NHTSA Complaint #10342768 — 2008 MAZDA MAZDA3

THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON OUR MAZDA 3 WHILE DRIVING DOWN A BUSY ROAD. IT HAPPENED UNEXPECTEDLY AND SEVERELY ENOUGH THAT MY HUSBAND HAD DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE CAR AND HAD TO PULL OVER. ALL FLUIDS WERE FULL AND WE HAVE REGULAR MAINTENANCE DONE ON THE CAR. CALLED OUR MAZDA SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY TRIED TO CHARGE US BUT SAID WE BARELY SLIPPED IN UNDER THE WARRANTY TIMELINE SO THE PART WAS COVERED. NOW WE FIND OUT THERE IS A POTENTIAL RECALL LOOMING FOR THIS ISSUE. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTROUS SITUATION AND MAZDA'S HANDLING OF IT WAS SUB-PAR TO SAY THE LEAST. THEY GAVE US A LOANER AND ARE FIXING THE CAR AT NO CHARGE BUT THEIR POSITION WHEN WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THEM WAS THAT WE SHOULD BE PAYING FOR THE REPAIR. THEY TOOK NO OWNERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM AT FIRST AND NEVER BOTHERED TO MENTION THIS WAS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM THEY WERE SEEING, ESPECIALLY IN THE '08 MAZDA 3. *TR