NHTSA Complaint #759862 — 2000 MAZDA MPV

ON 3/9/02, LEFT HOME TO HEAD FOR BANK. ABOUT 2 MINUTES/3 STREETS DOWN, CAR WAS SMOKING AND BLACKISH OIL WAS GUSHING FROM ALL AROUND HOOD AREA. CAR BROKE DOWN AND COULD NOT RE-START.FIRE/SHERIFF DEPT CAME AND CAR WAS TOWED TO OAK TREE MAZDA WHERE CAR WAS SERVICED ON 1/29/02. ON 3/11/02 PETER POTMAN OF OAK TREE MAZDA CALLED AND TOLD ME ENGINE OIL WAS MIXED WITH COOLANT DUE TO OIL PUMP FAILURE. ENGINE LOCK IS CRACKED AND HAD TO REPLACE WITH NEW ENGINE. 10 DAYS LATER ON 3/21/02. PETER CALLED AND SAID CAR WAS READY TO PICK-UP.THEY TESTED EVERTHING AND CAR WAS "WONDERFUL". I PICK UP CAR 2:30 PM AND HEADED HOME AND AT 4:00 LEFT HOME TO GO TO BANK BEFORE PICK UP DAUGHTER FROM SCHOOL. WITHIN MINUTES CAR WAS SMOKING AGAIN AND SMELL LIKE IT WAS BURNING. CALLED PETER AGAI AND HE SENT FOR THE TOW TRUCK TO TOW IT BACK TO THEM. NEXT DAY ON 3/22/02, PETER TOLD ME THEY COULD FIND NO NEW OIL LEAKAGE. SMOKING/BURNING CAME "POSSIBLY" FROM RESIDUE OIL FROM PREVIOUS (3/9/02) INCIDENT. THEY'D TRY TO DETAIL CLEAN ENGINE AGAIN TO MAKE SURE NO MORE RESIDUE OIL IS LEFT TO BURN. N 3/25/02, PETER OFFERED TO DRIVE MY CAR HOME (60 MILES ONE WAY) AND BACK THE NEXT MORNING (120 MILES ROUND TRIP) TO MAKE SURE. I SAID OK AND ON 3./26/02, PETER CALLED AND SAID HE WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH GIVING ME CAR BACK AS HE COULD SMELL BURNING OIL FROM INSIDE OF THE CAR AS THE HE WAS DRIVING. HE'D DRIVE MY CAR HOME AGAIN 3/26/02 EVENING AND WOULD LET ME KNOW TOMORROW (3/27/02). I'VE COMMUNICATED WITH MAZDA'S DAREN (X1179) SEVERAL TIMES RE MY CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY BECAUSE TWICE THE CAR BEGAN SMOKING/STEAMING WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS ON WHATSOEVER. NLM