NHTSA Complaint #10660102 — 2012 MAZDA CX-9

LIKE ONE OTHER INCIDENT, MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES THE TRANSFER CASE WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THE AWD MODELS. I WAS ON A MAJOR ROADWAY WHEN I NOTICED A LOW, STRANGE NOISE. ABOUT THIS TIME I WAS PREPARING TO ENTER A TURN LANE WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHED AND MADE AN AWFUL NOISE THAT LITERALLY SOUNDED LIKE THE ENGINE FELL OUT. IT THEN FELT LIKE I RAN OVER SAID ENGINE BEFORE THE CAR CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. THANKFULLY THE LIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION HAD BEEN RED AND TRAFFIC WAS SLOWING WITH ME BECAUSE I SHUDDER AT THE THOUGHT IF TRAFFIC HAD BEEN MOVING AT THE REGULAR RATE OF SPEED. MAZDA ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE TWO GUYS IMMEDIATELY ASKED IF IT WAS AN AWD MODEL. THEY SAID THAT WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT IT, BASED ON WHAT I'D SAID HAPPENED, THEY'D BET IT WAS THE TRANSFER CASE. THANKFULLY THE TC WAS STILL UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE MAZDA IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE. WOULD HAVE SERIOUSLY BEEN NICE TO BE ALERTED TO SUCH A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DEFECT. I WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY HAD MINE REPLACED TO AVOID BEING PUT INTO THE SITUATION I WAS IN. *TR