2007 Mazda Mazda3 Brakes Problems

After a hard brake event to avoid a crash, brake pedal is soft and loses pressure. Identical to many, many Ford and Mitsubishi reports on models that use the same ABS equipment. ABS valves probably leaking internally. Dealer refuses to remedy and insists brakes are fine - they are not, significantly worse since hard brake incident. OEM ABS part no longer available (I wonder why?) so the only repair option is a used part that is probably also defective in manufacture.

THE CAR IDLES VERY HIGH WHICH PREVENTS IT FROM SHIFTING INTO GEAR MOST OF THE TIME. THE IDLE AND RPMS WILL ALSO ACCELERATE WHEN NO ONE IS TOUCHING THE GAS WHILE DRIVING MAKING THE CAR SPEED UP WHEN YOU ARE NOT SPEEDING UP. WHEN THESE ISSUES ARE HAPPENING THE CAR ALSO SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING IT (WHILE IT IS STILL ON AND BEING DRIVEN DOWN THE ROAD) OR SOMETIMES WILL REV UP WHEN YOU PUSH ON THE BREAK CAUSING IT TO LAUNCH FORWARD. MY CAR HAS ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS BECAUSE IT DIED WHILE DRIVING IT ON THE FREEWAY AND THE STARRING WHEEL LOCKED AND COULD NOT BE TURNED TO DRIVE ME OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT HAS ALSO LAUNCHED FORWARD WHILE BRAKING CAUSING ME TO ALMOST HIT CARS IN FRONT OF ME.

I BELIEVE THIS ISSUE MAY BE THE SAME AS INVESTIGATION PE 16-017. THAT MENTIONS ONLY FORD/MERCURY CARS, BUT I THINK THEY SHARE SOME COMPONENTS WITH MAZDA3'S OF THE SAME YEARS. AFTER AN INCIDENT WHERE ABS ENGAGED WHILE BRAKING ON A SLIPPERY CITY STREET, THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME VERY "MUSHY" AND NOW THE BRAKES TAKE A WORRYINGLY LARGE AMOUNT OF TRAVEL (ALMOST TO THE FLOOR) TO SLOW THE CAR IN REGULAR DRIVING.

THE ABS SYSTEM IS BROKEN. *TR

EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE FAILURE I PARKED MY CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY AT MY MOTHER'S HOUSE AT THE TOP OF THE DRIVEWAY, WHICH IS RELATIVELY FLAT AND ONLY A VERY SLIGHT INCLINE. THERE IS A PORTION OF DRIVEWAY BETWEEN THE SIDEWALK AND THE HOUSE LEVEL WHICH IS STEEPER; HOWEVER MY CAR WAS PARKED ABOVE THAT AREA AND ON THE FLAT PORTION. THE CAR IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND I HAD SET THE CAR TO NEUTRAL WITH THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE ON. ABOUT 20 MINUTES AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED, IT ROLLED BACKWARDS- DOWN THE DRIVEWAY, OUT INTO THE STREET AND HITTING 2-3 TRASH CANS, AND ENDED UP JUMPING THE CURB ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE STREET. THE REAR LEFT TIRE WAS UP ON THE CURB AND THE MAZDA 3 COLLIDED WITH THE REAR RIGHT CORNER OF ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE. I WITNESSED THE INCIDENT FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE AND THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER WITNESSES. WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE MAZDA 3 AFTER IT HAD COME TO A STOP ON THE OPPOSITE CURB, WE SAW FROM THE OUTSIDE THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS INDEED ENGAGED. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON VEHICLE USE: I ALWAYS FULLY ENGAGE THE BRAKES BEFORE PARKING AND SETTING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. WHEN PARKING ON ANY OBVIOUSLY SLOPED SURFACE, I ALWAYS PUT THE CAR INTO GEAR (INTO 1ST WHEN SLOPED UPWARDS, AND INTO REVERSE WHEN SLOPED DOWNWARDS) AND SET THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AS WELL AS TURN THE WHEELS TOWARD THE CURB WHEN PARALLEL-PARKED. I HAVE KEPT UP WITH NORMAL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND HAVE READ THROUGH THE OWNER'S MANUAL WHICH DOES NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT WHEN TO INSPECT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE'S EFFECTIVENESS. I HAD THE ISSUE INSPECTED BY THE MAZDA DEALER 2/7/11 AND THEY SAID THEY "COULD NOT DUPLICATE MY ISSUE", ALSO THAT EVERYTHING WAS IN PROPER WORKING ORDER. ALL THEY COULD DO WAS ADJUST MY PARKING BRAKE (WHICH DOES FEEL TIGHTER NOW). I ASKED IF THERE IS ANYTHING I SHOULD DO DIFFERENTLY WHEN I PARK. THEY ANSWERED THAT I HAVE BEEN USING THE CORRECT PARKING PROCEDURES.

