2014 Mazda MAZDA6

THIS INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 10 - 15 TIMES IN THE 6 MONTHS I HAVE HAD THIS CAR. IT OCCURS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL, STUCK IN TRAFFIC, OR ANY OTHER TIME WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS IN DRIVE AND THE BRAKE IS USED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE STATIONARY. THE ENGINE WILL BE TURNING AT IDLE SPEED WHEN SUDDENLY IT REVS TO 4-5K RPM CAUSING THE CAR TO LEAP FORWARD, OVERPOWERING THE BRAKE. THIS HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN A CRASH SEVERAL TIMES AS SUDDENLY THE CAR MOVES FORWARD RAPIDLY. I HAVE NOTICED A SMALL TENDENCY FOR THIS TO OCCUR IN THE FIRST FEW MINUTES OF DRIVING BUT IT HAS HAPPENED ANYTIME. I HAVE SEEN NO CORRELATION TO OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE. I HAVE NOTICED PERHAPS A SMALL INCREASE IN FREQUENCY WHEN THE CAR IS STOPPED AFTER HIGH SPEED DRIVING SUCH AS HIGHWAY DRIVING. *TR

UPON A ROUTINE TIRE ROTATION SERVICE PERFORMED AT A GOOD YEAR RETAIL SERVICE CENTER, I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN THAT THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE HAD SUFFERED A DEFECT AND WAS UNSAFE FOR TRAVEL AT HIGHWAY SPEED. WHEN SEARCHING FOR A REPLACEMENT OF THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRE, A DUNLOP SP5000 P225 19R45, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIRE WAS ON NATIONWIDE BACK ORDER. GOOD YEAR, BEING THE OWNER, MANUFACTURER AND DISTRIBUTOR OF DUNLOP TIRES, INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND OR LOCATE A RELIABLE REPLACEMENT FOR MY DEFECTIVE TIRE WITHIN A FORESEEABLE TIME PERIOD, AND INSTRUCTED ME TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP, RAY BRANDT MAZDA IN HARVEY, LOUISIANA, WAS LOCATED OVER 50 MILES AWAY. I THEN DROVE THE VEHICLE TO RAY BRANDT AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT NO EQUIVALENT REPLACEMENT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR MY 2014 MAZDA6 FOR AT LEAST 3 TO 5 DAYS. I ASKED WHAT I SHOULD DO IN THE MEANTIME, AND WAS TOLD THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR EITHER DRIVING THE VEHICLE OR FINDING A REPLACEMENT AT MY OWN EXPENSE. IT HAS SINCE TAKEN NINE DAYS SINCE THE TIME IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A DEFECTIVE TIRE HAD COMPROMISED THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE CAR FOR A REPLACEMENT TIRE TO BE LOCATED AND DELIVERED TO THE DEALERSHIP, MEANWHILE THERE HAS BEEN NO ATTEMPT BY THE MANUFACTURER OF THE TIRE, GOOD YEAR, OR THE VEHICLE, MAZDA, TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE DEFECT OR PROVIDE REPLACEMENT TRANSPORTATION. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS TIRE WAS ABRUPTLY DISCONTINUED AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN SEPTEMBER 2013, AND I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF ANY LIKELIHOOD OF DEFECT OR OF A DISCONTINUATION THAT WOULD RENDER REPLACEMENT TIRES UNAVAILABLE IN THE EVENT OF DEFECT, ROAD HAZARD OR OTHER TIRE FAILURE. I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN RISKING LIFE OR LIMB BY DRIVING ON THE DEFECTIVE TIRE OR FACING ECONOMIC HARDSHIP IN ATTEMPT TO FIND ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION TO WORK. *TR

TURNING LEFT AT AN INTERSECTION AFTER COMING TO A STOP, THE DRIVER MIS-JUDGED THE RIGHT EDGE OF THE RIGHT-MOST LANE AND STRUCK THE CURB. THE BALL JOINT SEPARATED FROM ITS HOUSING IN THE RIGHT, LOWER CONTROL ARM, CAUSING THE BOTTOM OF THE WHEEL TO COLLAPSE INWARD AND THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL AND IMPACT THE CAR IN THE LEFT LANE. THE BALL AND STUD WERE STILL ATTACHED TO THE UPRIGHT CLAMP, BUT THE BALL JOINT HOUSING WAS MISSING AND NOT RECOVERED. THE TIE ROD, TIE ROD END AND THE STRUT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE DAMAGED. IN PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS (2009-2013), THE LOWER CONTROL ARM APPEARS TO BE A SINGLE, SOLID, FORGED STEEL PIECE WITH AN INTEGRATED BALL JOINT, A DESIGN FOR WHICH A SIDE FORCE IS UNLIKELY TO SEPARATE THE BALL FROM THE CONTROL ARM WITHOUT SHEARING THE BALL STUD. THE LOWER CONTROL ARM IN THE 2014 MODEL YEAR IS A NEW DESIGN MADE FROM A STAMPED STEEL PLATE WITH A SEPARATE BALL JOINT. THE HOUSING OF THE BALL JOINT IS PRESSED INTO A STAMPED HOLE WITH A LIP IN THE PLATE. THE SIDES OF THE CONTROL ARM HAVE STRENGTHENING LIPS THAT EXTEND ONLY TO ABOUT THE CENTER OF THE BALL JOINT AND THEN STOP. THE OUTER END OF THE CONTROL ARM IS A FLAT PLATE WITHOUT A STRENGTHENING LIP. THE FLAT OUTER END WAS FOLDED BACK FLAT OVER THE TOP OF THE CONTROL ARM IN THIS ACCIDENT.

