2007 Mazda CX-7

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MAZDA CX7. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION AND A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE FAULTY VARIABLE VALVE TIMING WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER MAILED A NOTIFICATION, WHICH INDICATED THAT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE VARIABLE VALVE TIMING WOULD BE FREE OF CHARGE; HOWEVER THE VEHICLE WAS INELIGIBLE BECAUSE IT EXCEEDED THE 70,000 MILEAGE REQUIREMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

MY 2007 MAZDA CX-7 STARTING MAKING A POPPING NOISE AND BEGAN LOSING POWER ON APRIL 13, 2012. I DROVE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TIMING CHAIN AND TURBO CHARGER ARE BAD AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR HAS 80,477 MILES ON IT AND THEREFORE, NOTHING IS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND I CANNOT PRODUCE ALL OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS. THUS, IT IS GOING TO COSTS ME $3,000 TO GET FIXED. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN MAZDA FOR NOT FIXING A DEFECT THAT THEY ARE CLEARLY AWARE OF, REGARDLESS OF THE MILEAGE! I NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER AND I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL MAZDA CUSTOMER, PURCHASING 5 MAZDA'S OVER THE LAST 12 YEARS! I TRAVEL WITH MY JOB SO I DO PUT A LOT OF MILES ON A VEHICLE (AVERAGING 2,000 MILES PER MONTH) BUT I FIND IT UTTERLY RIDICULOUS THAT A CAR HAS MAJOR DEFECTS AT 80,000 MILES! PLEASE HELP AND STOP MAZDA FROM TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CONSUMERS! *JS

I WAS HEADING WEST OUT OF DENVER ON INTERSTATE 70 WHEN MY CAR COMPLETELY FAILED AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. I WAS IN THE LEFT (PASSING) LANE AND WAS FORTUNATELY ABLE TO PULL INTO THE MEDIAN TO AVOID A CRASH AT HIGH SPEEDS. MY FOUR-MONTH OLD SON WAS IN THE BACK SEAT SO I WAS SHAKEN AND FRIGHTENED FOR HIS SAFETY, AND UNABLE TO RE-START THE VEHICLE. WE WERE STRANDED THERE FOR AN HOUR WAITING FOR A TOW-TRUCK WITH OTHER CARS PUSHING PAST US AT VERY HIGH SPEEDS. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL OF MAZDA. THE COMPANY DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR VEHICLES--INSTEAD THEY ARE DISCONTINUING THE CX-7 B/C OF IT'S POOR ENGINEERING. THEY ALSO OFFERED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS ISSUE (UP TO 70,000 MILES SO MY CAR IS NOT COVERED.) IF THEY WERE A RESPONSIBLE COMPANY THEY SHOULD ISSUE A TOTAL RECALL OF THIS VEHICLE IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE TIMING CHAINS. OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR IN THE SHORT TIME I HAD IT (BOUGHT IT AT 53,000 AND IT HAS A DEAD ENGINE AT ONLY 76,000) -MYSTERIOUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS CAUSING ALL GAUGES TO GO HAYWIRE WHEN I ACCELERATED OR TURNED -LEAKING VALVES IN THE TRANSMISSION (JUST PAID $800 TO HAVE THAT REPAIRED IN OCTOBER) -FAULTY AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR (ALSO EXTENDED WARRANTY) BASICALLY, THIS CAR IS A TOTAL LEMON. IF YOU HAVE ONE THAT STILL RUNS--BEWARE! IF I HAD BEEN 2 MILES FARTHER DOWN THE FREEWAY I WOULD HAVE HAD NO WHERE TO PULL OVER AND WOULD HAVE BEEN STALLED DEAD ON THE FREEWAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC... WITH YOUNG SON IN THE BACK SEAT. *TR

