NHTSA Complaint #10544673 — 2011 MAZDA MAZDA3

AROUND 3000 MILES, MANUAL TRANSMISSION DEVELOPED ISSUE OF NOT GOING INTO FIRST GEAR FROM A STOP. DEALER INVESTIGATED AND SAID THAT THIS IS A QUIRK WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND CAN BE SAFELY IGNORED BY STARTING IN A HIGHER GEAR, WHICH WEARS OUT THE TRANSMISSION FASTER. AS OF THREE WEEKS AGO AT THIS POINT, TRANSMISSION DEVELOPED INTERMITTENT ISSUE WHERE IT "POPS" OUT OF SECOND GEAR OR GRINDS AND DAMAGES INTERNAL PARTS BEFORE AUTOMATICALLY MOVING TO NEUTRAL. THIS OCCURS AFTER A NORMAL SHIFT. ALSO HAS DEVELOP ISSUE WHERE IS DOES NOT PROPERLY GO INTO REVERSE, INSTEAD GOING INTO FIRST GEAR. DEALER SAYS THAT SINCE THERE ARE NO OBD2 COMPUTER CODES COMING UP, THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED BY THE MAZDA HEAD OFFICE TO REMOVE THE TRANSMISSION AND PHYSICALLY LOOK AT IT. CURRENTLY I AM VERY HESITANT TO DRIVE THE CAR AT ALL DUE TO THE FACT THE I DRIVE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHILE COMMUTING 50 MILES A DAY. I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT MY TRANSMISSION WILL PROPERLY FUNCTION AT HIGHWAY, LOCAL TRAFFIC, OR RESIDENTIAL SPEEDS. I HAVE BARELY AVOIDED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS UNTIL THE REVERSE GEAR ISSUE BECAME CONSISTENT. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AND THESE ISSUES HAVE ONLY APPEARED AS THIS CURRENT CAR HAS AGED VERY POORLY. THE DRIVE TRAIN HAS SHREDDED 50,000 MILE TIRES IN LESS THAN 25,000 MILES. I FEAR WHAT DAMAGE WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE OCCURRING WITH WAY TOO MUCH FREQUENCY AMONG THE 2011 MAZDA3'S WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AS PER THE OTHER POSTS. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP IN HAVING MAZDA PROPERLY INVESTIGATE AND RESOLVE THIS ISSUE TO PREVENT FURTHER TRAGEDY FROM THE VERY HIGH POTENTIAL FOR A LOSS OF LIFE OR BODILY FUNCTION INCIDENT. *TR