2012 Mazda MAZDA3

I HAVE A '12 MAZDA MAZDA3 ITOURING HATCHBACK W/2.0L SKYACTIV I-4 (BL GENERATION) WITH SKYACTIV 6MT. WHEN STARTING OFF FROM A STOP IN 1ST GEAR AND SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR (CLUTCH PEDAL COMPLETELY DEPRESSED BEFORE SHIFTER WAS PULLED OUT OF 1ST, NO GAS PEDAL WAS APPLIED) TRANSMISSION WOULD GRIND WHEN SHIFTER IS BEING PULLED INTO 2ND GEAR. GRIND CAN BE HEARD INSIDE AND OUTSIDE, AND CAN BE FELT IN SHIFTER. GRIND WOULD CONTINUE FOR LESS THAN A SECOND THEN WOULD POP FULLY INTO 2ND GEAR. ALONG WITH ISSUE, WHENEVER GRIND DOES NOT OCCUR, SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR REQUIRES SIGNIFICANTLY MORE FORCE TO FULLY ENGAGE COMPARED TO REVERSE, 1ST, 3RD, 4TH, 5TH AND 6TH GEARS. MAZDA DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE SYMPTOM, THEREFORE DECLARING AN "NPF" OR "NO PROBLEM FOUND." *TR

MY CAR IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I WAS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY (ABOUT 20 MPH) AND NOTICED THAT WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE OR SHIFT NORMALLY. INSTEAD, THE CAR STAYED IN LOW GEAR, AND THE RPM REACHED OVER 4000. AT THIS POINT, I NOTICED. THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD WAS STAYING ON, INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR'S STABILITY CONTROL. ONCE I REACHED A PLACE I COULD STOP, I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED - THE PROBLEM APPEARED TO HAVE GONE AWAY - NO MORE LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD AND NO MORE WEIRD ENGINE SPEEDS/FAILURE TO SHIFT GEARS. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON COMPLAINT BOTH ON THE NHTSA SITE AND ON MAZDA FORUM WEBSITES. I BELIEVE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM IS WARRANTED, AS IT REPRESENTS A DEFINITE SAFETY RISK, AFFECTING THE CAR'S ABILITY TO ACCELERATE APPROPRIATELY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE ALL OF A SUDDEN LOST POWER AND BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT TURNED ON AT THIS TIME. PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR DID NOTHING. WHEN I SWITCHED THE MANUAL MODE FOR THE TRANSMISSION THE GEAR WAS NOT DISPLAYED ON THE DASHBOARD AND TRYING TO UP OR DOWNSHIFT DID NOTHING. AFTER PULLING OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD I WAS ABLE TO PLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK. I LIFTED THE HOOD AND CHECKED FOR FLUID LEAKS OR SPILLS OF WHICH THERE WERE NONE. AFTER TURNING OFF THE CAR AND WAITING A COUPLE OF MINUTES I TURNED IT BACK ON AND NOW HAD THE TRACTION CONTROL, AT, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS LIT. AFTER PUTTING THE TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE AND PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR THE VEHICLE WAS EXTREMELY SLUGGISH IN ACCELERATION AND WOULD SHIFT THROUGH THE FIRST FOUR GEARS BUT AT RPMS MUCH HIGHER THAN NORMAL. I WAS ABLE TO LIMP THE VEHICLE HOME AS THE DEALERSHIP WAS ALREADY CLOSED. AFTER LETTING THE VEHICLE SIT FOR 15 MINUTES OR SO I TURNED IT BACK ON AND NOW ONLY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS LIT. WILL BE TAKING TO THE DEALER IN THE MORNING. *TR

