NHTSA Complaint #10478535 — 2006 MAZDA TRIBUTE

VEHICLE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY OF MAJOR METROPOLITAN CITY WHEN SMOKE FROM ENGINE BROUGHT VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC TO STANDSTILL. TWO FIRE TRUCKS AND POLICE RESPONDED. OIL FOUND SPRAYED ON HIGHWAY AND THROUGHOUT ENGINE COMPARTMENT, WITH TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE OIL. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR DIAGNOSIS. PER DEALERSHIP REPORT, OIL LEAK FOUND EMANATING FROM A LARGE GAPING HOLE ON BOTTOM OF ENGINE BLOCK (V6) WHERE IT APPEARS CYLINDER ROD #5 DISCONNECTED AND WENT THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE BLOCK AND RUPTURED THE OIL FILTER, RELEASING ALL ENGINE OIL CONTENT. ENGINE CONSIDERED BLOWN BY DEALERSHIP AND GIVEN OUT OF WARRANTY, AN $8500 ENGINE REPLACEMENT IS REQUIRED AT THE TOTAL EXPENSE OF THE OWNER GIVEN THE VEHICLE IS BEYOND THE 36,000 MILE ENGINE WARRANTY PERIOD, AND THEREFORE MAZDA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE. DRIVER EXPERIENCED MAJOR TRAUMA, SMOKE INHALATION IN COMPARTMENT, AND TRAFFIC BACKED UP ON INTERSTATE CAUSING MAJOR DELAYS OF PEOPLE TO THE LOCAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. MAZDA UNRESPONSIVE FOR ISSUE AND REPAIR. VEHICLE ENGINE WAS EXTENSIVELY TESTED BY THE STATE'S DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES IN MAY 2012 FOR MANDATORY EMISSION TESTING, AND PASSED ALL TESTING STANDARDS, AND DOCUMENTED. OWNER WILL NOW JUNK VEHICLE THAT WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION GIVEN EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AND AT TOTAL LOSS TO THE OWNER. *TR