2004 Mazda MAZDA3

ALL 4 EAGLE RS A P205 GOODYEAR TIRES ON MY 2004 MAZDA 3 4 DOOR SEDAN ARE DEFECTIVE. ONE TIRE THE SIDEWALL TOTALLY CRACKED AND SEPARTED AND THE OTHER 3 TIRES ARE BEGINNING TO CRACK AND SEPARTE. I BELIEVE THESE TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND ARE A SAFETY HAZZARD. THE GOODYEAR DEALER HAS REFUSED TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION. I KNOW THE TIRES ON THE NISSAN CARS ARE BEING REPLACED FOR THE SAME DEFECT. HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE ONE TIRE AND THE DEALER DID NOT CHECK THE OTHER 3 TIRES WHICH WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO ANOTHER DEALER WHO SHOWED ME THE SEPARATING SIDEWALLS AND TOLD ME THAT THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE TIRE LISTED AS THE ONLY OPTION FOR EAGLE RSA ON YOUR FORM IS P245. THESE TIRES IN QUESTION ARE P205 SO I AM NOT SURE HOW TO REPORT THIS DEFECT.

SIDEWALL SEPARATION GOODYEAR EAGLE RSA TIRE ORIGINAL TIRE ON 2004 MAZDA 3 DRIVEN 21,400 MILES. PREVIOUSLY 2 UNEXPLAINED FLAT TIRES. TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO CHECK TIRES. NO CAUSE FOUND. FOR THE THIRD TIME, AIR WAS LEAKING FROM THE TIRE AND THE SIDEWALL SEPARATION WITH A LARGE DEEP CRACK WAS 3/4 AROUND THE TIRE. WHEN I TOOK IT TO A GOODYEAR DEALER I WAS TOLD THAT ONLY THE EAGLE RSA WERE BEING REPLACED ON THE NISSAN'S AND NOT THE MAZDA 3. NO FURTHER EXPLANATION WAS AVAILABLE. I NOW HAVE TO REPLACE AT LEAST ONE TIRE AND PERHAPS ALL FOUR BECAUSE OF THIS SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

REAR BRAKE ROTOR AND PADS EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE WEAR. ABS SYSTEM SEEMS TO ACTIVATE PREMATURELY AT THE REAR WHEELS UNDER HEAVY BRAKING IN DRY CONDITIONS. REAR BRAKES WILL NEED COMPLETE REPLACEMENT AT 32K MILES WHILE THE FRONTS LOOK TO LAST 100K. DEALER SAYS WEAR IS NORMAL, INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS SAY NOT. THIS MAY BE EVIDENCE OF IMPROPER BRAKE BALANCE BETWEEN FRONT AND REAR WHICH COULD CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES EITHER DUE TO PREMATURE WEAR AND PARTS FAILURE OR UNDER CERTAIN BRAKING CONDITIONS. APPARENT PEMATURE ACTIVATION OF ABS SYSTEM DURING SUDDEN BRAKING STARTLED A YOUNG DRIVER OF THIS CAR WHO RELEASED PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE MISTAKING ABS PULSATION FOR A BRAKE FAILURE AND STRUCK ANOTHER CAR AS A RESULT. *NM

REAR BRAKE ROTORS WARPED, GROOVED AND WORN BEYOND REPAIR AT 49,000 MILES. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS MY DRIVING "STYLE" BY THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP THAT PROBABLY CAUSED THE EXCESSIVE WEAR. HOWEVER, THE FRONT BRAKE PADS HAVE PLENTY OF LIFE LEFT IN THEM AND THE ROTORS ARE SMOOTH AS CAN BE (I EVEN CHECKED THE INSIDE). MY CAR HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND MY WIFE AND I COMMONLY "DOWNSHIFT" TO CONTROL ENGINE SPEED. MY DRIVING STYLE HAS GIVEN ME LONGER BRAKING SYSTEM LIFE ON CARS I DRIVE AND HAVE DRIVEN. I HAVE ALWAYS NOTICED THE EXCESSIVE BRAKE DUST ON THE REAR WHEELS OF MY CAR AND ON OTHERS ON THE ROAD SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN MARCH 2004, AND THOUGHT IT ODD SINCE MOST BRAKING IS DONE BY THE FRONT WHEELS. I HAVE SPENT MANY HOURS CLEANING THE BRAKE DUST FROM MY REAR WHEELS, SO I KNOW. UNFORTUNATELY, IT NEVER CLICKED IN MY HEAD THAT THE BRAKE ROTORS WERE BEING CARVED UP. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A WEAR ITEM AND NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY, BUT IS IT NOT COMMON IN THE INDUSTRY FOR THE PADS TO WEAR OUT MUCH BEFORE THE ROTORS? I THINK THERE IS CAUSE TO RESEARCH THIS FURTHER. I AM DISAPPOINTED IN THE TWO MAZDA DEALERSHIPS THAT HAVE DONE ALL MY OIL FILTER CHANGES AND HALF OF MY TIRE ROTATIONS, TO HAVE NEVER MENTIONED ANY BRAKE WEAR BEFORE. OTHER THAN THAT, SO FAR, THIS IS AN EXCEPTIONAL AUTOMOBILE. *NM

I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP COUPLE TIMES PAST COUPLE YRS FOR EXCESSIVE BREAK DUST & SQUEAKING NOISE REAR OF THE CAR. THEY TOLD ME ITS NORMAL & THEY COULDN'T LOCATE OR HEARD ANY SQUEAKING NOISE. RECENTLY I WENT BACK TO GET AN OIL CHANGE & THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT I NEED MY BREAKS REPLACED. I DECIDED TO TAKE MY CAR TO TWO NATIONAL TIRE RETAILERS FOR PRICE QUOTES & BOTH RETAILERS TOLD ME ITS VERY RARE TO HAVE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAR THAT HAS LITTLE WEAR DOWN ON FRONT BREAK WHEELS BUT YET THE BACK REAR BREAKS & ROTORS NEEDED REPLACED, JUST UNDER 40K MILES. AFTER BEING NOTIFIED OF THE SERVER DEEP LIPS OF THE ROTORS I WENT BACK TO MAZDA DEALERSHIP & IT SEEMS THEY KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT THEY ARE TRYING TO COVER IT UP & SAYING ITS NORMAL WEAR & TEAR. AFTER TALKING TO SEVERAL OTHER CARS EXPERTS. I BELIEVE THEIR IS FAULTY BREAKING ISSUE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC THE VEHICLE WAS HIT FROM BEHIND PUSHING THE CONTACT INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE WHITE POWDER FROM THE AIR BAG WAS RELEASED, HOWEVER THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE SEAT BELTS WERE IN USE AT THE TIME. THERE WERE INJURIES SUSTAINED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CRASH ZONE SENSOR HAD BEEN REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP ON 11-12-04, DUE TO A RECALL LETTER RECEIVED; NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 04V468000; AIR BAGS: FRONTAL: SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE. THE CONTACT IS AWAITING DETERMINATION FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY AS TO THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGES DONE; THEREFORE THE DEALERSHIP HAS NOT YET BEEN CONTACTED ABOUT A SECOND RECALL REPAIR.