MY 2012 MAZDA 3 SKYACTIV HATCHBACK WITH THE 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION IS EXHIBITING UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE SYMPTOMS EXHIBITED ARE CONSISTENT WITH MULTIPLE OTHER REPORTS IN THIS SYSTEM. AFTER DOWNSHIFTING INTO 2ND OR 3RD GEAR, OR AFTER COASTING IN ONE OF THOSE GEARS WITH THE CLUTCH DISENGAGED, THE ENGINE REVS AND THE CAR "SURGES" FORWARD UPON RE-ENGAGEMENT OF THE CLUTCH. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS ONLY BEING SLIGHTLY PUSHED, BUT THE CAR ACTS AS IF IT HAS BEEN PUSHED ALMOST TO THE FLOOR. DEPENDING ON THE POSITION OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE ENGINE WILL EITHER REV TO 3000 TO 4000 RPM, OR THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE FORWARD UNTIL EITHER THE BRAKE OR CLUTCH PEDAL IS PRESSED. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY MAZDA AFTER MULTIPLE TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE. UPON THE LAST VISIT, A DATA RECORDER WAS INSTALLED AND RECORDED 7 SPECIFIC UNINTENDED ACCELERATION EVENTS BETWEEN THE DATES OF 11/13/12 AND 11/20/12. ACCORDING TO AN EMAIL I RECEIVED FROM THE DISTRICT SERVICE & PARTS MANAGER FOR DISTRICT 2 OF MAZDA NORTH AMERICA OPERATIONS (MNAO) ON 12/23/12, "THE CONCERN FOUND ON THE DATA RECORDINGS TAKEN FROM YOUR VEHICLE WERE FOUND TO BE A PCM CALIBRATION ISSUE. MAZDA CORPORATION IS WORKING ON A NEW CALIBRATION FOR THE PCM WITH AN UNKNOWN TIME OF COMPLETION." WHEN I REQUESTED THAT MY VEHICLE BE REPLACED WITH ANOTHER OF THE SAME MODEL, THIS WAS THE RESPONSE FROM THE SAME DISTRICT SERVICE & PARTS MANAGER: "SINCE THE CALIBRATION OF THE PCM IS THE SAME ON A 2013 LIKE MODEL WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION IT WOULD NOT BE ADVISED TO TRADE YOU INTO THAT VEHICLE AS IT COULD POTENTIALLY EXHIBIT THE SAME CONCERN DEPENDING ON YOUR DRIVING HABITS AND CONDITIONS." I AM CURRENTLY AWAITING A RESPONSE FROM MNAO'S MEDIATION DEPARTMENT REGARDING EITHER REPLACING MY CAR WITH ANOTHER MODEL, OR BUYING BACK THE CAR FROM ME. *TR

APPROXIMATELY TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK WHEN DOWNSHIFTING OUT OF A RIGHT OR LEFT HAND CURVE OR TURN, MY 2012 MANUAL TRANSMISSION MAZDA 3 HATCHBACK WILL ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. THIS IS CHARACTERIZED BY A VARYING INCREASE OF RPMS: 2100 RPMS TO 4500 RPMS, DEPENDING ON THE INCIDENT, AND A SUDDEN LURCHING OR SURGING FORWARD OF THE VEHICLE ITSELF. WHEN APPROACHING CURVES OR TURNS, AT 30 OR 40 MPH, THAT DO NOT HAVE TO BE TAKEN AT A COMPLETE STOP, I ENGAGE THE CLUTCH, APPLY THE BRAKES, AND SLOW THE VEHICLE TO 15-20 MPH. UPON COMING OUT OF THE TURN I SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO SECOND GEAR. WHEN I SLOWLY RELEASE THE CLUTCH, WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL AT ALL, THE CAR'S ENGINE WILL REV, RPMS WILL SURGE TO AS HIGH AS 4000 - 4500, AND THE CAR WILL LURCH FORWARD UNTIL THE CLUTCH IS ONCE AGAIN DEPRESSED. THESE INCIDENTS ARE RANDOM AND ARE NOT DEPENDENT ON SPEED, WEATHER CONDITIONS, OR LOCATION. THESE INCIDENTS HAVE ONLY BEEN DUPLICATED WITH A MINIMAL INCREASE OF RPMS AND NO LURCHING FORWARD WHEN A MECHANIC IS PRESENT. THESE INCIDENTS CAN NOT BE DUPLICATED FOR THE DEALERSHIP AT THEIR FULLEST AND MOST DANGEROUS. *TR

