2014 Mazda MAZDA3

My 2014 Mazda 3 had very bad wear on the rear brakes, but not on the front. I took them apart, and both calipers were frozen. I contacted the dealership and they told me that there was a recall, but only for the cars manufactured in Mexico, not in Asia. The recall needs to be expanded, as Mazda denied there was any problem with these calipers. Clearly there is a more widespread problem than Mazda will admit.

ISSUES WITH BRAKING WHEN COMING TO A STOP. PASSENGER SIDE REAR CALIPER STICKS, MAKING A LOT OF NOISE AND CAUSING THE PADS TO WEAR DOWN WAY TOO QUICKLY. HAD TO CHANGE MY ROTOR AND PAD THREE TIMES IN THE PAST 2 YEARS. NOW MY MECHANIC SAYS IT'S THE CALIPER. I CONTACTED MAZDA CORPORATE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY TOLD ME MY VEHICLE WAS NOT IMPACTED BY THE 2017 RECALL AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO SINCE IT'S NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. IT'S A 5 YEAR OLD CAR, IT SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THESE ISSUES.

JULY 2018 I NOTICED THE REAR PASSENGER WHEEL GETTING REALLY HOT AND MAKING A POPPING SOUND AFTER DRIVING IT ON HOT PAVEMENT. THE BRAKE CALIPER WAS STUCK AND I HAD TO GET A NEW ROTOR, REAR DRIVER'S BRAKE CALIPER AND NEW BRAKE PADS. I HAD TO WAIT 3 WEEKS FOR THE CALIPER TO COME IN. THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS ODD ALL THE OTHER CALIPERS WERE AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY EXCEPT THE REAR PASSENGER ONE. WE LOOKED ONLINE AND NOTICED A RECALL BUT MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. FAST FORWARD 1 YEAR - AUGUST 2019, I WAS SMELLING FUEL AROUND THE DRIVER'S WHEEL WELL AND INSIDE THE VEHICLE AFTER FILL UP. I DIDN'T NOTICE ANY FUEL LEAKING ONTO THE GROUND UNDERNEATH THE CAR. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND THERE IS A FUEL LEAK COMING FROM THE SEEM OF THE GAS TANK. THE WHOLE TANK HAS TO BE REPLACED AND POSSIBLY THE FUEL PUMP. ONCE AGAIN I HAVE ANOTHER WAIT FOR THE PARTS FROM MAZDA - AT LEAST A WEEK. THESE ARE 2 VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIRS IN THE MATTER OF A LITTLE OVER A YEAR FOR A CAR WITH 30,000 MILES ON IT. HE SAID WHEN HE LOOKED UNDER THE BACK SEAT HE COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH FUEL LEAKED OUT. HE SAID FROM LOOKING ONLINE, MY CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR BOTH OF THESE INCIDENTS SINCE OTHER MODELS OF THE SAME YEAR WERE. I CONTACTED MAZDA CORPORATE ABOUT EACH OF THESE ISSUES AND THEY TELL ME MY VEHICLE WAS NOT IMPACTED BY THE RECALL AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO SINCE IT'S NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.

MY 2014 MAZDA3 WITH VIN [XXX] IS EXPERIENCING SQUEAKING AND BINDING OF THE MANUAL PARKING BRAKE WHILE DRIVING. THE 2014 MAZDA3 HAS ALREADY HAD A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V393000. THEY SAY MY CAR IS NOT COVERED BY THIS RECALL, BUT THIS CAR IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WITH A MANUAL PARKING BRAKE AND IS LESS OF THESE ARE MADE AND LESS MAY HAVE BEEN REPORTED. ADDITIONALLY, THIS WEBSITE FOR MECHANICS (HTTPS://MAZDA.OEMDTC.COM/528/SQUEAKINGGRINDING-NOISE-FROM-REAR-BRAKES-2014-2016-MAZDA3) SAYS THAT THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE CAUSED BY: "SQUEAKING/GRINDING NOISE FROM THE REAR BRAKE EVEN AFTER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. UPON INSPECTION, THE CALIPER MOUNTING SUPPORT IS CORRODED AND ONE OF THE DISC PAD IS ABNORMALLY WORN OUT (A). THIS IS CAUSED BY VEHICLE USAGE IN AN AREA USING ROAD SALT. THE SURFACE OF THE MOUNTING SUPPORT MAY SWELL FROM CORROSION CAUSING PREMATURE DISC PAD WEAR AND BRAKE NOISE. DISC PAD IS ABNORMALLY WORN OUT (A) TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, AN IMPROVED CALIPER MOUNTING SUPPORT HAS BEEN NEWLY ESTABLISHED AS A SERVICE PART. THE ANTI-CORROSION SURFACE TREATMENT HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM ZN TO ZN-NI PLATING." THE WEBSITE SAYS THIS PROBLEM AFFECTS:"2014-2016 MAZDA3 VEHICLES WITH VINS STARTING WITH JM1" WHICH MY VEHICLE IS AS I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA CENTRAL VALLEY AND HAVE NO ROAD SALT, I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A SYSTEMIC ISSUE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

