NHTSA Complaint #10203295 — 2007 MAZDA MAZDA6

WHILE ON VACATION, 6/23/07, WITH APPROX. 400 MI ON MY 2007 MAZDA 6, I INITIALLY NOTICED SOME STEAM COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND A DISTINCT ODOR. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, MY CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR AND MY AT INDICATOR LIGHT APPEARED. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER AND NOTICED A POOL OF TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING UNDER THE VEHICLE. I THEN CONTACTED THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST MAZDA DEALER. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION HAD A DEFECTIVE SEAL THAT LED TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND THEREFORE, LEAKED ALL TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE CAR WOULD NOW NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION INSTALLED. AT APPROXIMATELY 3000 MI ON THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED A HIGH PITCHED WHINE WHEN ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING. IN ADDITION, THERE SEEMED TO BE A LAG IN SHIFTING. I CONTACTED THE DEALER TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM AND BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN ON 9/6/07. I WAS NOTIFIED THAT 2 COMPONENTS IN THE DIFFERENTIAL FAILED; A DIFFERENTIAL SEAL AND A SOLENOID VALVE. MAZDA INSTALLED THE TWO COMPONENTS. THE SEAL WAS REPAIRED BUT THE SOLENOID VALVE INSTALL WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE DEALER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL ANOTHER NEW TRANSMISSION. AS OF 9/18/07, THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED THE INSTALL TODAY AND WILL CONTACT ME WITH THE RESULTS. *JB