NHTSA Complaint #10452321 — 2007 MAZDA CX-7

I WAS DRIVING MY MAZDA CX-7 ON THE HIGHWAY AROUND 65 MPH WHEN MY CAR STARTING MAKING A LOUD NOISE FROM THE ENGINE AND HAD A SUDDEN LOSS IN POWER. SO I PULLED OVER IN THE NEXT TOWN AND STAYED IN A MOTEL FOR THE NIGHT. THE NEXT DAY I RENTED A TRAILER FROM UHAUL TO TOW THE CAR TO A MAZDA DEALER WHO STATED THAT MY ENGINE NEEDED TO BE OPENED TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE ACTUAL PROBLEM. PER THE MAZDA TECHNICIAN THAT INSPECTED MY CAR, THE TIMING CHAIN (VVT) WAS MISSING A PIN AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO BREAK. THEREFORE MY ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AT THE PRICE IT WAS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, I OBTAINED A SECOND OPINION FROM A NON-MAZDA MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT MY ENGINE ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I REPLACED MY ENGINE AT 72,127 MILES, FOR APPROXIMATELY $6K, WHICH IS SLIGHTLY OVER THE 70,000 MILE SERVICE NOTICE THAT MAZDA RECENTLY PUT OUT FOR REIMBURSEMENT FROM REPAIRS RELATED TO THE VVT TIMING CHAIN. AFTER I SUBMITTED MY CLAIM TO MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS, MY CLAIM WAS DENIED BECAUSE I WAS SLIGHTLY OVER THE MILEAGE THAT THEY DETERMINED WAS APPROPRIATE. I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED MAZDA TO BE A LITTLE MORE UNDERSTANDING AS IT WAS THEIR DEALERSHIP WHO INITIALLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. AS SUCH, I HAVE CURRENTLY HIRED A LAWYER TO PURSUE REIMBURSEMENT OF MY ENGINE REPLACEMENT COST AS THIS PART HAS CAUSED SEVERAL OTHER INDIVIDUALS TO HAVE TO REPLACE THEIR ENTIRE ENGINES. MY LAWYER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE MORE CASES OF THE MAZDA CX-7 ENGINE BREAKING DUE TO TIMING CHAIN FAILURE THAT WAS ALSO NEAR OR ABOVE 70,000 MILES. PLEASE RESPOND/COMMENT TO THIS POST SO THAT WE MAY USE YOUR STORY/INFORMATION AS VERIFICATION THAT THE VVT TIMING CHAIN IS AN ISSUE ON THE MAZDA CX-7. *KB