NHTSA Complaint #10289849 — 2004 MAZDA MPV

LIKE MANY OTHER MAZDA MPV OWNERS, I'VE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION COILS. IN AUGUST 2008, THE VEHICLE WAS RIDING VERY ROUGH AND HESITATING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE DIAGNOSTICS FOR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT SHOWED THAT ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS HAD MISFIRED. I HAD THE COIL REPLACED AND, AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DEALERSHIP, REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS. AT THAT TIME, MY VEHICLE WITH APPROXIMATELY 35,000 MILES ON IT, WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I PAID $476 FOR THE REPAIR BUT WAS ULTIMATELY REIMBURSED BY MAZDA ON A CUSTOMER GOODWILL BASIS. ONE YEAR LATER, IN AUGUST 2009, THE VEHICLE AGAIN BEGAN RIDING ROUGH AND HESITATING. WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP. BASED ON THE EARLIER EXPERIENCE, I SUSPECTED AN IGNITION COIL AS THE CULPRIT. MY SUSPICIONS WERE REALIZED. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND THAT CYLINDER #5 HAD MISFIRED AND THAT SEVERAL OTHER COILS WERE WEAK. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE OTHER COILS WERE LIKELY TO GO AND RECOMMENDED THAT ALL OF THEM BE REPLACED. I HAD THE WORK DONE AT A COST OF $960. THE VEHICLE AT THIS POINT HAD ONLY 46,000 MILES ON IT. BOTH REPAIRING DEALERSHIPS MENTIONED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MPVS. FROM MY RESEARCH, I CAN SEE THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR 2002-2006 MPV'S. ENTIRE MESSAGE BOARDS ARE DEDICATED TO THIS MAZDA MPV IGNITION COIL DEFECT. MOST BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A DESIGN FLAW THAT PREVENTS THE COILS FROM DISPERSING MOISTURE PROPERLY, WHICH OVER TIME LEADS THE CYLINDERS TO MISFIRE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT MAZDA SHOULD HAVE VOLUNTARILY RECALLED THE VEHICLE DUE TO THIS ISSUE. HAVING PREVIOUSLY MADE A CUSTOMER ACCOMMODATION ON THE EARLIER REPAIR, MAZDA HAS REFUSED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE COSTS OF THIS LATEST REPAIR. IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT MAZDA HAS CHOSEN TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM ON A CUSTOMER-BY-CUSTOMER BASIS, RATHER THAN HAVING VOLUNTARILY RECALLED THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THIS VERY COMMON PROBLEM. *TR