1993 Mazda RX-7

ON 11/16/99 I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH AND MY ENGINE CUT OUT. I DROVE THE CAR TO CLASSIC MOTOR CARS. THEY CONTACTED ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT MY CAR HAD LOST COMPRESSION AND THAT THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED MAZDA CUSTOMER RELATIONS TO DETERMINE WHAT RECALLS HAD BEEN APPLIED TO MY CAR. THEY CONFIRMED THAT MAZDA RECALL #60504 AND #65609 HAD BEEN APPLIED. I ASKED ABOUT MAZDA RECALL #54407 AND [XXX] STATED THAT I WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THAT RECALL BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE COMPUTER, MY CAR DID NOT NEED THE RECALL. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION HE IDENTIFIED THE VIN #JM1FD33**P0200001 THROUGH JM1FD33**R0302076 SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THAT RECALL. SINCE MY VIN #[XXX] FALLS WITHIN THAT RANGE, I ASKED WHY MY CAR SHOULDN'T BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE THE RECALL. HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW. IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A COMPUTER PROBLEM. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND HAD THE RECALL WORK DONE. IN SPECIFIC, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS RECALL WORK PREVENTS THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FROM CATCHING FIRE. SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL, IN ERROR, I WOULD SUSPECT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED, THAT WERE NOT. THIS NEGLIGENCE IS A POTENTIAL THREAT TO ME, MY FAMILY AND MY PROPERTY. ALSO, I BELIEVE THAT SINCE MY CAR WASN'T IDENTIFIED TO HAVE THE RECALL WORK DONE, THAT THIS CONTRIBUTED TO THE DETERIORATION OF THE APEX SEALS IN MY ENGINE. ANY ENGINE SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 49,800 MILES. UPON CONTACTING MAZDA, THE DM HAS AGREED TO OFFER $1,000 TOWARDS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE, BUT THEY DO NOT FEEL THAT THIS IS A DEFECT. I FEEL THAT SINCE WE ARE NOT IDENTIFIED IN THEIR COMPUTER AS RECALL CANDIDATES, AND SINCE WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED TO HAVE THE RECALL WORK DONE, AND SINCE WE DID NOT HAVE THE RECALL WORK DONE, THE APEX SEALS HAVE DETERIORATED AS A RESULT OF THE HEAT GENERATED INSIDE THE ENGINE THAT CAUSES FIRES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WITHOUT WARNING. I WOULD LIKE FOR YOUR AGENCY TO ASSIST ME BY CONFIRMING THIS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLDS SUPPLIED OEM ON THESE CARS CONSISTENTLY FAIL. THE MATERIAL USED BY THE MANUFACTURE HAS SINCE CHANGED TO COMPENSATE FOR THEIR MISTAKE HOWEVER, ALL OF THE OWNERS OF THESE CARS ARE FORCED TO PAY THE COST OF REPAIR FOR THEIR POOR DESIGN. AT LEAST 90% OF THESE CARS HAVE HAD TO HAVE THIS PART REPLACED AND I AM POSITIVE THAT THAT NUMBER WILL INCREASE TO 100% OF THE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. SOME COMPENSATION SHOULD BE MADE.

AT STOP LIGHT NOTICED BROWNISH/GRAY SMOKE COMING THROUGH VENTS & FROM UNDER THE HOOD. PULLED TO SIDE & LIFTED HOOD. NOTICED FLAMES IN AREA OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD (ENGINE). FIRE DEPARTMENT CALLED & PUT FLAMES OUT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK REPORTED TO MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF GAS SINCE JAN. 19, 1995, HOWEVER THEY WERE UNABLE TO INDICATE SOURCE OR FIND ANY PROBLEM PRIOR TO FIRE. *MJS

RECALL SITE SHOWS 3 RECALLS FOR 93 MAZDA RX7. ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM RECALL SAYS "MANUFACTURED FROM DEC 1991 TO JAN 1994". MY RX7 WAS MANU FEB 1992 AND I FEEL SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. MAZDA HOWEVER STATES THAT THERE IS ONLY 2 RECALLS ON MY CAR. THIS IS MY 2ND RX7. THE FIRST ONE I HAD WAS MANUFACTURED MARCH 1992, ONE MONTH AFTER THIS CURRENT ONE. IT WAS EXACT SAME CAR. IT WAS RECALLED FOR ALL 3 SHOWING IN THE RECALL DATABASE. SO WHAT DO I DO? MAZDA SAYS THE COOLING SYSTEM IS NOT A RECALL ITEM FOR MY CAR. I DISAGREE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I'M WRITING TO WRONG PLACE FOR WHAT I NEED. THANKS. *AK