NHTSA Complaint #10808038 — 2012 MAZDA CX-9

WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 90 WEST IN MASSACHUSETTS, 5 MILES FROM ROUTE 84, OUR AWD CX-9 STARTED MAKING A VERY LOUD WHINING NOISE. WITHIN 10 SECONDS, THE CAR STARTED BUCKING, MAKING A GRINDING NOISE AND THE STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD; I COULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE BECAUSE OF THE CAR'S CONDITION. ONCE THE CAR STOPPED, WE SMELLED BURNING FLUID AND SOME SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE VENTS INSIDE THE CAR. THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE ON ITS OWN, THE WHEELS SEEMED LOCKED AND THE GRINDING NOISE WAS EXTREMELY LOUD WHEN IN DRIVE OR NEUTRAL. I HAD TO CALL 911. THE MASS STATE HIGHWAY PATROL ARRIVED AND HAD TO PUSH US OVER TO THE BREAKDOWN LANE WHILE THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE THE MASS STATE POLICE HALTED ALL TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY FOR THIS TO OCCUR. WE SAT IN THE BREAKDOWN LANE FOR AN HOUR WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. THIS ENTIRE SITUATION WAS VERY DANGEROUS. I HAD A TODDLER IN THE CAR WITH US. THE HIGHWAY WAS ONLY MOVING AROUND 35-40 MILES AN HOUR AND SLOWING AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE MASS STATE HIGHWAY PATROL AND TOW TRUCK DRIVER STATED THAT THE CAR MAY HAVE SPUN OUT OR FLIPPED IF THE HIGHWAY WAS MOVING AT SPEED DUE TO SUCH A CATASTROPHIC STEERING FAILURE. THE CX-9 HAD STARTED MAKING A OCCASIONAL QUIET WHINING SOUND IN THE DAYS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, ON OUR DRIVE FROM VIRGINIA TO MASS . THERE WAS NO OTHER WARNING, NO WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH AT ALL. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE CLOSEST MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AN INTERNAL FAILURE IN THE TRANSFER CASE. THE REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER OUR POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, AS THE CAR ONLY HAD 28,764 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND IS 3 YEARS OLD.THE MAZDA DEALER SAID THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS TRANSFER CASE FAILURES IN AWD CX-9S. I WANT TO SEE THIS PART RECALLED BECAUSE THIS FAILURE CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR MY FAMILY.