NHTSA Complaint #10653100 — 2007 MAZDA CX-7

MAZDA CX-7, 2007 - FOUR DAYS AND 7,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY. DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT SUDDENLY AND THE CAR DIED. THE VIN NUMBER ON THE CAR IS IN THE RANGE OF NUMBERS FROM 2007 THAT HAVE REPORTED THE SAME AND SIMILAR DEFECTS MANY TIMES FROM OTHER CAR OWNERS. THE VVT ACTUATOR FAILED AND WAS REPLACED BY DEALER PENKHUS MAZDA UNDER WARRANTY IN 2009, BUT THE CHAIN WAS NOT REPLACED. RESEARCH INTO MAZDA SERVICE BULLETINS SB-10044209-4285 AND 01-012-12 INDICATE THAT THE TIMING CHAIN SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT THE TIME SINCE THE VIN NUMBER INDICATES THE VEHICLE WAS PRODUCED PRIOR TO A MAZDA TIMING CHAIN MODIFICATION DATE OF MAY 1, 2009 (VIN #'S BELOW JM3ER...300119). MY VEHICLE FALLS INTO THIS GROUP. MAZDA ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 7 YEARS, 70,000 MILES FOR THIS FAULTY TIMING CHAIN IN JANUARY 2012 BUT IS NOW REFUSING TO HONOR ANY WARRANTY ON THE PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE TIMING CHAIN. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO NEAREST SHOP AT THE TIME, +/-50 MI. SHOP SAID TIMING CHAIN WAS BROKEN AND A NEW ENGINE PROBABLY NEEDED. ESTIMATED COST $8,000. I PHONED NEAREST DEALERS IN DENVER AND COLORADO SPRINGS TO DISCUSS WITH SERVICE DEPARTMENTS. THEY ADVISED IF IT WAS TIMING CHAIN FAILURE IT COULD EASILY BE A NEW ENGINE AT $8 - 10,000. MY HOME IS BETWEEN 175 AND 225 MILES FROM THE NEAREST DEALER. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL SHOP WHO ADVISED ME TO CONTACT KRACL AUTOMOTIVE IN GLENWOOD SPRINGS. KRACL SAID THEY WOULD DEFINITELY LOOK AT IT, DETERMINE CAUSE OF FAILURE AND ATTEMPT TO REPAIR PRIOR TO RECOMMENDING TOTAL ENGINE REPLACEMENT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED ANOTHER 100 MILES TO GLENWOOD SPRINGS, 22 MILES FROM MY HOME, AND THE CLOSEST CAPABLE REPAIR SHOP. KRACL ADVISED ME THE TIMING CHAIN HAD BROKEN AND TWO VALVES WERE DAMAGED BUT NOT THE CYLINDER HEAD. REPAIR ESTIMATED AT +/- $4,000. REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED WITH SPECIAL ORDER MAZDA PARTS COST OF $3,851.21. *TR