NHTSA Complaint #702590 — 1994 MAZDA 929

MY SPOUSE WAS ON HER WAY TO WORK WHEN THE CAR ENGINE WAS ROUGH IDLING AND STALLED. NO ENGINE LIGHT OR INSTRUMENT WARNING INDICATOR CAME ON. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MAZDA SERVICE DEALER THE SAME DAY. WE CONTACTED THE SERVICE DEPT ON 01/07/99 AND LEARNED THAT THE CAR HAD A FAILURE, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN ONE OF THE SIX IGNITION WIRES. WE ALSO LEARNED THAT UNBURNED FUEL DUE TO THIS IGNITION WIRE FAILURE PASS THROUGH TO THE CATALYST CONVERTERS AND DAMAGED THE LEFT CATALYTIC CONVERTER (RUPTURED). THE ESTIMATE GIVEN TO US BY THE MAZDA DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT PARTS + LABOR WAS $1300 FOR REPLACING 3 CONVERTERS. MAZDA INDICATED THE EMISSION SYSTEM (INCLUDING THE CONVERTERS) WAS NOT COVERED BY EITHER OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY OR BY MAZDA. ALL FAILED PARTS INVOLVED WERE ORIGINAL MAZDA FOR MAZDA 929. I AND MY SPOUSE EXTREMELY CONCERN OF DRIVING THIS VEHICLE BASED ON THIS INCIDENT. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR MAZDA 929'S TO CHECK THE IGNITION WIRES AND EXHAUST SYSTEMS AT THEIR EXPENSE AT THE NEXT SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE INTERVAL. *AK