NHTSA Complaint #10182548 — 2006 MAZDA MAZDA3

I PURCHASED A NEW MAZDA 3 IN MAY OF 2006. I LIVE NEAR CLEVELAND OHIO WHERE WE CAN HAVE SOME BAD WINTER WEATHER. IN DECEMBER, WE HAD ONE OF THE FIRST SNOW STORMS. MY CAR HAD 6,200 MILES. THE ROADS WERE WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO HAVE A LIGHT SNOW COVERING. THE TIRES THAT ARE SOLD OEM ON THIS CAR ARE RATED AS ALL SEASON, SO I SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 20 MPH, AND SLIDE SIDEWAYS FOR ABOUT 50' THEN HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE COMING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, THEN WENT OFF THE ROAD INTO A 5' DEEP DITCH. MY CAR HAD ABOUT $1,400 IN DAMAGE, WHICH THE INSURANCE PAID FOR (STATE FARM). I AM A MATURE DRIVER LIVING IN THIS TYPE OF WEATHER FOR MANY YEARS. I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN A VEHICLE THAT HANDLED SO BADLY IN THE SNOW. THIS VEHICLE WITH THE TIRE COMBINATION AS SOLD IS UNSAFE. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, I HAVE SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND NUMEROUS REVIEWS CLAIMING HOW POOR THE TIRES ARE IN WINTER WEATHER. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH MAZDA, BUT WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD DO NOTHING. THE CASE NUMBER IS 110849660. THERE IS NO WAY THAT THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE SOLD THIS THESE OEM TIRES IN THE AREA THAT I LIVE. THE DEALER RECOMMENDED THAT I CHANGE THE TIRES. I FEEL THAT MAZDA SHOULD REPLACE THEM FOR ME BECAUSE I BOUGHT A CAR THAT HAS ALL SEASON TIRES THAT CANNOT BE DRIVEN IN THE SNOW. AS NOTED, THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE WITH THE OEM TIRES. *NM