Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| REC-4907H | 09/28/2009 | 10031324 | Mazda: an emission recall campaigns on certain vehicles to address a malfunction indicator lamp illumination concern and a malfunction with the on board diagnostic adaptive feedback control system. the pcm will be reprogram to include the | 01/05/2010 | |
| 01-022/08 | 04/02/2008 | 10024864 | Rough idle, lack of power, and/or mil on with dtc p2177/p2187 (fuel system lean). *nj | 06/03/2008 | |
| 01-022-08 | 03/27/2008 | 10024621 | Rough idle, lack of power, and/or mil on with dtc p2177/p2187 (fuel system lean). *nj | 04/29/2008 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | ||||||
| PE07015 | MAZDA MOTOR CORP | 03/13/2007 | 07/13/2007 | FAILURE OF ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT | 07V295000 | |
| On july 2, 2007 mazda north american operations submitted a defect information report to nhtsa regarding the left hand side (lhs) engine mount bolts in approximately 5,700 model year (my) 2007 mazdaspeed3 vehicles built from june 26, 2006 through may 19, 2007 (mazda recall 4607f, nhtsa recall 07v-295).according to mazda, the lhs engine mount could loosen under repeated loads produced during rapid accelerations.loose bolts could pull out or break, allowing the engine and transmission to drop on the left side.when the engine drops, the driveshaft may become detached and disable the vehicle.mazda will replace the lhs engine mount bolts in the recalled vehicles.in addition, the lhs engine mount rubber and bracket will be inspected and replaced if necessary.mazda stated in its letter that it continues to believe that there is no unreasonable risk of accident or injury associated with the condition, citing the lack of accidents and contending that most of the reported incidents were identified by operators before there was any effect on vehicle operation. odi disagrees with mazda.although only about half the subject vehicles had entered service by the cutoff date of the failure data submitted by mazda, odi's analysis of consumer complaint and warranty claim data identified a total of 36 subject vehicles with repairs for loose or broken lhs mounting bolts.odi verified 17 incidents of bolt fracture resulting in the engine dropping in these vehicles, including at least 10 that resulted in vehicle disablement.all of the bolt fractures occurred in the first 7 months of vehicle service, with 8 failing within 4 months.these failures result in a relatively high failure rate when compared with other odi investigations involving defect conditions with similar safety consequences that resulted in safety recalls, particularly when considering the very short service life of the subject vehicle population. odi interviewed owners to further assess the safety consequences of the lhs bolt defect.more than two-thirds of those interviewed who experienced an engine fall incident indicated the event disabled the vehicle, some being stranded in the flow of traffic.at least three-quarters of these incidents occurred when the driver was attempting to increase speed, resulting in a sudden change in acceleration.each of these drivers expressed some concerns about the potential safety hazards associated with the event, including the possibility of being struck by trailing or crossing traffic.in one incident the vehicle veered to the left across oncoming traffic lanes after the lhs mount bolt broke, stopping in the roadway after striking a curb. based on this information, odi strongly disagrees with mazda's characterization of the safety risk associated with the defect in the lhs engine mount bolts.this investigation has been closed based on mazda's recall.odi will monitor the effectiveness of mazda's campaign remedy and take further action if warranted. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 03/29/2009 | 11700 | 1 | |
| 2007 mazdaspeed3. driving 25 mph and suddenly huge load sound underhood followed by much clanking and knocking as i coasted to a stop on the side of the road. car could not be rolled. engine dropped 2-3 inches and driver side axle broke and dangled from wheel. car went to shop and axle, cv joint, complete transmission, fan, and a variety of smaller parts all have to be replaced. car is currently still in shop. *tr | |||
| 03/28/2008 | 8811 | 1 | 06/05/2007 |
| At 8,811 miles the number 4 engine mount (driver's side transaxle to frame) failed even though recall 4607f had already been performed at 826 miles ~8 months ago. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 03/10/2007 | 1 | ||
| I have heard via mazda3forums.com that there have been multiple failures of the drivers side transmission mount and i decided to check my own since i have worked on cars for about 20 years...and i do not trust dealer service. i attached a torque wrench to the bolt and proceeded to get about 1/3 to 1/2 a turn out of the bolt with about 50 ft/lbs as my starting point. i then removed the bolt, covered in red located and reinstalled, torquing the bolt to 90 ft/lbs. i feel that this should be a recall and owners of this new car should not have to check their motor mounts for fear of failure when the mounts should have been done right from the manufacturer.*jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||
