILED ON BEHALF OF MAZDA AND ITS CX-7 MODEL. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUED FOR THE AC COMPRESSOR BEFORE IT CAUSES SERIOUS INJURY AND/OR FATALITY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MAZDA CX-7. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AND THE TURBO SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SLUDGE AND THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE AND ADVISED THAT THE ENGINE WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE ENGINE WAS NOT REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

I WAS EXPERIENCING A SHAKE IN THE STEERING WHEEL AT HIGH SPEEDS, WHICH WE ATTRIBUTED TO A TIRE/WHEEL/ALIGNMENT ISSUE. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME I NEEDED THE TIMING CHAIN (AND ASSORTED PERIPHERALS) REPLACED...FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO YEARS. THE FIRST TIME WAS COVERED BY WARRANTY, BUT ONLY AFTER I PRODUCED THE RECORDS TO SHOW THE OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED REGULARLY. THE SECOND TIME WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. IT COST $1500 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY THAT WAS LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD. THE DEALERSHIP HAS RECOMMENDED IGNORING THE MANUAL ON OIL CHANGES (EVERY 7500 MILES) AND CHANGING IT EVERY 3000 TO HOPEFULLY CATCH ANY FURTHER ISSUES. THEY SAID BECAUSE THE TURBO RUNS VERY HOT, IT BURNS UP THE OIL QUICKLY. MY CAR WAS VERY LOW WHEN I TOOK IT IN. THEY ALSO SAID THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL NOT GO ON DUE TO LOW OIL, BUT ONLY FOR LOW OIL PRESSURE. THE OTHER ISSUE I HAD WAS RELATED TO THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. I HAVE THE AUTO-DIM WITH COMPASS, WHICH WAS INSTALLED BY THE DEALER WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR. IT HAS FAILED TWICE AND BEEN REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE SECOND TIME WAS AROUND 65K MILES. LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER MY WARRANTY RAN OUT, THE ENTIRE MIRROR FELL OFF THE WINDSHIELD. IN THE EARLY 2007 MODELS, THE CLIP THAT HOLDS THE MIRROR CAN NOT BE REPLACED IF IT BREAKS. I HAD TO HAVE THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD REPLACED IN ORDER TO RE-ATTACH THE MIRROR. I WAS TOLD EVEN THOUGH THE MIRROR WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED SINCE IT HAD JUST BEEN REPLACED, THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT COVERED. THAT WAS ANOTHER $250 TO REPLACE A PERFECTLY GOOD WINDSHIELD JUST BECAUSE THE CLIP COULDN'T BE FIXED. I HAVE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED JUST TRADING THIS CAR IN BECAUSE I DOUBT VERY MUCH IT WILL BE WORTH MORE THAN SCRAP VALUE IN A FEW MORE YEARS. *TR

THE VEHICLE STARTED TAPPING UPON START UP AND SEEMED TO HAVE TROUBLE ACCELERATING. THERE WAS ALSO A RATTLING NOISE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED. I CALLED THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED THAT THIS IS NOT THEIR ISSUE BUT THEY COULD LOOK AT MY VEHICLE IF I PAID A $50.00 FEE AND WHAT EVER THE ISSUE, IT WOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY. THERE ARE COUNTLESS ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE IE. VARITABLE VALVE TIMING ACTUATOR, TURBO FAILURE, BUT NOTHING IS BEING DONE BY MAZDA TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM IE. RECALL. PLEASE HELP US, THE OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE!! WE CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY OUT ALL BECAUSE MAZDA WILL NOT ADMIT THEIR EQUIPMENT IS FAULTY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

IN NOVEMBER OF 2012 MY FAMILY WAS DRIVING HOME FROM SEATTLE, WA TO SAN DIEGO, CA. WHEN WE WERE DRIVING WE SMELLED BURNING RUBBER SO PULLED OVER TO SEE IF WE COULD SEE SOMETHING WRONG UNDER THE HOOD. SINCE IT WAS 10PM AND DARK OUTSIDE WE COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING AND DECIDED TO FIND THE NEAREST HOTEL TO STAY AT UNTIL WE COULD TAKE IT TO A SHOP. AFTER WE STARTED DRIVING WE SAW THERE WAS A FREEWAY EXIT 1/2 A MILE AWAY SO MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING REALLY SLOW(ABOUT 35MPH) HOPING WE COULD MAKE IT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS A HUGE JERKING MOTION THAT FELT LIKE WE RAN INTO SOMETHING EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T. WE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY AND GOT A TOW TRUCK. IT ENDED UP BEING THE AC COMPRESSOR AND SERPENTINE BELT THAT NEEDED REPLACED, ALTHOUGH MAZDA WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AS THEY STATED IN THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT IT HAD "DEFECT IN WORKMANSHIP OR MATERIALS," THE WARRANTY WAS ONLY EXTENDED TO 5 YEARS OR 60,000 MILES. MY MAZDA WAS 6 YEARS OLD AND HAD ONLY 48,000 MILES BUT WASN'T COVERED BECAUSE IT WAS A YEAR PASSED THE WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THE MILES WERE STILL UNDER. WE ENDED UP PAYING $2,000.00 TO FIX IT AS WELL AS ANOTHER $300.00 TO STAY IN A MOTEL FOR 5 DAYS. EVER SINCE THE DAY THAT THE CAR BROKE AND HAD THE HUGE JERKING MOVEMENT, BY BACK HAS HURT EVERYDAY SINCE THEN. IT ESPECIALLY DIDN'T HELP THAT I WAS ALMOST 5 MONTHS PREGNANT AND ALTHOUGH NOTHING HAPPENED TO THE BABY, I'M HOPING THERE WAS NO PERMANENT DAMAGE TO MY BACK SINCE I'VE NEVER HAD BACK PAIN OR PROBLEMS SINCE BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. I DIDN'T KNOW WHO ELSE TO CONTACT ABOUT THIS BUT I THINK THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND MAZDA NEEDS TO FIX IT BEFORE MORE PEOPLE GET HURT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY ALREADY KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM WHICH IS WHY THE EXTENDED THEIR WARRANTY. *TR