MAZDA 3 BRAKES AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED AT 18,000. MECHANIC SAYS THE PADS WERE WORN THIN AND THE ROTORS WARPED. HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANY THING LINK THIS FOR A NEW LOW MILEAGE CAR. REPLACED THEM ON THE SPOT OUT OF FEAR FOR SAFETY. MAZDA NEEDS TO OWN UP TO WARPED ROTOR ISSUE AND NOT BLAME IT ON DRIVING AND BRAKING. ISN'T A CAR SUPPOSE TO DRIVE AND BRAKE WHEN NECESSARY? ANY COMMENT FROM MAZDA ON RECALL WOULD HELP ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT BUYING THIS MODEL. *TR

1. NORMAL EVERYDAY DRIVING, CURRENT MILEAGE JUST UNDER 16,700. 2. OCCURS WHEN DRIVING THE CAR ABOVE 40 MPH AND THEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE CAR SHIMMYS HARD (STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND SO DOES BRAKING FOOT AS IT IS APPLYING BRAKES) 3. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER SERVICE CENTER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY AS THE CAR HAS MORE THAN 12,000 MILES. DEALER INDICATED THAT THE FRONT ROTORS ARE WARPED AND NEED TO BE REPAIRED FOR $189. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MAZDA WITH MANY ROTORS WARPING WELL UNDER THE 12,000 MILE THRESHOLD ON THE WARRANTY. I HAVE OWNED MANY CARS AND THIS IS THE ONLY CAR THAT I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED "WARPED ROTORS". *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MAZDA 3. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS FOR THE IDENTICAL FAILURE. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO WARPED BRAKE ROTORS WHICH WERE RESURFACED TWICE AT THE DEALERS EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON A THIRD OCCASION WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE BRAKE ROTORS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT AND COULD NOT BE RESURFACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY ADVISED THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL DEFECT RELATED TO THE PROBLEM AND THE DEFECT WAS NOT UNDER THE SERVICE WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

IN MARCH 2008, MY VEHICLE HAD WARNING LIGHTS TURN ON FOR BOTH THE SEAT BELT AND ABS SYSTEM. THE DEALER CLEARED THE CODE AND CHECKED THE SYSTEM FOR ERRORS. NO CODES RE-OCCURRED AND THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME. SUBSEQUENTLY IN DECEMBER 2008, THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. THE DEALER ADJUSTED SOME WIRING AND CLEARED THE LIGHT/CODE. NOW IN SEPTEMBER 2011, THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AGAIN. *TR

THIS CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACIDENT, AND HAS BEEN VERY WELL MAINTAINED. THE CAR, A MAZDA 3 HATCHBACK GRAND TOURING HAS AN ONGOING BRAKE DEFECT. THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS BECAME WARPED AROUND 17,000 MILES. I "PAID" $300.00 TO HAVE THE ROTORS TURNED AND PURCHASED NEW BRAKE PADS AND HAD THEM INSTALLED. ACCORDING TO MAZDA IT WAS MY FAULT DUE TO "HEAVY BRAKING" AND THERE IS NO WAY MAZDA BRAKE ROTORS ARE FAULTY, AND IT IS NOT A WARRANTIED ITEM. THREE MONTHS AND 7,000 MILES LATER THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS ARE WARPED AGAIN AND HAVE BECOME A BLUEISH-BLACK DUE TO EXTREMLEY HIGH TEMPERATURES, THE REAR DISCS HAVE THE SAME DISCORLOATION DUE TO EXTREME HIGH TEMPS AND ALSO NEED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF HEAVY BREAKING EXCEPT THE DISCOLORATION. THE NEW PADS I HAD INSTALLED AT 17,000 MILES STILL LOOKED NEW, THIS ILLUSTRATES I AM" NOT" A "HEAVY BREAKER" AND THERE IS A DEFECT. THIS TIME MAZDA DID NOT PUT THE BLAME ON ME FOR "HEAVY BREAKING" NOR DID THEY TAKE RESPONSBILITY. MAZDA SAID IF I WERE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE BRAKES WOULD JUST "LOCK UP" DURING BRAKING THEY'D CONSIDER IT A FAULTY PART AND REPLACE IT. APPARENTLY I MUST BE PUT IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, LIFE THREATENING SITUATION BEFORE MAZDA WILL REPLACE ANY PARTS. AFTER MAZDA TOLD ME THIS I'VE BECOME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE IDEA OF DRIVING THIS CAR AND I'M AFRAID THE BRAKES COULD LOCK UP ON ME AT ANYTIME OR JUST QUIT WORKING. MAZDA ALSO TOLD ME "THIS IS NOT A WARRANTIED ITEM" AND IF I HAVE ANY PROBLEMS I NEED TO TAKE IT UP WITH THE "CORPORATE OFFICE" AND GAVE ME THE NUMBER. I HAVENT CALLED THE CORPORATE OFFICE YET I'M PRETTY SURE THEY'LL BLAME ME AND TELL ME ALOT CRAP I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU THE NHTSA DEAL WITH THEESE PROBLEMS, PLEASE KEEP ME INFORMED OF ANY PROGRESS MADE. *TR

I HAVE SUSTAINED A PAINFUL ERGONOMIC INJURY TO MY RIGHT ACHILLES TENDON FROM THE POOR DESIGN OF THE ACCELERATOR/BRAKE AREA AND THE LIMITED SEAT ADJUSTMENT IN THIS CAR (2007 MAZDA SPEED 3). I HAVE TO ICE MY ANKLE EVERY NIGHT. WHEN DRIVING IT IS PAINFUL AND CAN BECOME NUMB, REDUCING MY ABILITY TO DO EMERGENCY BRAKING. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS WILL LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. THE ISSUE STARTED IN EARLY JANUARY WITH LESS THAN 100 MILES ON THE CAR - NOW I HAVE 1300 ON THE CAR AND EXPERIENCE THIS EVERY DAY I DRIVE THE VEHICLE. *NM