WHEN DOWNSHIFTING (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) FROM 3RD TO 2ND AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN BECAUSE OF A RED LIGHT, THE ENGINE RPM WENT WAY UP, MAYBE AROUND 4,000 RPM. I PRESSED THE CLUTCH TO AVOID THE CAR JERKING FORWARD AND HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW AND HAVE ONLY OWNED IT 5 MONTHS. *TR

THE CAR SOMETIMES SURGES DURING DOWNSHIFTING. I WILL BE DRIVING IN MODERATE TRAFFIC IN THIRD GEAR. THE TRAFFIC SLOWS, AND I LET IN THE CLUTCH AND APPLY THE BRAKE. WHEN THE TRAFFIC STARTS TO PICK UP AGAIN, I AM GOING TOO SLOW FOR THIRD, SO I SHIFT INTO SECOND AND LET THE CLUTCH OUT. MY RIGHT FOOT IS JUST RESTING LIGHTLY ON THE GAS PEDAL. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN IDLING FAST, BUT AS SOON AS THE CLUTCH IS ENGAGED, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY ROARS AND THE CAR LEAPS FORWARD, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NOT PRESSED THE GAS AT ALL. I LET IN THE CLUTCH AGAIN TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. WHEN I LET IT OUT AGAIN, IT WORKS NORMALLY. THIS HAPPENS ONCE, TWICE, OR NOT AT ALL IN A 40-MILE ROUND TRIP OUT OF TOWN AND BACK. IT ALSO HAPPENS FREQUENTLY WHEN I MAKE A LEFT TURN WITHOUT STOPPING, BUT WHERE I NEED TO SLOW AND DOWNSHIFT. I COAST INTO THE TURN WITH THE CLUTCH PEDAL IN, SHIFT DOWN, AND ATTEMPT TO LET THE CLUTCH OUT WHEN COMING OUT OF THE TURN. I WOULD EXPECT THE CAR TO SLOW WHEN I SHIFT DOWN UNLESS I AM PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, BUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN ME IS GIVING IT GAS. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT WHEN THIS WILL HAPPEN, AND IT NEVER HAPPENS TWICE IN A ROW. I HAVE MADE IT HAPPEN ON PURPOSE, BUT I THINK THAT WAS PURE LUCK. IT HAPPENS WHEN DOWNSHIFTING INTO ANY GEAR, BUT BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY TRAFFIC IN OUR AREA, IT ENDS UP USUALLY BEING THIRD TO SECOND. IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME WHEN DOWNSHIFTING INTO THIRD OR FOURTH ALSO. *TR

DRIVING HOME LAST NIGHT (ON THE FREEWAY) AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 PM I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE TO MAKE A LANE CHANGE. I NOTICED THE CAR WASN'T MOVING ANY FASTER THE ONLY THING I HEARD WAS THE ENGINE GUNNING. THE CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN IN VERY FAST TRAFFIC AND I IMMEDIATELY PUT MY HAZARDS ON WHILE TRYING TO MOVE THE GEAR SHIFT WHICH WAS STUCK. ITS A MIRACLE THAT I DIDN'T GET HIT TRYING TO GET TNATE TO HAVE IT APOENHIS VEHICLE OVER TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER WHICH I EVENTUALLY DID. I REMOVED A SMALL COVER BESIDE THE GEAR SHIFT INSERTED A SCREWDRIVER IN THE HOLE AND WAS ABLE TO RELEASE THE SHIFT. I PUT IT IN PARK, TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR ABOUT A MINUTE. STARTED THE CAR AND SHIFTED IT TO DRIVE BUT THE CAR JERKED BACK AND THE GEAR SHIFT IS STUCK AGAIN. I HAD TO BE TOWED HOME. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS AND FRIGHTENING SITUATION FOR A MALE ADULT AND WOULD HATE TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN TO A SINGLE MOTHER WITH CHILDREN IN THE CAR. THIS IS NOT THE ONLY TIME THE GEARS HAVE LOCKED. I WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE IT HAPPEN IN MY DRIVEWAY AND WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK WITH THE METHOD I DESCRIBED ABOVE. I FEEL THIS REALLY SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. *JS

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