I OWN A 2007 MAZDA CX-7, WHICH I PURCHASED IN NOV. 2006, BRAND NEW. OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS, I HAVE HEARD A TAPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE. TWICE IN THE PAST 9 MONTHS, THE VEHICLE LOST COMPLETE POWER. I ASKED MAZDA TO CHECK THE VEHICLE AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS COMMON, NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. IN JANUARY OF 2012, I RECEIVED A SAFETY NOTICE FROM MAZDA IN REGARDS TO A POSSIBLE DEFECT PART, V.V.T. COMPONENT AND A LOOSE TIMING CHAIN. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP, WHO ADVISED ME THAT MY VEHICLE CONTAINED THIS DEFECTIVE PART, BUT STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO REPAIR THE DEFECTIVE COMPONENT DUE TO THE LACK OF RECEIPTS FOR OIL CHANGES AND OTHER MAINTENANCE RECORDS. THE REASON FOR THE LACK OF RECEIPTS IS BECAUSE MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, WHO IS A MECHANIC, PERFORMED THE OIL CHANGES AND OTHER MAINTENANCE WORK TO THE VEHICLE. I ASKED MAZDA IF THE DEFECTIVE PART COULD BE HAZARDOUS AND THEY ADVISED ME IT WAS NOT HARZARDOUS OR DANGEROUS. APPROX. 3 WEEKS AGO, MY WIFE ORDERED THE NECESSARY PARTS AND PAID FOR THEM IN FULL. AFTER 3 WEEKS, I WAS ADVISED THAT THE PARTS OR NOT AVAILABLE. AFTER READING NUMEROUS WEBSITES AND COMPLAINTS FROM CX-7 OWNERS, THIS IS HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I FURTHER READ THAT IF THE V.V.T. COMPONENT FAILS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING OPERATED, THE ENGINE WILL IMMEDIATELY CEASE, POSSIBLY CAUSING THE OPERATOR THE INABILITY TO SAFELY MANVEUR THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY. IN MY OPINION, THIS IS A DANGER TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE MAZDA CX-7 AND OTHER MOTORISTS. I HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY ACCIDENTS BEING REPORTED AS A RESULT OF THE DEFECTIVE PART, BUT I FEEL THAT MAZDA IS NOT TAKING THE NECESSARY MEASURES TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE MOTORISTS. I FEEL THAT THE MATTER SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY MAZDA BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED. *KB

I WAS DRIVING MY MAZDA CX-7 ON THE HIGHWAY AROUND 65 MPH WHEN MY CAR STARTING MAKING A LOUD NOISE FROM THE ENGINE AND HAD A SUDDEN LOSS IN POWER. SO I PULLED OVER IN THE NEXT TOWN AND STAYED IN A MOTEL FOR THE NIGHT. THE NEXT DAY I RENTED A TRAILER FROM UHAUL TO TOW THE CAR TO A MAZDA DEALER WHO STATED THAT MY ENGINE NEEDED TO BE OPENED TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE ACTUAL PROBLEM. PER THE MAZDA TECHNICIAN THAT INSPECTED MY CAR, THE TIMING CHAIN (VVT) WAS MISSING A PIN AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO BREAK. THEREFORE MY ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AT THE PRICE IT WAS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, I OBTAINED A SECOND OPINION FROM A NON-MAZDA MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT MY ENGINE ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I REPLACED MY ENGINE AT 72,127 MILES, FOR APPROXIMATELY $6K, WHICH IS SLIGHTLY OVER THE 70,000 MILE SERVICE NOTICE THAT MAZDA RECENTLY PUT OUT FOR REIMBURSEMENT FROM REPAIRS RELATED TO THE VVT TIMING CHAIN. AFTER I SUBMITTED MY CLAIM TO MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS, MY CLAIM WAS DENIED BECAUSE I WAS SLIGHTLY OVER THE MILEAGE THAT THEY DETERMINED WAS APPROPRIATE. I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED MAZDA TO BE A LITTLE MORE UNDERSTANDING AS IT WAS THEIR DEALERSHIP WHO INITIALLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. AS SUCH, I HAVE CURRENTLY HIRED A LAWYER TO PURSUE REIMBURSEMENT OF MY ENGINE REPLACEMENT COST AS THIS PART HAS CAUSED SEVERAL OTHER INDIVIDUALS TO HAVE TO REPLACE THEIR ENTIRE ENGINES. MY LAWYER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE MORE CASES OF THE MAZDA CX-7 ENGINE BREAKING DUE TO TIMING CHAIN FAILURE THAT WAS ALSO NEAR OR ABOVE 70,000 MILES. PLEASE RESPOND/COMMENT TO THIS POST SO THAT WE MAY USE YOUR STORY/INFORMATION AS VERIFICATION THAT THE VVT TIMING CHAIN IS AN ISSUE ON THE MAZDA CX-7. *KB

