2006 Mazda MAZDA3

I STARTED NOTICING A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE INSIDE THE CAR WHENEVER I TURNED ON AC. I THOUGHT IT COULD BE BECAUSE OF SOME LEAK BUT THERE WAS NO LEAK ANYWHERE OUTSIDE THE CAR. I HAVE BEEN USING THE CAR FOR THE COMMUTE JUST WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS. WHEN THE SMELL CONTINUED TO EXIST I TOOK IT TO EARNHARDT MAZDA DEALERSHIP IN SCOTTSDALE AZ WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL PUMP AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. BUT TO MAKE SURE I WENT TO FIRESTONE AS WELL WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE FUEL PUMP HAS A LEAK AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT. I HAD TO STOP DRIVING THIS CAR FURTHER BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS. THIS CAR NEVER WENT THROUGH ANY CRASH AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED REGULARLY. THE SUMMERS IN AZ ARE REALLY HOT SO I'M NOT SURE IF THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT MAZDA CAN INVESTIGATE THIS AND PROVIDE A REPLACEMENT FOR THIS COMPONENT?

CAR CONTINUINGLY SHOWS EVAP DTCS INCLUDING P0443 AND P0446 AS WELL AS EITHER TOO RICH OR TOO LEAN FUEL MIXTURE AND AND O2 SENSOR ISSUE CODE. BOTH O2 SENSORS WERE REPLACE PREVIOUSLY. THE MAIN CONCERN IS DANGEROUS AND HAS ALREADY ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS WHILE THE ISSUE HAS OCCURRED AFTER DRIVING FROM A STOPPED POSITION. THE ISSUE IS, WHEN THE VEHICLE STOPS AT 0 MPH, THE NORMAL IDLING RPM SPEED IS AROUND 750RPM. DURING STOPS LONGER THAN A SECOND, THE CAR WILL LOWER THE IDLE RPMS TO ABOUT 500RPM AND STAY UNTIL THE THROTTLE IS ENGAGED. WHEN THE THROTTLE IS ENGAGED THE VEHICLE HESITATES AND COMES CLOSE TO STALLING. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT POWER THE WHEELS ABOVE ABOUT 1000RPMS WHEN THE THROTTLE IS FULLY DEPRESSED AND THE CAR WILL HESITATE UNTIL THE CAR STARTS TO GRADUALLY MOVE FORWARD. THIS ALL IS HAPPENING IN THE INTERSECTION. AS THE CAR GETS TO THE INTERSECTION, THE CAR STARTS TO PICK UP TO ABOUT 1000 TO 1500RPM AND ONLY THEN WILL THE CAR START TO FULLY DRIVE FORWARD WITHOUT RELATION TO DRIVER'S FORCED DEPRESSION OF THE THROTTLE. BASICALLY THE VEHICLE IS DEFIANTLY NOT GOING ABOVE 1500RPM UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS A CERTAIN WAYS FORWARD. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I HAVE ALREADY HAD VERY CLOSE CALLS WITH A DODGE DURANGO, A TRACTOR TRAILER, AN UNIDENTIFIED SEDAN, AND A TOYOTA PRIUS (OF ALL THE VEHICLES IN THE WORLD). I WAS ALMOST "T-BONED" BY A PRIUS. THIS ISSUE IS I BELIEVE TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM OR ENGINE AS THIS ISSUE ONLY REALLY OCCURS WHEN IT IS VERY VERY HUMID OR HOT OUT. USUALLY ABOVE 80 DEGREES WITH ANY HUMIDITY AT ALL. COULD BE A VAPORLOCK, ALTHOUGH SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL FOR A FUEL INJECTED VEHICLE, IT ISN'T IMPOSSIBLE.

APPROACHING A REDLIGHT AT A HIGHWAY INTERSECTION, MY SON PRESSED HIS FOOT DOWN ON ON THE BRAKE AND THE BRAKES FAILED. THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND DID NOT WORK AT ALL AND RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT THAT DESTROYED THE CAR AND INJURED THE OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR HE STRUCK. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED USED. THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD THE BRAKES COMPLETELY REPAIRED WHEN THE SAME THING HAD HAPPENED WHILE BRAKING. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE SPECIFICS OF THE BRAKE REPAIR UNTIL AFTER THE ACCIDENT WHEN I INQUIRED AS TO WHY HE HAD REPLACED THE BRAKE BOOSTER PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE. INTERNET SEARCHES AFTER THE ACCIDENT SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT THIS HAPPENED WITH SOME FREQUENCY TO OTHERS AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I LET SOMEONE KNOW.

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND WENT TO MAKE A TURN AND NO POWER STEERING THE LIGHT CAME ON AND HAS SINCE CUT ON AND OFF AGAIN WORKING. WE REPLACED THE PUMP WITH ANOTHER PUMP JUST THE OTHER DAY AND IT DOES THE SAME THING.. THIS IS NOT VERY SAFE WHEN TURNING IT WOULD KICK ON AND WORK AFTER NOT WORKING RIGHT WHEN YOU WERE TRYING HARD TO TURN AND MAKING YOU LOSE CONTROL.

LIKE THE MAZDA 6 FOR 2008, MY SON'S MAZDA 3 2006 HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE AIR BAG LIGHT NOT TURNING OFF. A MAZDA DEALER TOLD HIM IT WOULD COST $400 TO FIX AND THE WERE NO GUARANTEES IT WOULD BE FIXED. HE HAD IT FIXED BY A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO OFFERED A GUARANTEE. I PAID FOR IT AND I THINK IT SHOULD BE RECALLED LIKE THE MAZDA 6, AS IT IT A MATTER OF SERIOUS SAFETY.

MAZDA3 ABRUPTLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY SHIFTED FROM 5TH GEAR DOWN TO 3RD GEAR ON ITS OWN WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR JERKED VIOLENTLY AND THE TRANSMISSION LIGHTS CAME ON. SEEMED LIKE THE STEERING/TRACTION WAS IMPAIRED. CAUSED THE MOTOR TO WRACK AND BLOW RENDERING THE CAR INOPERABLE. TOWED IT TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY DETERMINED THAT SHIFTING THAT SUDDENLY CAUSE THE MOTOR TO BLOW. HAD ISSUES IN THE PAST WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND HAD IT REPAIRED, TURBINE SPEED SENSOR. THIS LAST OCCURRENCE AFFECTED NOT ONLY THE TRANSMISSION BUT THE ENGINE AS WELL. HAS CONSTANTLY HAD MOTOR MOUNT ISSUES, AS WELL, WHICH REQUIRED REPAIRS. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE BEHAVIOR AND IS UNACCEPTABLE. WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN RECALLED?

TYPICALLY BUT NOT ONLY WHEN TRAVELLING AT HIGH SPEED, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OF MY 2003 MAZDA 3 SHIFTS DOWN FROM THE 4TH TO THE 3RD GEAR. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO JERK VIOLENTLY AND THE CONTROLS TO ILLUMINATE INCLUDING CHECK ENGINE, NO TRACTION AND AT. MY MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE OF THIS, AND HE SERVICED THE TRANSMISSION BY CHANGING THE FILTER AND TRANSMISSION FLUID BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. HE SUGGESTED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REBUILT. HAS ANYONE EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR ISSUE AND IF SO, DID YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT CAUSED IT AND HOW TO FIX IT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MAZDA 3. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTED INTO THIRD GEAR AND THE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 163,000.