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Mazda5

1387 messages,  Last post on Oct 07, 2012 at 8:57 AM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda MAZDA5, Wagon

Messages Page 133 of 140

#1312 of 1387 Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom by wruberte

Dec 12, 2008 (8:39 pm)

We purchased two Mazda5's (2006 & 2007) because of the seating capacity (6) with support for two child seats. The 2006 was recalled twice due to an engine overheating issue related to the exhaust that could cause the engine to catch on fire. Yesterday the original manufacturer AC Compressor locked up on it causing the engine to overheat at which point smoke entered the passenger cabin. I shut down the engine because I was afraid the engine was about to catch fire. Lucky I did. The AC Compressor overheated to the point that is fused with the clutch. Nathan, Manage of Customer Service at Mazda Corporate refused to do anything about the issue despite the local Mazda Dealership indicated the AC Compressor suffered a "Catastrophic Failure". This caused $2,400 worth of parts and labor.
  
Under GA Law this car is considered a lemon as the vehicle was under repair for over 45 days during the first recall. Mazda seems to have taken a chapter from the recent playbook of American Car companies, however, I do not appreciate it when they play Russian Roulette with the life of me an my family and refuse to repair a component for which the failure has been isolated to defective original manufacture part or incorrect original installation

#1313 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [wruberte] by coolmazda5

Dec 12, 2008 (8:57 pm)

Replying to: wruberte (Dec 12, 2008 8:39 pm)
Terrible mishap, it sucks. I also own 2 Mazda5s
 
Now, I'm not sure if reposting everywhere here would really help
 
A couple of notes:
- Some of the 2006 models were recalled only once back in 2005, not twice
 
- As per the Lemon part, if you did not do anything during that old recall, that is pretty much it
 
- If you live in the US the A/C compressor is still under warranty (4yr warranty as of Dec 2005), unless you have more than 50000mi
 
Best of luck!

#1314 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [coolmazda5] by wruberte

Dec 13, 2008 (6:27 am)

Replying to: coolmazda5 (Dec 12, 2008 8:57 pm)
2006 Mazda5 WAS recalled twice. Second time it was dealing with the sliding door latches not working properly under certain conditions. The reason why they will not cover the defective manufacturer AC Compressor that heated up so much that it fused with the clutch is that the vehicle is above 50K

#1315 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [wruberte] by coolmazda5

Dec 13, 2008 (7:53 am)

Replying to: wruberte (Dec 13, 2008 6:27 am)
The 2006 was recalled twice due to an engine overheating issue related to the exhaust that could cause the engine to catch on fire
 
I'm just paraphrasing what you are reposting in every thread, nothing else. So to clarify: The 2006 was recalled once due to the exhaust potential overheating, not twice. Also, the engine would not catch fire due to that, it was the exhaust itself so all your posts are incorrect and misleading.
 
And yes, it took long to get it fixed, I was pissed off too, but I hope you also got a rental at no cost and your $500 from Mazda for the inconvenience, right? That reaction from Mazda made me feel better to purchase a 2nd Mazda5 to be honest
 
But anyway, my question is: Why did you yet buy a 2007 Mazda5 if your 2006 was such a bad experience for you? There is the Rondo as an option for example
 
Best of luck!

#1316 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [coolmazda5] by wruberte

Dec 13, 2008 (9:06 am)

Replying to: coolmazda5 (Dec 13, 2008 7:53 am)
Because after the first recall, we did not understand the full extent of the issues until the compressor incident and until after we had to bring the 2007 into a shop only to find out there was Technical Service Bulletin on the 2007 regarding defective bushings for the stabilizer causing the bottom bar to scrape against the bottom of the car that was the underlining cause of the issue. Still a

#1317 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [wruberte] by vg33e power

Dec 15, 2008 (9:26 am)

Replying to: wruberte (Dec 13, 2008 9:06 am)
Just to chime in here, I been in the car dealership business for almost 9 years, particularly in the wholesale parts department. A/C compressor failure is quite common, some go out faster then others. I have seen compressors go out as soon as within the first year of ownership. I dont know how many miles you have on your MZ5, but I had a Honda Accord in which the compressor went out at about 100K. The seizing of the clutch/pulley assembly is actually more common then you think, and it is an end result of the actual failure which actually is an internal seizure of the compressor. The fact that the clutch/pulley assembly fuse together it is because when the compressor fails and seizes, the engine continues to try to turn the pulley with the normal operation of the engine's drive belt and heats up the clutch so much that it eventually fuses together, if you would have not pulled over and turned off the engine I am sure your drivebelt (if it did not) would have been the next to go. Anyway, I know that it is costly to replace A/C components, but that does not mean that your MZ5 is a lemon. A/C compressor's lifespan vary from individual to individual, not from car maker to car maker. Most compressor are made from the same manufacturer and only the outside case is built to carmakers specs for mounting purposes. The true lifespan depends on the usage. A lot of people run their A/C all the time and never turn them off even before shuting down the engine. When people go back to turning on their vehicle the A/C compressor goes on instantly as well and puts a strain on both the engine and the compressor. Sorry about the inconvinience this puts on your pocket book, we all hate it when we have to dish out money to fix our vehicles, even me.

