2010 Mazda MAZDASPEED3

THE FRONT DRIVERS SEAT STARTED ROCKING BACK AND FORTH AFTER HEARING A LOUD CRACK SOUND. CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE SEAT IN THE CAR REVEALED THAT THE WELD ATTACHING THE ADJUST AND THE SEAT FAILED. CONTACT MAZDA AND THEY REFUSED TO FIX DESPITE NOTING IT IN A SERVICE BULLETIN TSB #09-049/10 TITLED "2010 MAZDA3 - RATTLE NOISE FROM BOTTOM OF DRIVER SEAT" 2010-11-08. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS IF DRIVING AT THE TIME.

DASHBOARD IS MELTING, THE GLARE FROM IT MAKES IT HARD TO SEE TRAFFIC UP AHEAD AND IS VERY DISTRACTING AT TIMES. DEALERSHIP SAID IT IS A COMON PROBLEM WITH MAZDA VEHICLES, USING VISORS TO COVER THE WINDSHIELD DOES NOT STOP THE MELTING. INSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD IS EXTREMELY STREAKY DUE TO THE DASH MELTING AND OILS LEAVING RESIDUE ON THE WINDSHIELD.

WHILE DRIVING UNDER TYPICAL CONDITIONS, NAVIGATING A TURN AT SPEED, A POPPING NOISE SOUNDED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BEGAN TO WOBBLE, SEEMINGLY PIVOTING AT A POINT IN THE BACK, RIGHT AREA OF THE SEAT. FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE SEAT MOUNT BRACKET THAT SECURES THE SEAT TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE HAD BROKEN AT THE WELD. SIMPLE ONLINE RESEARCH REVEALS THAT SEVERAL OTHER CONSUMERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES.

MY DASHBOARD HAS BEEN MELTING NOW FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS. IT IS GETTING WORSE. I LIVE IN FLORIDA. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DEFECT FROM MAZDA AND THEY REFUSE TO REPLACE. THE MELTING DASHBOARD CAUSES EXTREME GLARE ON SUNNY DAYS. ENOUGH TO AFFECT VISIBILITY OUT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. SINCE IT IS LITERALLY COOKING I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE ARE HEALTH HAZARDS AND TOXINS ASSOCIATED WITH IT MELTING. THIS SITUATION IS HAZARDOUS AND A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ENFORCED ASAP.

I WAS IN THE VEHICLE ABOUT TO BACK OUT OF A PARKING SPOT WHEN I HEARD A POP AND THE SEAT SUDDENLY FELT LOOSE. THE SEAT ITSELF WILL ROCK BACK AND FORTH A FEW INCHES AND GENERALLY FEELS UNSTABLE. I LOOKED UNDER THE SEAT AND FOUND THAT ONE OF THE 4 SEAT MOUNTING BRACKETS (CONNECTS THE SEAT PORTION TO THE SEAT RAILS) HAD BROKEN IN HALF. THIS BRACKET HAS BEEN DISCOLORED BY HEAT FROM THE WELDING PROCESS (BLACK AT THE WELD FADING TO BLUE/GRAY AND THEN BACK TO THE BRONZE-TYPE COLOR OF THE PART). THE PART BROKE RIGHT WHERE THE COLOR FADES FROM BLUE/GRAY TO THE ORGINAL BRONZE COLOR. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH REVEALS THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM. I HAVE INCLUDED SEVERAL LINKS WITH OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE. ONE DRIVER MENTIONS ALMOST COLLIDING WITH A WALL WHEN IT BROKE. I HAVE SPOKEN TO BOTH MAZDA AND MY LOCAL DEALER. BOTH REFUSE TO COVER THE REPAIR COSTS. MAZDA DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE AS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE DEALER REPAIR WOULD BE AN OUT OF POCKET COST OF ~$1000. I WAS QUOTED 2.5 HOURS LABOR AND A PARTS COST OF $700 FOR THE SEAT AND FRAME. THE RESPONSES I RECEIVED FROM MAZDA AND THE DEALER WERE DISHEARTENING. OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT A POTENTIAL $1000 REPAIR BILL TO FIX THE SEAT, AND THE BROKEN BRACKET AND WOBBLY SEAT REPRESENT A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK. I'M HOPING THE FOLKS AT THE NHTSA CAN HELP ADVOCATE FOR THE CONSUMER AND CONVINCE MAZDA THAT THEY MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THIS RATHER SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT. REFERENCE LINKS: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/MAZDA/MAZDA3/2010/ACCESSORIES-INTERIOR/BROKEN_SEAT_WELD.SHTML HTTP://WWW.REDDIT.COM/R/MAZDA/COMMENTS/2S51X8/MAZDA_3_2010_SEAT_WELD_BROKE/ HTTP://WWW.MAZDASPEEDFORUMS.ORG/FORUM/F436/DRIVER-SEAT-LOOSE-100964/ HTTP://WWW.TORONTOMAZDA3.CA/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?72586-MY-SEAT-BROKE HTTP://FORUM.MAZDA6CLUB.COM/MAZDASPEED6/209501-BROKEN-SEAT-FRAME.HTML