NHTSA Complaint #10451874 — 2007 MAZDA CX-7

VEHICLE HAS A DEFECTIVE VARIABLE VALVE TIMING ACTUATOR (AS PER THE MANUFACTURERS CAMPAIGN LETTER) THAT CAUSES A NOISE AT START UP AND A LOOSE TIMING CHAIN. THAT FIRST PHASE OF THE FAILURE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED. THE NEXT STAGE OF THE FAILURE WHICH HASN'T HAPPENED TO ME YET (BUT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY OTHERS) IS THAT THE VVT ACTUATOR EVENTUALLY BECOMES DISLODGED FROM ITS PIN AND AS A RESULT, THE TIMING CHAIN BREAKS, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SEIZE INSTANTLY, CAUSING AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE FROM THE DRIVER TO ATTEMPT TO GET OUT OF THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, WITHOUT WARNING, WITHIN SECONDS OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ON THE NJ TURNPIKE, RT. 295, RT 195, ETC IN CENTRAL NJ AND WHEN THE FAILURE AS DESCRIBED ABOVE OCCURS WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON BUSY ROADWAYS, THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF AN ACCIDENT OCCURRING AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE, OR AS THE CAR SITS DISABLED ON THE EDGE OF A ROADWAY AWAITING ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE DANGER IS NOT ONLY FOR THE OCCUPANTS OF THE CX-7, BUT ALSO FOR THOSE DIRECTLY BEHIND THE VEHICLE AT THE POINT OF THE VVT FAILING AND/OR THE TIMING CHAIN BREAKING. I HAVE REQUESTED THAT THE VEHICLE BE REPAIRED FOR OVER 90 DAYS, HOWEVER MAZDA USA CONTINUES TO INFORM ME THAT THE PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT THERE NO IDENTIFIED DATE OF WHEN THEY WILL BE IN STOCK. THAT MEANS THAT THEY ARE ALLOWING ME AND MY FAMILY TO DRIVE A VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A DEFECTIVE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PART, THAT WHEN IT FAILS, MAY CAUSE HARM TO ME, MY FAMILY AND OTHERS. THEY ARE NOT CONSIDERING THIS A MATTER OF SAFETY, AND INSTEAD ONLY A MATTER OF INCONVENIENCE IN THAT BECAUSE MY VEHICLE IS NOW OVER THEIR SELF DETERMINED 70,000K MILEAGE THRESHOLD, THEY ARE NOT OFFERING TO FIX THE CAR. INSTEAD, THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT I CAN PAY TO HAVE IT FIXED. THEY SHOULD BE WARNING THEIR CUSTOMERS OF THE DANGEROUS CONDITION BEING CREATED BY THEIR FAULTY COMPONENTS. *TR