NHTSA Complaint #10343501 — 2008 MAZDA MAZDA3

I DRIVE A 2008 MAZDA 3. ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT. TODAY WAS THE MOST RECENT, THE SECOND TIME WAS ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO, AND THE FIRST TIME WAS ANOTHER 3-4 MONTHS BEFORE THE SECOND TIME. THE LAST TWO TIMES I WAS PARKED, STARTED THE ENGINE, TRIED TO DRIVE AND REALIZED THE POWER STEERING WAS OUT. WITH GREAT PHYSICAL EFFORT I WAS ABLE TO REPARK THE CAR, STOP THE ENGINE, AND AFTER ABOUT 10-20 MINUTES THE POWER STEERING BEGAN WORKING WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AGAIN. THE FIRST TIME THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING. LUCKILY I WASN'T DRIVING IN A LOT OF TRAFFIC AND WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A NEARBY BUSINESS. IT TOOK GREAT PHYSICAL EFFORT TO TURN THE CAR AND I THINK IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STEER THE CAR AND FIND A SAFE SPOT TO PARK IF I HAD BEEN IN LOTS OF TRAFFIC OR DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS AND RESULT IN CRASHES. I WAS LUCKY THAT ALL THREE TIMES I WAS EITHER DRIVING SLOW OR PARKED. *TR