NHTSA Complaint #10257722 — 2007 MAZDA CX-7

MY A/C COMPRESSOR GAVE OUT SUDDENLY AT ABOUT 40K. A FEW SECONDS BEFORE IT HAPPENED THERE WAS A LOUD BELT NOISE FROM MY ENGINE, AND A BURNING SMELL. I HAD TO PULL OVER QUICKLY TO FIND WHERE THE SOUND WAS COMING FROM. IT WASN'T UNTIL I TURNED OFF MY A/C THAT I DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS THE SOURCE. I CAN NOT RUN THE A/C WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGING OTHER COMPONENTS IN MY CAR. THIS IS ONLY A TWO YEAR OLD CAR. MAZDA SAYS THEY WILL NOT COMPLETELY COVER IT, SINCE IT HAPPENED OUTSIDE OF THE 36K BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. IT HAS NOT YET BEEN REPLACED. AFTER PLENTY OF RESEARCH ON FORUMS, I OBSERVED THAT THIS IS HAPPENING ON MOST MAZDA CX-7'S BETWEEN 25K-40K MILES. IT HAPPENED TO MY FRIEND WHO HAS THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR 4 DAYS AFTER HER BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY EXPIRED. SHE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY WHEN THE CAR STARTED TO SMOKE AND LEFT HER STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. SERPENTINE BELT BURNED ALL OVER. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS INCIDENT FOR ME IF I HAD NOT PULLED OVER IN TIME. I HAVE CONTACTED MAZDA ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY DENY THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM IN THIS MODEL CAR. THEY SAY THEY HANDLE IT ON A CASE BY CASE ISSUE. YET I HAVE FOUND POSTINGS IN WHICH PEOPLE HAVE HAD MAZDA COVER THE ENTIRE COST OF THIS ISSUE OUTSIDE OF THE 36K MILE WARRANTY. MAZDA IS ONLY WILLING TO COVER HALF OF THE COST. YET AFTER ALL MY RESEARCH, AND ALL THE OTHER OWNERS THAT I HAVE DISCOVERED TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE 2007 MAZDA CX-7 MODEL, I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS IS A QUALITY CONTROL ISSUE, NOT WARRANTY. FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS MY CAR HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR MULTIPLE TSB'S AND RECALLS. *TR