NHTSA Complaint #11098712 — 2017 MAZDA MAZDA3

WHEN STARTING THE CAR SMART CITY BRAKE AMBER WARNING LIGHT AND SMART CITY AMBER FAULT LIGHT WILL SOMETIMES APPEAR ON THE DASH AFTER CAR SITS IN HOT SUN AND REMAIN ON AFTER CAR IS STARTED AND IS BEING DRIVEN. THE WARNING LIGHTS MAY OR MAY NOT DISAPPEAR WHILE THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN. THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURRED WAS SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR MAY 25, 2017. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED AND AFTER INVESTIGATING REPLACED THE FORWARD SENSING CAMERA (FSC) AND PERFORMED A DYNAMIC AIMING PROCEDURE SYSTEM OPERATION. NO FURTHER SIMILAR PROBLEM WAS ENCOUNTERED UNTIL MAY, 2018. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS AGAIN NOTIFIED OF THE REPEAT PROBLEM. AFTER AGAIN INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME "....THE FSC CANNOT OPERATE NORMALLY DUE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES, THE SYSTEM FUNCTIONS RELATED TO THE FSC ARE TEMPORARILY STOPPED AND THE WARNING LIGHTS ARE DISPLAYED. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT A INDICATE A MALFUNCTION." TSB15-006/17 (NHTSA ID:101234390) WAS CITED. ADDITIONAL WRITTEN INFORMATION FROM MAZDA WAS ALSO SUPPLIED BY THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHICH STATED "THE WARNING LIGHTS WILL TURN OFF WHEN THE FSC COOLS DOWN BY TURNING ON THE AIR CONDITIONER OR PARKING IN THE SHADE" ALL OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION INDICATES THE SYSTEM FUNCTIONS RELATED TO THE FSC ARE TEMPORARILY STOPPED BUT THERE IS NO MALFUNCTION AND THE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE COOLED DOWN. THIS MAYBE TRUE BUT IS IT ALWAYS TRUE OR IS IT A SAFETY HAZARD MALFUNCTION DUE TO FAILURE OF THE FSC FOR A REASON OTHER THAN A HEAT. COPIES OF THE REPAIR INVOICES CAN BE MAILED TO YOU IF NEEDED.