NHTSA Complaint #10616673 — 2014 MAZDA MAZDA3

MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON THE LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY WITH 2 PASSENGERS IN THE CAR. SHE WAS DRIVING AROUND 60 MPH WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BY ITSELF. IN A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS THE CAR WENT FROM 60 MPH TO OVER 120 MPH. SHE TRIED PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS SHE COULD BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND. SHE HAD TO *JSDODGE ABOUT 7 CARS AS SHE TRIED TO GET THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN. SHE THEN PULLED THE EMERGENCY BREAK BUT THE CAR WAS MOVING SO FAST THAT IT BARELY SLOWED THE CAR DOWN. SHE GOT HER CAR TO THE SIDE (LAST LANE) OF THE HIGHWAY AND DECIDED TO PRESS THE PUSH TO START BUTTON AND THE CAR FINALLY CAME TO A HALT. THERE WAS NOT TOO MUCH TRAFFIC SO SHE WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE THE CARS SUDDEN ACCELERATION WITHOUT GETTING HURT OR DAMAGING THE CAR. A WITNESS ON THE HIGHWAY SAW MY MOTHERS CAR SPEEDING OUT OF CONTROL AND CALLED THE POLICE. THE POLICE CAME AND FILLED OUT A POLICE REPORT AND LEFT. WE GOT THE CAR TOWED TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND LEFT IT THERE OVERNIGHT SO THEY COULD FIGURE OUT THE ISSUES AS THERE WAS CLEARLY A DEFECT WITH THE CAR. THEY CALLED US BACK SAYING THAT EVERYTHING WAS CHECKING OUT NORMAL ON THE CAR AND THEY DECIDED TO HAVE THE CAR TECHNICIAN DRIVE THE CAR HOME AND BACK TO WORK THE NEXT TIME IN AN ATTEMPT TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. THEY CALLED US THE NEXT DAY SAYING THEY DROVE THE CAR 58 MILES AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE AND TOLD US THAT WE HAD TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE. THEY SAID THAT MY FAMILY FEELING SAFE IN THE MAZDA VEHICLE WAS THEIR PRIORITY BUT THAT WAS CLEARLY NOT THE CASE. THEY REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IF THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN AND WE GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT AND ALSO REFUSED TO PROVIDE US WITH A LOANER CAR OR A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE OR PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN TRADING IN THE CAR FOR A NEW ONE. THEY SAID THEY HAD DONE ALL THEY COULD AND UNTIL THIS HAPPENED AGAIN THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ASSIST US. MY MOM COULD'VE DIED IN THAT CAR. *JS