WHEN OUR MAZDA CX-7 2007 REACHED 45000 MILES, THE AIR BAG WITNESS LIGHT STARTED TURNING ON AND OFF RANDOMLY, IF I TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND STARTED IT AGAIN, IT SOMETIMES WENT OFF. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY SAID THEY "CLEAN THE CONNECTIONS" AND IT WENT OFF FOR TWO WEEKS, NOW IT IS BACK ON. AT FIRST INTERMITTENTLY AND NOW, ALWAYS ON. I AM NOT SURE WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. *JS

VEHICLE HAS A DEFECTIVE VARIABLE VALVE TIMING ACTUATOR (AS PER THE MANUFACTURERS CAMPAIGN LETTER) THAT CAUSES A NOISE AT START UP AND A LOOSE TIMING CHAIN. THAT FIRST PHASE OF THE FAILURE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED. THE NEXT STAGE OF THE FAILURE WHICH HASN'T HAPPENED TO ME YET (BUT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY OTHERS) IS THAT THE VVT ACTUATOR EVENTUALLY BECOMES DISLODGED FROM ITS PIN AND AS A RESULT, THE TIMING CHAIN BREAKS, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SEIZE INSTANTLY, CAUSING AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE FROM THE DRIVER TO ATTEMPT TO GET OUT OF THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, WITHOUT WARNING, WITHIN SECONDS OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ON THE NJ TURNPIKE, RT. 295, RT 195, ETC IN CENTRAL NJ AND WHEN THE FAILURE AS DESCRIBED ABOVE OCCURS WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON BUSY ROADWAYS, THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF AN ACCIDENT OCCURRING AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE, OR AS THE CAR SITS DISABLED ON THE EDGE OF A ROADWAY AWAITING ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE DANGER IS NOT ONLY FOR THE OCCUPANTS OF THE CX-7, BUT ALSO FOR THOSE DIRECTLY BEHIND THE VEHICLE AT THE POINT OF THE VVT FAILING AND/OR THE TIMING CHAIN BREAKING. I HAVE REQUESTED THAT THE VEHICLE BE REPAIRED FOR OVER 90 DAYS, HOWEVER MAZDA USA CONTINUES TO INFORM ME THAT THE PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT THERE NO IDENTIFIED DATE OF WHEN THEY WILL BE IN STOCK. THAT MEANS THAT THEY ARE ALLOWING ME AND MY FAMILY TO DRIVE A VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A DEFECTIVE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PART, THAT WHEN IT FAILS, MAY CAUSE HARM TO ME, MY FAMILY AND OTHERS. THEY ARE NOT CONSIDERING THIS A MATTER OF SAFETY, AND INSTEAD ONLY A MATTER OF INCONVENIENCE IN THAT BECAUSE MY VEHICLE IS NOW OVER THEIR SELF DETERMINED 70,000K MILEAGE THRESHOLD, THEY ARE NOT OFFERING TO FIX THE CAR. INSTEAD, THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT I CAN PAY TO HAVE IT FIXED. THEY SHOULD BE WARNING THEIR CUSTOMERS OF THE DANGEROUS CONDITION BEING CREATED BY THEIR FAULTY COMPONENTS. *TR

MAZDA SENT INFORMATION REGARDING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE VVT ACTUATOR/TIMING CHAIN FOR 70,000 MILES OR 7 YEARS OF AGE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE, LITERALLY DAYS AFTER RECEIVING THIS MAILING, AND WAS INFORMED THAT I NEEDED THIS REPAIRED ON MY VEHICLE. MY CAR WAS AROUND 15,000 MILES OVER THE LIMIT BUT WITHIN THE 7 YEAR TIME FRAME. AFTER CALLING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE, MAZDA INSISTED THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO SINCE I WAS OVER THE MILEAGE CAP. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DEFECT NO MATTER HOW MANY MILES ARE ON THE VEHICLE. TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM, I WILL HAVE TO PAY OVER $1,500. WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? A REPUTABLE COMPANY WOULD FIX THIS DEFECT ON ALL VEHICLES AFFECTED. *TR