NHTSA Complaint #10380136 — 2007 MAZDA CX-7

IN APRIL 2009 THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR FAILED ON MY 2007 MAZDA CX-7. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 49,000 MILES ON THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED. WE REPLACED THE COMPRESSOR WITH AN AFTERMARKET COMPRESSOR BECAUSE THE DEALER INDICATED IT WAS NOT IN WARRANTY. SOME TIME LATER WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM MAZDA EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON THE COMPRESSOR TO 60,000 MILES. IN THE LETTER MAZDA EXPLAINED THAT IF THE COMPRESSOR HAD ALREADY BEEN CHANGED THEY WOULD REIMBURSE US FOR THE CHARGES. THE PAPERWORK HAD BEEN MISPLACED AT THE TIME SO WE DID NOT CONTACT MAZDA FOR REIMBURSEMENT. IN DECEMBER 2010 MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE CAR IN DALLAS TEXAS WHEN SHE HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. A BURNING SMELL STARTED COMING THROUGH THE VENTS, THEN SMOKE STARTED COMING INTO THE CAR, SHE HAD TO CROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET OFF OF THE ROAD. THE CAR STOPPED RUNNING BEFORE SHE COULD GET OFF OF THE ROAD. A DRIVER STOPPED AND HELPED HER GET THE CAR OFF OF THE ROAD, LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED. SHE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED, I CALLED FOR A WRECKER AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP NEARBY. THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED ME AND TOLD ME IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $ 1,800.00 TO REPAIR THE CAR. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE MILEAGE HAD EXCEEDED ITS LIMITS FOR WARRANTY. HE LATER CALLED AND SAID THAT WHEN THE BELT BROKE IT HAD DAMAGED THE PULLEY ON THE CRANKSHAFT AND THAT FOR THE CAR TO RUN PROPERLY IT WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED THE CONSUMER DIVISION OF MAZDA AND WAS BASICALLY TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO, THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 60,000 MILES AND THAT THE CAR HAD EXCEEDED ITS WARRANTY. IT IS NOT NORMAL FOR AC COMPRESSORS TO FAIL IN SUCH A SHORT TIME UNLESS THERE IS A DEFECT. MAZDA KNEW THIS THAT IS WHY THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY. MAZDA NEEDS TO RECALL THESE DEFECTIVE COMPRESSORS BEFORE SOMEONE IS SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED IN A WRECK CAUSED BY THE COMPRESSOR LOCKING UP. *TR