NHTSA Complaint #10968398 — 2008 MAZDA CX-9

THE POWER TRANSFER UNIT (PTU), AKA TRANSFER CASE ON MY 2008 CX-9 BROKE, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED A PERFECTLY GOOD TRANSMISSION. THE PTU IS POORLY DESIGNED AND IMPROPERLY FITTED TO THE CX-9 AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF CASES OF THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM IN ANY MAZDA USER FORUM. MY MAZDA IS ONLY USED FOR COMMUTING AND COMMON STREET USE. I NOTICED A TOXIC SMELL OF BURNING TRANSFER CASE OIL ON THE EXHAUST, WHICH FILLED THE CABIN. THE REAR WHEELS WOULD NO LONGER DRIVE THE CAR. MAZDA HAS NOT RECALLED THIS PART, AND EVEN WORSE THEY HAVE USED IT IN ALL AWD CX-9 MODELS FROM 2007-2009. IT IS SIMPLY NOT DESIGNED TO HANDLE THE WEIGHT AND POWER OF THIS VEHICLE, AND IS "SEALED" FROM THE FACTORY WITH "LIFETIME OIL" THAT BREAKS DOWN OVER TIME. MAZDA USA HAS EXTENDED THE WARRANTY OF THIS PART, NOTED IN THE SSP92 WARRANTY EXTENSION. BUT MY CAR, WHICH I'VE OWNED AND SERVICED REGULARLY AT MAZDA DEALERS, HAS 120,000 MILES AND MAZDA REFUSED TO OFFER ANY PARTIAL ASSISTANCE TO REPLACE MINE, OR REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION THAT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED. THIS IS A PROBLEM WORTHY OF A RECALL OR CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT. IT CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE REAR WHEELS NO LONGER RECEIVE DRIVE, OIL FROM THE FAILED PTU LEAKS DIRECTLY ON EXHAUST CAUSING NOXIOUS FUMES IN THE CABIN, AND AT WORST CAN LOCK-UP REAR WHEELS IF THE SYSTEM WERE TO SEIZE. MY REPAIR FROM A MAZDA DEALER TOTALED MORE THAN $3,600 WHICH IS MORE THAN 1/3 THE VALUE OF THE CAR.