NHTSA Complaint #10967392 — 2010 MAZDA MAZDA3

DRIVERS SEAT BROKE FROM FRAME RAILS. FIRST THE PLASTIC PUSH PIN SCEWS THAT ATTACHES POWER SEAT TO HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT RAILS SNAPPED, COLLAPSING ONE SIDE OF DRIVERS SEAT. THEN THE FRAME RAIL ON THAT SIDE SNAPPED INTO PIECES. WHEN TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I STARTED FORWARD AND SEAT COLLAPSED ON MY LEFT SIDE, THEN I HEARD A POP AND SEAT FLIPPED BACK, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO CRASH. WHEN I TOOK CAR TO MAZDA SERVICE, THE TECHS SHOWED ME DOZENS OF MAZDA CARS IN SERVICE BAYS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THIS GOES BACK TO 2002. MAZDA JAPAN STATES: WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM, BUT MAZDA SEATS ARE NOT MADE FOR LARGE AMERICAN BODIES, BUT FOR THE AVERAGE SMALLER, LIGHTER AND DELICATE JAPANESE PERSON. IN FEB,2017, MAZDA ISSUED A RECALL ON SOME CARS FOR THE SEAT FRAME COLLAPSING, BUT MY CAR AND MOST OTHER MAZDA CARS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL. PLEASE CHECK OUT ANY MAZDA SERVICE DEPT. AND ASK FOR RECORDS OF SNAPPED FRONT SEAT FRAMES AND SEAT FRAME SCREWS POPPING OUT , COLLAPSING THE SEATS. PLEASE REQUIRE MAZDA WELD IN NEW FRAME RAILS AND INSTALL CORRECT NUMBER OF SEAT ATTACHMENT SCREWS, AND OR REPLACE SEATS ASSEMBLIES WITH ONES THAT DON'T BREAK FROM NORMAL USAGE. WITHOUT A RECALL MAZDA CHARGES OVER $1100 TO REPLACE POWER SEAT FRAME, WITH NO GUARANTEE THE REPLACEMENT FRAME WONT BREAK WHEN YOU SEAT IN CAR THE FIRST TIME BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MAZDA BUILDS THE SEAT FRAMES! THAT'S TRAGIC.