| 05/15/2007 | 2000 | 1 | 04/18/2006 |
| Shifting from 1st to 2nd gear was rough sometimes. i checked the torque on bolt of driver's side engine mount and it was loose. it turned under 30 feet-lb. bolt was supposed to be 70-80 feet-lb from the factory. after bolt was tightened to spec shifting became a lot smoother. i was convinced that if bolt was not tightened failure of driver' s-side engine mount bolt would have eventually resulted in a couple thousand more miles. vehicle only had 3000 miles on it -engine would have dropped over left side driveshaft, causing loss of control of vehicle. refer to investigation pe07015 . *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/27/2011 | 22600 | ||
| I own a 2007 mazdaspeed 3, purchased from a dealer in , langley bc., in june 2008. it was a us imported car ( by the dealer) and i was told i inherited the balance of the warranty. it was built in may 2007, and had approx 22,646 miles on the odometer. on friday 27 may at about 7 am, i had just accelerated from a traffic light when an engine mount suddenly failed, pitching the complete engine and transmission forward and down onto the road , with disastrous consequences. i was really fortunate to be traveling quite slowly ( about 20 mph) as the 'cv' joint disintegrated and the car slewed alarmingly towards the kerb. i did not have much directional control, but managed to steer the car towards the kerb where it (rapidly ) came to a stop. fortunately, i was traveling slowly enough for this not to be serious accident, but if i had been traveling at 70 mph down the freeway, i might not have been here today to write this. i had to have the car towed to a mazda dealership ( at my expense ) where a inspection showed that the #4 engine mount had failed, dropped the engine and transmission and destroyed the 'cv' joint, in the process damaging the turbo wastegate valve. they checked the vin and found that the vehicle was indeed built may 2007, and that there had been a recall to change the engine mount, also in 2007 ( before i purchased the car). this change was presumably done at a us dealer as it did not come to the in bc dealer until just before i purchased it in 2008. there was absolutely no overt warning signs- the only thing was the day before when i noticed a faint vibration coming from the front , which sounded like a pipe clamp or something vibrating. i stopped and made a visual inspection of the engine bay and underneath , but could not see anything. bang as it let go. the parts were replaced free under mazda warranty | |||
| 04/28/2009 | 35730 | 1 | |
| On april 28, 2009 while driving home from work i shifted gears from second into third i heard a big thunk from the transmission. i stopped the car and looked under the body but did not notice any broken or loose parts. occasionally in the past while driving the car the gear would slip and move into neutral, and i thought this might be related to that seemingly minor problem. however, as i started to drive i noticed the gears were very hard to change and clutch was not as smooth as it used to be. early the next morning i took the car to o | |||
| 03/06/2009 | 33800 | 1 | |
| I have an 2007 mazda mazdaspeed3 bought in may 2007. i had the motor mount bolt replaced during an associated recall in august 2007. a few months later it failed (july 2008). the bolt had backed out, and sheared through the last few threads. i heard this loud bang, followed by clunk-clunk noises and immediately pulled over into a gas station. i was fortunate to be on the right lane at 30 mph in 3rd gear. i had it towed to jim ellis mazda of marietta (ga). they told me that the engineers from mazda had a look at it and the whole mount bracket and the bolt was replaced under warranty. but over the past two weeks i've been hearing a slight clunking noise especially during slow turns, so i took it back to the dealer again on last monday (03/02/09) to have them look at it. they found that the steering rack flow control valve was popping at times and replaced it under warranty. i had also asked them to have a look at my mounts, just to be sure. i got my car back on thursday and was told that my mounts were fine. but on friday (03/06/09) i still had those clunking sounds on slow turns and while pulling out of parking lots/backing up. i also noticed some odd vibrations on the clutch pedal while giving gas and during idle. the last time had these vibrations were just before the motor mount failed on me. so i decided to have a look into my mounts. i also noticed that my clock and trip meters were not reset. if the dealer had inspected my mounts they would've been reset when the battery is being removed. that raised my suspicions. i removed the battery and tried turning the mount bolt. it was i could turn it with just one hand. i immediately called the dealer and asked them what to do. the asked to bring the car over after tightening it, or get it towed if i couldn't. i tightened the bolt and it took me about 6 turns to fully tighten it!!! the bolt was almost out and i caught it before something serious had occurred. the dealer has re tightened the bolt now. *tr | |||
