NHTSA Complaint #10938477 — 2008 MAZDA CX-9

VEHICLE IS AWD. IN MAY 2016, TCS & ABS DASH LIGHTS CAME ON AS WELL AS THE DEPICTION OF A VEHICLE SKIDDING. BROUGHT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC WHO SAID HE WAS GETTING FAULT CODES BUT COULD NOT DIAGNOSE. SUGGESTED WE GO TO THE DEALER. WENT TO LOCAL MAZDA DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT BOTH THE TRANSFER CASE AND TRANSMISSION GEARS WERE STRIPPED, THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOW OPERATING IN 2 WHEEL DRIVE AND THAT THE ABS WAS NOT FUNCTIONING BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES. DEALER QUOTED $8,136 TO FIX. WE ASSUMED THERE MUST BE SOME RECALL ON THIS ISSUE BUT COULD NOT FIND ONE. WE THEN BROUGHT TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION EXPERT WHO OPENED IT UP AND DESCRIBED SAME PROBLEM. STRIPPED GEARS ON BOTH TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFER CASE. HE CALLED DEALERSHIP PARTS DEPT. AND SAID THEY HAD SEVERAL OF THE MAJOR PARTS HE NEEDED TO REPAIR. HE THOUGHT WAS A SIGN THAT DEALER WAS SEEING MANY OF THESE SAME PROBLEMS AS THESE WERE NOT PARTS A DEALER WOULD TYPICALLY STOCK. I DISCOVERED MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON LINE. SOME NOTED MAZDA RECALLED 2010 AND NEWER FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. ALSO SAID IT MAY BE A ONBOARD COMPUTER ISSUE THAT CAUSED THE RAPID WEAR OF THE TRANSFER CASE AND TRANSMISSION. VERY CONCERNED THAT MAZDA IS PUTTING THIS ON THE CONSUMER WHEN IT SEEMS VERY LIKELY TO BE SOME DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING DEFECT.