NHTSA Complaint #10277232 — 2007 MAZDA CX-7

IN MARCH, MY 2007 MAZDA CX-7 HAD AN AIR COMPRESSOR FAILURE. I WAS COMING OFF AN EXIT RAMP OF A MAJOR HIGHWAY WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY AIR CONDITIONER WAS BLOWING HOT AIR. I TURNED IT OFF, THEN SMELLED BURNING RUBBER. IMMEDIATELY AFTER, WHITE SMOKE STARTED POURING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH MY HOOD. WHILE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME, I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR ANY FURTHER. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY LOCAL DEALER, AND MY CAR, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS, WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AT A LITTLE OVER 50,000 MILES. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS MY AIR COMPRESSOR. I DID RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND MANY OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. MY DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE 2007 CX-7, BUT THAT NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED. I WAS UNABLE TO GET A LOANER VEHICLE FROM MY DEALERSHIP AND HAD TO PAY FOR A RENTAL CAR. THE COST OF MY REPAIR WAS $1480, ALONG WITH THE CAR RENTAL. I LOVE MY CX-7, BUT I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER MAZDA AFTER THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND CORRECTED BY MAZDA. I INTEND TO LET AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM.. I TRIED TO CONTACT MAZDA TO NO AVAIL. IT TOOK MY DEALERSHIP A WEEK TO GET THE REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR THE NEW AIR COMPRESSOR. *TR