NHTSA Complaint #11062538 — 2012 MAZDA CX-9

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN I PRESSED ON THE GAS. MY RPM'S WENT UP TO 4 AND WOULD DROP DOWN WHEN I LET OFF THE GAS. WITHIN MINUTES MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND THE CAR BASICALLY SHUT DOWN. I HAD TO TRY AND DRIFT TO THE SHOULDER IN HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC. WHEN I GOT TO THE SHOULDER THE CAR STARTED SMOKING. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MAZDA DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME MY WATER PUMP WENT AND LEAKED FLUID THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE, RESULTING IN ME NEEDING A NEW $8,000 ENGINE. THEY TOLD ME THAT MAZDA DESIGNED THE CX9 WHERE THE WATER PUMP IS IN THE ENGINE BLOCK BEHIND THE TIMING BELT AND IT IS NOT SOMETHING THEY CAN EASILY INSPECT WHEN I BRING MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE. SO WHEN A WATER PUMP GOES ON THESE MAZDA CX-9'S IT RESULTS IN THE CONSUMER NEEDING A WHOLE NEW ENGINE. THEY ALSO STATED THAT THERE ARE NO INDICATORS THAT WILL NOTIFY YOU IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WATER PUMP TO AVOID THIS FROM HAPPENING. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT MY CAR WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE TIME THIS OCCURRED WITH VEHICLES GOING AT HIGH SPEEDS. MY CAR BASICALLY SLOWED DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY AND EVENTUALLY STOPPED AND I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO BETTER ASSIST ME GETTING OUT OF THE WAY OF THE HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC.