NHTSA Complaint #10649295 — 2013 MAZDA MAZDA3

MY WIFE AND I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW MAZDA 3 I-TOURING EDITION IN 2013. ON APPROXIMATELY 10/10/2014 SHE PICKED UP OUR 10 YEAR OLD BOY AND WHEN HE TRIED TO BUCKLE THE SEATBELT IT DID NOT WORK. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS MY WIFE THEN GOT IN THE PASSENGERS SIDE TO SEE IF SHE COULD GET IT BUCKLED. SHE COULD NOT. AT THIS POINT SHE ALSO NOTICED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG HAD DISENGAGED, EVEN WITH HER IN THE FRONT SEAT. BEING WELL OVER THE MINIMUM WEIGHT TO ACTIVATE WE KNEW THIS WAS NOT THE PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG. UPON RESEARCHING THE INTERNET IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THERE ARE MANY CASES OF OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ALL OF WHICH WERE TURNED DOWN BY MAZDA FOR ANY KIND OF REMEDY. I SPOKE WITH [XXX], A SERVICE ADVISOR FOR NELSON MAZDA IN TULSA, OK, AND WHEN ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THEY COULD DO WITH OUT CHARGING ME BECAUSE OF THE SEVERITY OF THE SAFETY ISSUES THIS PROBLEM CAUSES HE BASICALLY JUST SAID NO. I DID BUY THE CAR AT ANOTHER DEALER BUT LIVE TOO FAR AWAY TO SET UP ANYTHING WITH THEM. I THOUGHT MAYBE ONE MAZDA DEALER WOULD STAND UP FOR ANOTHER JUST TO MAKE A GOOD SHOWING FOR THE MAZDA NAME. I GUESS I WAS WRONG. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR