NHTSA Complaint #10352484 — 2008 MAZDA MAZDA5

ON 8/24/10 I WAS DRIVING IN SF CITY TRAFFIC AS I NEARED AN INTERSECTION, MY POWER STEERING ON MY 2008 MAZDA 5 FAILED. I PULLED OVER INTO A RED ZONE, BARELY OUT OF TRAFFIC, AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. I READ THE MANUAL AND IT SUGGESTED TURNING THE CAR ON AGAIN. I DID BUT THE STEERING LIGHT REMAINED ON. I MOVED THE CAR (WITH DIFFICULTY AND NO SMALL AMOUNT OF STRESS) TO A SAFER LOCATION. I CALLED MAZDA AND THEY CAME AND TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY REPAIRED THE CAR IN 4 DAYS TIME. THEY TOLD US THEY WERE "ABOUT" TO SEND OUT RECALL NOTICES ON THE MAZDA 5. THE NEXT DAY (8/25) I READ IN THE NY TIMES AUTO SECTION THAT THE MAZDA CORP. IN JAPAN HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS POWER STEERING FAILURE FOR 2 YEARS. THIS SEEMS INCREDIBLE TO ME, GIVEN THAT THE CAR IS BARELY 2 YEARS OLD. LUCKILY NOTHING HAPPENED BUT 5 MINUTES BEFORE I HAD BEEN ON THE FREEWAY GOING 55 MILES AN HOUR. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE POWER STEERING HAD GONE OUT THEN? *TR