CAR WAS TAKEN IN TO BE SERVICED AT 47,950 MILES AND THE LEFT SIDE CALIPERS HAD TO BE REPLACED. CAR WAS TAKEN IN AGAIN AT 53,474 MILES AND THE RIGHT SIDE CALIPERS HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AS THANKFULLY WE DO ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ON OUR VEHICLES. THANKFULLY IT DID NOT BECOME A DRIVING HAZARD AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. WE HAD TAKEN THE CAR IN BOTH TIMES TO BE SERVICED AND THAT IS WHEN THEY FOUND THE ISSUE. WHEN IT HAPPENED THE SECOND TIME THAT IS WHEN I STARTED TO LOOK INTO RECALLS PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE. THE FOLLOWING RECALL DOES NOT EFFECT OUR MODEL MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS (MAZDA) IS RECALLING CERTAIN 2014-2015 MAZDA6 AND 2014-2016 MAZDA3 VEHICLES. WATER COULD POSSIBLY ENTER THE BRAKE CALIPER CAUSING THE PARKING BRAKE ACTUATOR SHAFT TO CORRODE AND POSSIBLY BIND.*JB

LOUD SQUEAKING AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 30 MINUTES, ESPECIALLY ON LEFT TURN AT LOW SPEEDS. SQUEAK DISAPPEARS WITH THE SLIGHTEST APPLICATION OF BRAKE OR PARKING BREAK. MY LEFT REAR WHEEL IS ESPECIALLY AFFECTED BY THIS; NOTICEABLE HEAT COMING OFF THE LEFT REAR AFTER DRIVING. DEALERSHIP SAID THEY HAD IT ON THE JACKS AFTER THEY DROVE IT 15 MILES AND THEY COULDN'T EVEN TURN IT. THEY DON'T BELIEVE FRONT WHEELS ARE AFFECTED. I'VE BEEN TELLING THEM SOMETHING WAS UP WITH MY BRAKES FOR MONTHS NOW. I SUSPECTED SOMETHING WAS WRONG WHEN I WAS AT AN INDEPENDENT GARAGE; I TOOK IT TO MAZDA AFTER THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG BUT I STILL NOTICED A FEELING OF THE BRAKES STICKING AFTER HLA ACTIVATED ESPECIALLY. POSSIBLY A SLOW BUILD UP TO A MAJOR PROBLEM OVER A PERIOD OF MONTHS.

I BOUGHT MY 2014 MAZDA 3 IN NOVEMBER 2013. DURING THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF PURCHASING THE CAR, MY DIVER SIDE REAR CALIPER FROZE CAUSING ME TO PAY ALMOST 900 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE CALIPER, BOTH REAR PADS, BOTH REAR ROTORS, AND LABOR. A MAJOR REASON FOR THE INFLATED PRICE WAS DUE TO THE CALIPERS BEING A SPECIALTY ITEM WHICH NOT ONLY MADE THEM EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE BUT ALSO TOOK WEEKS TO GET DELIVERED. FAST FORWARD ANOTHER FIVE MONTHS LATER MY REAR SIDE PASSENGER CALIPER FROZE. SO, ONCE AGAIN I HAD TO PAY CLOSE TO 900 DOLLARS AND WAIT WEEKS FOR THE CALIPER TO COME IN. I WAS TOLD BY MULTIPLE MAZDA CERTIFIED MECHANICS AS WELL AS THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP SHOP MANAGERS TO KEEP MY RECEIPTS BECAUSE THE BRAKES I HAD WERE FREEZING ON A LOT OF THE NEW STYLE 2014 MAZDA 3S. FINALLY IN 2017, THE RECALL FINALLY POSTED. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM, CENTRAL MAZDA IN PLAINFIELD, CT, AND WAS TOLD MY VIN DIDN'T HAVE A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH IT. APPARENTLY, EVEN THOUGH MY CAR HAD THE EXACT PART THAT WAS BEING RECALLED, AS WELL AS THE ISSUES DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL FITTING EXACTLY TO MY ISSUE, MY CAR WAS MADE IN 2013 WHICH THE RECALL DID NOT INCLUDE. I WAS TOLD TO CALL MAZDA TO SEE IF SOMETHING COULD BE DONE DUE TO MY SITUATION OBVIOUSLY BEING EXACTLY WHAT THE RECALL WAS POSTED FOR. UNFORTUNATELY, ONCE AGAIN I WAS TOLD BY MAZDA THAT MY ISSUE WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE RECALL DUE MY CAR BEING MANUFACTURED BEFORE THE DATE FOR THE RECALLED CARS. IN CONCLUSION , I WAS STIFFED WITH A BILL FOR ALMOST 2,000 DOLLARS WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF BUYING A BRAND NEW CAR, AS WELL AS WEEKS OF HEADACHES DUE TO NOT HAVING MY CAR. I HAVE HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH THE CAR AFTER THIS ISSUE WAS FINALLY FIXED, BUT I WILL NEVER BUY A OTHER MAZDA DUE TO THE WAY I WAS TREATED. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE MANIPULATIVE WAY MAZDA CLAIMED NO RESPONSIBILITY, I WOULD BE A RETURNING MAZDA CUSTOMER.