NHTSA Complaint #10492401 — 2007 MAZDA CX-7

IN NOVEMBER OF 2012 MY FAMILY WAS DRIVING HOME FROM SEATTLE, WA TO SAN DIEGO, CA. WHEN WE WERE DRIVING WE SMELLED BURNING RUBBER SO PULLED OVER TO SEE IF WE COULD SEE SOMETHING WRONG UNDER THE HOOD. SINCE IT WAS 10PM AND DARK OUTSIDE WE COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING AND DECIDED TO FIND THE NEAREST HOTEL TO STAY AT UNTIL WE COULD TAKE IT TO A SHOP. AFTER WE STARTED DRIVING WE SAW THERE WAS A FREEWAY EXIT 1/2 A MILE AWAY SO MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING REALLY SLOW(ABOUT 35MPH) HOPING WE COULD MAKE IT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS A HUGE JERKING MOTION THAT FELT LIKE WE RAN INTO SOMETHING EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T. WE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY AND GOT A TOW TRUCK. IT ENDED UP BEING THE AC COMPRESSOR AND SERPENTINE BELT THAT NEEDED REPLACED, ALTHOUGH MAZDA WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AS THEY STATED IN THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT IT HAD "DEFECT IN WORKMANSHIP OR MATERIALS," THE WARRANTY WAS ONLY EXTENDED TO 5 YEARS OR 60,000 MILES. MY MAZDA WAS 6 YEARS OLD AND HAD ONLY 48,000 MILES BUT WASN'T COVERED BECAUSE IT WAS A YEAR PASSED THE WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THE MILES WERE STILL UNDER. WE ENDED UP PAYING $2,000.00 TO FIX IT AS WELL AS ANOTHER $300.00 TO STAY IN A MOTEL FOR 5 DAYS. EVER SINCE THE DAY THAT THE CAR BROKE AND HAD THE HUGE JERKING MOVEMENT, BY BACK HAS HURT EVERYDAY SINCE THEN. IT ESPECIALLY DIDN'T HELP THAT I WAS ALMOST 5 MONTHS PREGNANT AND ALTHOUGH NOTHING HAPPENED TO THE BABY, I'M HOPING THERE WAS NO PERMANENT DAMAGE TO MY BACK SINCE I'VE NEVER HAD BACK PAIN OR PROBLEMS SINCE BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. I DIDN'T KNOW WHO ELSE TO CONTACT ABOUT THIS BUT I THINK THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND MAZDA NEEDS TO FIX IT BEFORE MORE PEOPLE GET HURT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THEY ALREADY KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM WHICH IS WHY THE EXTENDED THEIR WARRANTY. *TR