NHTSA Complaint #11018745 — 2003 MAZDA MAZDA6

2003 MAZDA6 MODEL CARS WERE BUILT WITH FAULTY THROTTLE BODIES. UNAWARE OF THIS, I BOUGHT ONE OF THESE VEHICLES AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH IT. WHEN DRIVING VERY SLOWLY, UNDER 15 MPH, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY THROTTLE, ACCELERATING IT IN BURSTS EVEN WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THAT ISSUE IS PROBLEMATIC BUT RELATIVELY MINOR; HOWEVER, THERE IS A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS ISSUE THE FAULTY THROTTLE BODY CREATES. WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE FAULTY THROTTLE BODY CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO CUT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR KIDS IN THE CAR THE FIRST TIME WE HAD THE ENGINE CUT OUT WHILE DRIVING (SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR). LUCKILY, SHE WAS DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA AT 25 MPH. THE ENGINE HAS CUT OUT ON ME WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON THE FREEWAY. I WAS FORCED TO COAST THROUGH FREEWAY TRAFFIC TO THE SHOULDER IN ORDER TO STOP THE CAR AND RESTART THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE HAS CUT OUT, WITHOUT WARNING, AT SEVERAL SPEEDS. THERE IS NO RHYME TO WHEN IT WILL CUT OUT AND NO INDICATION IT'S GOING TO CUT OUT AHEAD OF TIME. I SPENT OVER $500 TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH MECHANICS UNSURE WHAT WAS WRONG. THEN A MECHANIC HAPPENED TO HAVE AN OLD SERVICE BULLETIN (SB), DATED 5/18/2006, FROM MAZDA THAT STATED THROTTLE BODIES WITH THE MARKINGS AA, AB, OR BA AT THE END OF THEIR SERIAL NUMBERS (AS IS THE CASE WITH THE ONE IN MY CAR) ARE "NO GOOD". BECAUSE THE PART IS LABELED "NO GOOD" UNDER MAZDA LETTERHEAD, I FIGURED THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A RECALL ISSUED BEFORE I OWNED THE CAR THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER SOMEHOW MISSED. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS ASSURED NO RECALL HAS EVER BEEN ISSUED ON THE PART AND IN ORDER TO REPLACE IT, THE COST WILL BE OVER $1,000. A RECALL MUST BE MADE ON THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND FAULTY, BY MAZDA'S OWN ADMISSION, PART BEFORE UNSUSPECTING PEOPLE ARE INJURED OR KILLED, IF THAT HASN'T HAPPENED ALREADY.