NHTSA Complaint #10945476 — 2011 MAZDA CX-9

I WAS DRIVING MY 2011 MAZDA CX-9 AND THE CAR WAS SMELLING LIKE IT WAS BURNING AND THEN IT SOUNDED LIKE A PILE OF ROCKS BEING TOSSED AROUND I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SOMETHING EXPLODED THE CAR CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP AND SMOKE CAME FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. I HAD IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THE TRANSFER CASE WENT OUT AND MESSED UP THE TRANSMISSION. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I FOUND OUT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT MAZDA HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR SOME TIME AND HAS FAILED TO NOTIFY THE CUSTOMER. THIS PROBLEM HAS APPARENTLY CAUSED VEHICLES TO CATCH FIRE WHILE DRIVING. AFTER CONTACTING MAZDA THEY SAY THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 90,000 MILES BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT HASN'T NOTIFIED THE OWNERS OF THE VEHICLE. MAZDA SAYS IT HASN'T BEEN RECALLED BECAUSE IT ISN'T A SAFETY ISSUE (WHICH I DISAGREE WITH, IT COULD CAUSE GREAT HARM OR DEATH) AND IT HASN'T BEEN REPORTED ENOUGH. MAZDA SAID THEY WOULD REPLACE THE TRANSFER CASE BUT NOT THE LABOR OR TRANSMISSION. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED SINCE APPARENTLY IT'S HAPPENING IN ALL CX-9 VEHICLES BETWEEN CERTAIN YEARS. IT'S A DEFECTIVE PART, NOTHING I DID AND I AM LEFT TO PAY TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT MAZDA KNOWS IS THEIR FAULT. MY CAR HAS BETWEEN 90,400 AND 90,500 MILES AND I SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS KIND OF MAJOR PROBLEM WITH A VEHICLE UNDER 100,000 MILES. IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING DOWN AN INTERSTATE AT 70MPH I HAVE TO WONDER IF I WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT WITH INJURY OR IF MY CAR WOULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. I BELIEVE THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. *TR