#1318 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [vg33e power] by wruberte

Dec 15, 2008 (10:36 pm)

Replying to: vg33e power (Dec 15, 2008 9:26 am)
Well, this inconvenience has been registered with the NHTSA now for investigation as the smoke in the engine and the passenger cabin nearly caused a car crash on I85. I've managed to obtain the part in case the NHTSA follows up because the only way the unit can be dissassembled right now is with a blow torch. The only common thing about the AC Compressor Failure is defective part or installation. It may be common for you as an employee of a dealership, but is no less an unacceptable safety hazard especially when this vehicle transports children. Mazda Corporate's unwillingness to do anything borders on culpable negligence.

#1319 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [coolmazda5] by wruberte

Dec 15, 2008 (10:42 pm)

Replying to: coolmazda5 (Dec 13, 2008 7:53 am)
These forums may only indicate one recall, but the NHTSA definitely trumps your lack of research. Visit http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/RecallSearch.cfm and plugin in Mazda 2006 Mazda5. Two recalls (NHTSA Campaign ID's 06V463000 and 05V412000), the latter of which took more than 45 days of repair. Yep, law here calls that a .

#1320 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [wruberte] by coolmazda5

Dec 16, 2008 (8:54 am)

Replying to: wruberte (Dec 15, 2008 10:42 pm)
These forums may only indicate one recall, but the NHTSA definitely trumps your lack of research
 
. Whatever man. Last time I checked only ONE recall had to do with with the exhaust potentially catching fire. You said that the 2 recalls were related to that, which is still misleading (or I may be wrong and where you live the sliding doors' latches not only freeze but could also catch fire to the exhaust )
 
Anyway, to your Lemon point in GA. You car must have been purchased in 2005 for the exhaust recall to apply so if you want to point out that your car is a lemon NOW (almost 2009), you are not making a good case.
 
My only point is: I would suggest to take your case differently, do more research and your chances of succeeding may be higher
 
Best of luck!
 

The Lemon Law rights period is the period ending one year from the date you took delivery of the vehicle, or after the first 12,000 miles of your use—whichever occurs first.
 
Georgia Governor's Office of Consumers Affairs:
http://consumer.georgia.gov/00/article/0,2086,5426814_39105738_59620902,00.html

#1321 of 1387 Re: Mazda5 Lemon - Stay Away - Zoom, Zoom, Boom [wruberte] by redberry

Dec 16, 2008 (8:55 am)

Replying to: wruberte (Dec 15, 2008 10:42 pm)
Again, you fail to acknowledge that what you first wrote was incorrect - you stated "the 2006 was recalled twice due to an engine overheating issue related to the exhaust that could cause the engine to catch on fire."
 
It had one recall for the exhaust, and one recall for the latch. Not two due to exhaust overheating issues, as you initially claimed. Research is only as good as the language used to describe the findings.
 
As far as I know, the existence of recalls does not a lemon make. My past two cars had a couple of recalls on them, and the cars were fine. Many cars have a couple recalls during their lifetime.
 
If you took your 2006 Mazda in for the recall while under the protection of the lemon law ("12 months following the purchase of the vehicle or for 12,000 miles following the purchase of the vehicle, whichever occurs first." - GA law), and they took 45 days to repair it, you might have had a claim, had you acted on it. The fact that your A/C failed later, out of warranty, has no bearing on the car being a lemon. In your circumstances, the only legally recognized "lemony" thing about your Mazda is the lengthy repair time. Not the fact it had recalls. Not the fact that at 50,000 miles it suffered a component failure.
 
To me, a lemon is a car that is grossly defective in its engineering or parts - not one that some dealership took a long time to fix on one occassion. From my point of view, if I'm to be warned away from a particular car, I'd need more evidence than a couple of recalls, a lengthy stay in the shop, and a parts failure at 50,000 miles. I replaced my Jetta's starter motor around 70,000 after it failed - I wasn't cursing the car, despite the fact it has a recall (and 23 complaints for it on the NHTSA site!).
 
I think your conclusion that the Mazda 5 is a lemon is unjustified. Maybe it technically fell under the provisions of GA lemon law due to that 45 days in the shop, but that's not what the typical car buyer is thinking when discussing whether a certain model is an overall lemon.

Messages Page 133 of 140

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