2008 Mazda MAZDASPEED3

DEFECTIVE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT. DRIVING HOME AT 45MPH I SUDDENLY FELT A HUGE THUNK AND THEN METAL POUNDING AGAINST METAL AS THE CAR ROLLED. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE OF A 2 LANE ROAD AND WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO PULL TO THE SIDE SAFELY ALL I COULD HEAR WAS A TERRIBLE THUMPING NOISE AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. I HAD TO STOP IN THE LEFT HAND TURN LANE BLOCKING A BUSY INTERSECTION. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED HOME I COULD FINALLY POP THE HOOD TO LOOK AT THE DAMAGE. THE #4 (DRIVER SIDE) ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION MOUNT HAD COMPLETELY FAILED, BREAKING THE REAR ENGINE MOUNT (#1) AND SEVERELY DAMAGING THE #3 (PASSENGER SIDE) ENGINE MOUNT. THE ONLY THING KEEPING THE ENGINE FROM FALLING TO THE GROUND WAS THE SEVERELY DAMAGED #3 MOUNT AND THE REST OF THE ENGINE HAD LANDED ON THE CHASSIS! PICTURE OF BROKEN ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT - HTTP://I.IMGUR.COM/MWTNUBD.JPG EXPLANATION OF REPAIRS AT MY LOCAL MAZDA DEALERSHIP: "CUSTOMER STATES MOTOR MOUNT IS BROKEN, ENGINE HAS SHIFTED. CHECK AND ADVISE. TOW IN. VERIFIED CUSTOMER CONCERN, FOUND TRANSMISSION MOUNT HAS FAILED CAUSING ENGINE TO DROP AND BREAK LEFT AXLE. ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO ENGINE MOUNTS #3 AND #1. REPLACED LEFT FRONT AXLE. TRANSMISSION MOTOR MOUNT #3, AND #1. TEST DROVE VEHICLE, REPAIR VERIFIED" MAZDA HAS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE FOR ALL MAZDASPEED3S MANUFACTURED JUNE 2006 THROUGH MAY 2007. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED IN SEPTEMBER OF 2007, 4 MONTHS AFTER THE RECALL EXPIRED... NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 07V295000. MAZDA RECALL NUMBER: 4607F. $1500 AND 2 WEEKS LATER I HAVE MY CAR BACK. I CALLED MAZDA USA AND FILED A COMPLAINT AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD DO NOTHING TO HELP. MAZDA KNOWS THAT THEY HAVE DEFECTIVE ENGINE MOUNTS IN MAZDASPEED3 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED AFTER THEIR RECALL EXPIRED. THERE ARE MANY ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE WEB AND IN THE NHTSA DATABASE YET MAZDA HAS DONE NOTHING. MAZDA COMPLAINT NUMBER: 149448083. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA SPEED 3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE TPMS SENSOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TPMS SENSOR HAD FRACTURED AND CAUSED THE BLOW OUT. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THE REMAINING TPMS SENSORS WERE ALSO FRACTURED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND FILED A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MAZDA, MAZDASPEED3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE, THE GEAR LEVER BECAME FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO A SAFE LOCATION WHERE A TEMPORARY REPAIR WAS PERFORMED BY THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE PART WAS ORDERED FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, I HEARD A LOUD POP AND THEN A FLOPPING NOISE. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND NOTICED THERE WAS OIL LEAKING FROM THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND WHITE SMOKE. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DESTROYED. AFTER THE TRANSMISSION WAS REMOVED, THE REPAIR TECHNICIAN SHOWED ME THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH WAS LITERALLY BREAKING IN PIECES. HE SAID THAT I WOULD ALSO NEED A NEW CLUTCH ASSEMBLY AND FLYWHEEL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I DO NOT ABUSE THE CAR AND MAINTAIN IT WELL. I WASN'T EVEN SHIFTING GEARS AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. JUST DRIVING ALONG IN 6TH GEAR. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS HAPPENED LESS THAN A MONTH AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED (OF COURSE) AND MAZDA WOULD NOT HELP COVER ANY COSTS FOR THE REPAIRS. *TR

WHILE SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR MY SHIFT STALK FELL OFF IN MY HANDS. I HAD TO TURN MY EMERGENCY BLINKERS ON AND PULL OVER WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. I WAS ABLE TO REACH BELOW THE SHIFT BOOT AND FEEL THE SHIFTING BASE MECHANISM TO MOVE THE CAR BACK IN TO GEAR ONCE OFF OF THE ROAD. I AM CURRENTLY UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR AS THE SHIFT CONTROL WILL NOT STAY IN PLACE. *TR

THE SHIFT LEVER BROKE OFF DURING A SHIFT WHILE DRIVING, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT GEARS AFTER THIS OCCURRED. THE FAULT SEEMS TO LIE IN THE DESIGN. THERE IS A HOLE IN THE LEVER TO ACCOMMODATE A PIN WHICH PREVENTS ACCIDENTAL SHIFTING IN REVERSE. HOWEVER THE HOLE IN THE LEVER IS A WEAK POINT AND IT IS EASY TO SEE HOW THE LEVER SHEARED OFF AT THAT POINT. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHER DRIVERS VIA ONLINE MESSAGE BOARDS. CURRENTLY THERE IS NO RECALL. THIS FAILURE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. HOWEVER, THIS COULD HAVE EASILY RESULTED IN A COLLISION. *TR