2010 Mazda MAZDA5

JULY 29, 2019 VEHICLE IN MOTION ON EXPRESSWAY. SUDDEN LOSS OFF POWER STEERING WHICH LEFT ME WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO TURN STEERING WHEEL. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 90 SECS POWER STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. EXITED EXPRESSWAY AND CHECKED POWER STEERING FLUID LEVELS. FLUID LEVELS WERE CORRECT ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDATION. CONTINUED TO OPERATE VEHICLE BUT STAYED ON CITY STREETS. EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE NAVIGATING THROUGH A WALMART PARKING LOT. AUGUST 27, 2019 STARTED VEHICLE AT MY RESIDENCE. VEHICLE IS ALWAYS PARKED IN OUR GARAGE. POWER STEERING NOT ENGAGING. DROVE TO TUFFY DEALER FOR INSPECTION. TECHNICIAN STATES POWER STEERING PUMP HAS FAILED.

FRONT SWAY BAR BUSHINGS WERE REPLACED NO LESS THAN 3 TIMES BY THE DEALER UNDER WARRANTY. THE SYMPTOM IS A CLUNKING OR THUMPING NOISE ON ROUGH OR WASHBOARDED ROADS. THE SWAY BAR IS .908 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND THE WALL THICKNESS OF THE BUSHINGS IS APPROXIMATELY .25 INCHES. THEY ARE RUBBER FROM MAZDA AND APPARENTLY, CHANGING THEM EVERY 20K MI OR SO ARE NOT ADEQUATE FOR THE APPLICATION. SEEMS THAT THERE IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY MAZDA FOR THIS BUT ONE OF THE BUSINING THAT WAS JUST REMOVED 2/3/18 WAS TORN NEARLY IN HALF ACROSS BETWEEN THE SWAY BAR AND THE CROSS MEMBER. IF THESE WERE IGNORED AND THE BUSHINGS COMPLETELY FELL OUT OF THE BRACKETS THER WOULD BE ENOUGH MOVEMENT OF THE SWAY BAR TO CAUSE INTERFERENCE IN STEERING THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE FULLY ARTICULATED DESIGN OF THE SWAY BAR ENDLINKS. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A DEADLY ISSUE.

POWER STEERING WILL RANDOMLY FAIL WHILE MAKING TURNS. DURING THE TURN, ALL WARNING LIGHTS WILL ILLUMINATE, POWER STEERING WILL FAIL. POWER STEERING FAILURE LIGHT WILL REMAIN ILLUMINATED. VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. WE HAVE AVOID AT LEAST THREE COLLISIONS BY MERE INCHES. AFTER A FEW SECONDS, POWER STEERING WILL RETURN, LIGHTS WILL EXTINGUISH. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A FAULT CODE AND HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE IS TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. IT HAS HAPPENED AT SPEEDS FROM 15 MPH TO 55 MPH.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MAZDA MAZDA5. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THE VEHICLE WAS PULLING TOWARD THE RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY CHECKED THE ALIGNMENT AND IT WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT ALL OF THE 2010 MAZDA MAZDA5 VEHICLES PULL TOWARD THE RIGHT. THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 500.