NHTSA Complaint #10490900 — 2010 MAZDA CX-7

2010 CX7 GRAND TOURING WAS PURCHASED WITH 5,844 MILES FROM DEALER. WE CHANGED THE OIL & FILTER EVERY 6,000 MILES USING RECOMMENDED OIL AS SHOWN IN THE OWNERS MANUAL (5W20). MANUAL RECOMMENDATION IS TO CHANGE OIL EVERY 7,500 MILES WITH NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS WHICH IS THE CASE AS MY WIFE DROVE TO AND FROM WORK. AT 37,000 MILES, VEHICLE WAS STARTED IN 20DEG F. TEMPS, WARMED UP FOR AND EXPERIENCED LOUD ENGINE KNOCK. ONCE DRIVEN, VEHICLE HAD NO POWER AND HAD TROUBLES GETTING TO HWY SPEED. DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED IT THE NEXT DAY AND WAS INFORMED THE ENGINE HAD EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL SLUDGE UNDER THE OIL FILLER CAP. SERVICE DEPT. CALLED ME THE NEXT DAY AND SAID THEY WOULD NEED TO PULL THE VALVE COVER TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER TO SEE IF MAZDA NATIONAL WOULD COVER UNDER WARRANTY. WE AGREED SINCE WE PROPERLY MAINTAINED THE VEHICLE AND HAD NOTHING TO HIDE. TWO DAYS LATER WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALER AND WERE INFORMED THERE WAS EXCESSIVE SLUDGE AND THEY WOULD NEED TO SEE RECEIPTS FROM WHERE WE CHANGED OUR OIL. WE PERFORMED OUR OWN OIL CHANGES AND DID NOT KEEP RECEIPTS FROM THE AUTO PARTS STORE WHERE WE PURCHASED THE OIL. DEALER SAID WITHOUT THE RECEIPTS WE WOULD NOT GET WARRANTY WORK DONE AND CHARGED US $260 TO DO THE INVESTIGATION TO BETTER THEIR CASE. I CALLED NATIONAL MAZDA AND ALL THEY DID WAS READ THE NOTES FROM THE DEALER AND WERE NOT WILLING TO BUDGE. THE REP FROM MAZDA ([XXX]) WAS EXTREMELY RUDE AND COULD CARE LESS WE WERE EXPERIENCING MAJOR ISSUES WITH A CAR WITHIN THE WARRANTY. THERE ARE NUMEROUS CLAIMS SIMILAR TO OURS ALL OVER THE INTERNET. IT APPEARS MAZDA HAS THEIR STANDARD "EXCESSIVE ENGINE SLUDGE" PITCH DOWN AS THIS IS THE COMMON THEME IN ALL CX7 ENGINE PROBLEMS. WE HAD THE ENGINE REBUILT AT A LOCAL SHOP (PAID $6,100) AND NOW ARE TOLD THE TURBO IS SHOT AS WELL WHICH IS ESTIMATED AT ANOTHER $2,000 TO REPLACE. *TR