| 07/30/2007 | 16900 | 1 | |
| Mazda speed 3 engine mount failure, engine fell out of b ottom of car. *tr | |||
| 05/22/2008 | 11390 | 1 | |
| My transmission occasionally pops out of second gear when i let off the gas. *tr | |||
| 05/28/2007 | 16000 | 1 | 10/30/2006 |
| Motor mount failure. my transmission/motor mount failed causing the engine to fall in the engine bay. this has happened to several others as posted on http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=68975.0. *tr | |||
| 04/25/2007 | 1750 | 1 | 03/31/2007 |
| I did major research on this issue on the internet. most of the info i used was found here: http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=68975.0;all. i started reading here just for fun and discovered that i may have a serious safety issue on my hands. the transmission mount bolt on my 2007 mazdaspeed 3 loosened at 18-20 ft-lbs of torque!! there were several people who had this same issue. no less than 5 people have had this bolt fail and their engine has fallen onto the frame of the car!! this is a serious problem. many others have found that this bolt is not tightened to factory specs. i raised the transmission about 1 inch (to relieve pressure) before checking the torque on the bolt. i applied blue locktight and re-torqued to 75 ft-lbs. there were no metal shavings on the bolt and it looked fine. the threads inside the mount also appeared fine. i also had a strange noise from the left front driver's side of the car that started with less than 300 miles on the car!! you could feel a vibration and it was very loud and audible. it sounded like a low pitched groan or something rubbing. it was intermittent at various speeds. oddly, applying the brakes stopped the sound and vibration, even if you just barley touched them. i took it to the dealer and they could reproduce the issue, but could not find out what the problem was. the problem lessened the more i drove the car. even so, i always felt like something didn't feel right. after locking down the bolt to correct specs, i have noticed that everything feels much more solid now. the noises have gone away and the shifter linkage is firm again, not spongy like before. since many people are experiencing this issue, i feel that mazda needs to acknowledge this very serious safety concern by issuing a re-call. this is a major issue and a big safety problem. thank you for your attention to this matter. *jb | |||
| 04/09/2007 | 8063 | 1 | 11/27/2006 |
| I was rolling in bumper to bumper traffic and went to second gear doing maybe 15 mph and heard a cluck. at first i thought it was reflectors on the road as that was what it seemed like. i made a turn , and as the thunk persisted, i immediatly stopped and popped the hood and observed the motor fell forward in the the radiatior. it was due to the driver's side transmission mount that came loose.*ak | |||
| 01/13/2007 | 2300 | 1 | 01/01/2007 |
| Mazdaspeed3 transmission/engine mount. these have been failing on a quite a few 2007 mazdaspeed3 cars. my dealer would not even check mine upon request. many dealers either claim to know nothing about it, or are not giving the proper service on this. mazda canada/usa is also claiming ignorant on this. this is a known issue as mazda had flown engineers from japan to the us to review a couple of cases, as reported by another member. this is a major safety issue as this mount holds the engine in the car, and can potentially cause injury or worse in my opinion. btw, i work as an engineer. i had to check my bolt myself and found it to be loose. *jb | |||
| 03/11/2007 | 6000 | 1 | 10/20/2006 |
| 2007 mazdaspeed 3 : transmission mount became loose and caused mis-shifts, loud clunking noises and stability degradation. asked dealer to tighten bolt but was unable to get them too. on personal inspection bolt was loose and transmission was free to move around. after torquing bolt to spec all previous mentioned symptoms went away. *jb | |||
| 02/18/2007 | 1800 | 1 | 09/25/2006 |
| I had read reports of transmission mount bolt failure with my new car that had resulted in the engine falling out of the engine bay onto the ground. it was discovered that the reason this was happening was due to a transmission mount bolt that had worked its way loose until the point of breaking off. this was brought to the attention of several dealers across the usa by several owners and none seemed to show any interest in checking the problem for free, since no official service notice had come from mazda and they would not be paid for the labor of checking it out. as a preventable measure, i checked my bolt personally and hooked up a torque wrench to see how tight it was. i started at 10lbs and went up in 2lb increments. i was able to tighten the bolt beginning at 26 ft/lbs. i got almost a full turn before it bottomed out and then i set a final torque at 75 ft/lb. i then removed the bolt, covered it in red thread locker and reinstalled it again to 75 ft/lbs. i believe the torque spec for this mount bolt should be between 70 to 90+ ft/lbs so, i am under the assumption it was quite loose and certainly dangerous. this complaint refers to the drivers side transmission mount bolt. *jb | |||