WHILE TURNING CORNER STEERING UNIT LOCKED AND POWER STEERING FAILURE AND SCBS FAILURE LIGHTS. ALMOST HIT A TREE BEFORE I REGAINED CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. HAD CAR TOWED AND DEALER STATE NO ALARMS WHERE PRESENT AND GAVE ME BACK THE CAR. WHILE DRIVING BACK HOME SAME FAILURES HAPPENED. BACK AT THE DEALER AND TOLD AGAIN NO WARNING LIGHTS ON BUT THEY WILL KEEP IT TO TEST DRIVE. I HAVE TAKEN PICTURES ON THE WARNING LIGHTS. THE STEERING UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 MAZDA6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS BUCKLING AND BUBBLING ON THE DASHBOARD AT RANDOM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO HAD NOT INSPECTED NOR DIAGNOSED THE DEFECT. A PICTURE OF THE DEFECT WAS TAKEN BY THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WITH NO FURTHER ACTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, PROVIDED NO REMEDY AND DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE WARRANTY FOR THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,583. UPDATED 6/18/14*CN UPDATED 08/15/2017*CN

VEHICLE WAS LEASED IN SEPT. 2013 AND HAS INCURRED THREE FLAT TIRES, THREE BENT RIMS AND THREE BROKEN BEARINGS OVER THE WINTER DUE TO SMALL POTHOLES. DAMAGE OCCURRED OVER A PERIOD OF TWO WEEKS. THE PROBLEM OF LOW-PROFILE TIRES AND POTHOLES IS WELL-DOCUMENTED, YET I WAS NOT INFORMED WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE - EVEN THOUGH I LIVE IN NJ, WHICH HAS MANY, MANY POTHOLES DURING WINTER MONTHS. I NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH MY PREVIOUS MAZDA 6, WHICH HAD REGULAR, HIGH-PROFILE TIRES. *TR

THE VEHICLE STARTED TO DECELERATE WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF NOTICE. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND OUT THE VALVE BOARD IN THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE PROCESS TOOK 3 WEEKS TO REPAIR SINCE THE VALVE BOARD WAS ON BACK ORDER DUE TO HIGH DEMAND. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THERE IS STILL A DELAY WHEN ACCELERATING AT CERTAIN SPEEDS. THE DEALERSHIP HAS YET TO FIND OUT WHAT IS CAUSING THE CURRENT ISSUE THAT MY VEHICLE IS HAVING. *TR

THE IPOD CONNECTION SEEMS TO NOT HAVE A MEMORY NOR WAS THERE AN OPTION OR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE IPOD MEMORY DURING MY ORIGINAL INQUIRY OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN PLUGGING THE IPOD INTO THE CAR THE CAR'S SYSTEM SPOOLS FOR A LONG TIME (5 MINUTES, DEPENDING ON THE # OF SOUNDS YOU HAVE) AND BEGINS WITH THE FIRST SONG ON THE DEVICE, RATHER THAN THE LAST SONG OR PRESENT SONG SELECTED ON THE DEVICE. THIS HAS CAUSED ME NOT TO USE THE USB IPOD CONNECTION AND USE ONLY THE AUX. THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A GREAT BOSE SOUND SYSTEM BUT YOU CAN'T EXPERIENCE THE QUALITY DUE TO USING THE AUX VS THE USB IPOD DEVICE. MAZDA JUST NEEDS TO UPDATE THE FIRMWARE TO ALLOW MEMORY AND THE USB SHOULD WORK WITHOUT WASTED TIME. THIS DEFINITELY TAKES AWAY FROM THE BOSE AND MAZDA EXPERIENCE. *TR

I TRIED TO HOLD OFF ON A COMPLAINT BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE MORE SERIOUS OF AN ISSUE THAN MAZDA REALIZES. THE VEHICLE REAR WINDSHIELD SHOWS AS BLUR AND DOUBLE VISION WHEN VIEWING THE WINDOW WHILE DRIVING. IN MANY CASES I WOULD HAVE TO DOUBLE TAKE MORE THAN THE ORDINARY TO ENSURE MY SAFETY AND OTHER AROUND ME. THE GLASS WOULD NEED TO BE REPAIRED, REPLACED AND/OR FIXED TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT WHEN ON THE ROAD. *TR