2003 Mazda Mazda6 Engine Problems

2003 MAZDA6 MODEL CARS WERE BUILT WITH FAULTY THROTTLE BODIES. UNAWARE OF THIS, I BOUGHT ONE OF THESE VEHICLES AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH IT. WHEN DRIVING VERY SLOWLY, UNDER 15 MPH, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY THROTTLE, ACCELERATING IT IN BURSTS EVEN WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THAT ISSUE IS PROBLEMATIC BUT RELATIVELY MINOR; HOWEVER, THERE IS A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS ISSUE THE FAULTY THROTTLE BODY CREATES. WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE FAULTY THROTTLE BODY CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO CUT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR KIDS IN THE CAR THE FIRST TIME WE HAD THE ENGINE CUT OUT WHILE DRIVING (SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR). LUCKILY, SHE WAS DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA AT 25 MPH. THE ENGINE HAS CUT OUT ON ME WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON THE FREEWAY. I WAS FORCED TO COAST THROUGH FREEWAY TRAFFIC TO THE SHOULDER IN ORDER TO STOP THE CAR AND RESTART THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE HAS CUT OUT, WITHOUT WARNING, AT SEVERAL SPEEDS. THERE IS NO RHYME TO WHEN IT WILL CUT OUT AND NO INDICATION IT'S GOING TO CUT OUT AHEAD OF TIME. I SPENT OVER $500 TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH MECHANICS UNSURE WHAT WAS WRONG. THEN A MECHANIC HAPPENED TO HAVE AN OLD SERVICE BULLETIN (SB), DATED 5/18/2006, FROM MAZDA THAT STATED THROTTLE BODIES WITH THE MARKINGS AA, AB, OR BA AT THE END OF THEIR SERIAL NUMBERS (AS IS THE CASE WITH THE ONE IN MY CAR) ARE "NO GOOD". BECAUSE THE PART IS LABELED "NO GOOD" UNDER MAZDA LETTERHEAD, I FIGURED THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A RECALL ISSUED BEFORE I OWNED THE CAR THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER SOMEHOW MISSED. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS ASSURED NO RECALL HAS EVER BEEN ISSUED ON THE PART AND IN ORDER TO REPLACE IT, THE COST WILL BE OVER $1,000. A RECALL MUST BE MADE ON THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND FAULTY, BY MAZDA'S OWN ADMISSION, PART BEFORE UNSUSPECTING PEOPLE ARE INJURED OR KILLED, IF THAT HASN'T HAPPENED ALREADY.

NHTSA ID

11018745

Incident

Aug 21, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA 6. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, AN UNKNOWN FLUID STARTED LEAKING ONTO THE GROUND. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE RADIATOR CAP AND COOLANT BYPASS FITTING HAD MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,326.

NHTSA ID

10747562

Incident

Aug 4, 2015

Mileage

125,326 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA 6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACT AS IF IT WANTED TO STALL WITH THE RPM GAUGE GOING UP AND DOWN ON THE VEHICLES INSTRUMENT PANEL AS WELL AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATING. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE WAS A RECURRING ONE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE DIAGNOSIS DETAILS COULD NOT BE PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

10746527

Incident

Aug 2, 2014

I STARTED HEARING A KNOCKING/TICKING NOISE FROM THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. I TOOK IT TO THE AUTO WORKSHOP I WAS TOLD I WILL HAVE TO CHANGE MY CAR ENGINE WHEN THE ENGINE HAS NOT EVEN GET TO 100,000 MILE.

NHTSA ID

10744673

Incident

Jul 21, 2015

Mileage

80,010 mi

BOUGHT A 2003 MAZDA 6 LAST YEAR, MY TACHOMETER KEPT GOING CRAZY AND THE CAR WOULD DIE OUT. I TOOK IT TO GOOD YEAR, 3 CODES CAME UP. THEY CHANGED THE CAM SHAFT SENSOR AND THE EGR VALVE. THAT DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM, GOOD YEAR TOOK THE PARTS OUT, PUT MINE BACK IN AND TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP. I TOOK IT TO MAZDA, THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO CHANGE MY PCM BECAUSE IT WAS SHORTING OUT, AND MY EGR VALVE AND THAT SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM. THEY QUOTED ME 2K DOLLARS FOR EVERYTHING. I ASKED THEM HOW MUCH THEY WERE CHARGING FOR THE PARTS, THEY TOLD ME 1100 FOR THE PCM AND 200 FOR THE EGR, THE REST WAS LABOR. AS THE SERVICE ADVISOR QUOTED ME PRICES, I TOLD HER I CAN BUY A PCM ONLINE FOR 145. SHE SAID, YES, YOU CAN DO THAT, BUT WE WON'T WARRANTY THE JOB BECAUSE IT'S NOT OUR PART. I TOLD THEM ARE YOU SURE THAT WILL TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM? THEY SAID YES. I TOLD THEM OKAY FINE! CONSTANTLY CALLING THE DEALERSHIP FOR 2 WEEKS ASKING WHEN I WAS GOING TO GET MY CAR BACK, THEY GAVE ME A LOANER. I HAD THAT FOR A WEEK, SO THEY HAD MY CAR A TOTAL OF 3 WEEKS. FINALLY I CALLED AGAIN, I ASKED THEM WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY CAR. THEY TOLD ME, I NEED A NEW ENGINE. I WAS LIKE WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED TO 2K WILL TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM? THEY SAID NO, THERE'S TOO MUCH SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE, YOU NEED A NEW ONE. UPSET, I'M ALREADY IN FOR 2K AND NOW THEY WANT ME TO SPEND ANOTHER 5K FOR A NEW ENGINE. MIND YOU, I WAS ALREADY HESITANT BECAUSE OF THE PRICE OF THE PCM. ANY WAY, SERVICE ADVISOR TELLS ME, I CAN BUY A NEW/USED ENGINE ONLINE FOR 500 AND HAVE THEM CHANGE IT. I TOLD THEM THAT WAS THE WHOLE REASON, I DIDN'T BUY THE PCM ONLINE!I WAS TOLD YOU WOULDN'T WARRANTY IT, NOW YOU WANT ME TO BUY ONE ONLINE? I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP, PICKED UP MY CAR, STILL THE SAME PROBLEM. I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE,SEE LINK ... HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=XPKZPHE4SBI OR WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=N6FOAYBW_5K. *TR

NHTSA ID

10671839

Incident

Jan 17, 2014

Mileage

87,200 mi

MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. AS WELL AS THE PCM, USUALLY CONNECTED AS NOTED BY MY MECHANIC. 3 THINGS CAN COME FROM THIS HE SAID. I COULD BE HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE GAS PEDAL, THE COMPUTER, OR I NEED A NEW THROTTLE BODY. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING SO FAR THE ISSUE CAUSES THE COMPUTER TO INCORRECTLY READ, CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL AS A FEW OTHERS TO ABRUPTLY TURN ON WHILE CAR IS IN FULL MOTION, FOR ME THIS IS TYPICALLY AT 55 MPH. THE CAR THEN LOOSES THE ABILITY TO PROPERLY ACCELERATE, OR DECELERATE. I HAVE TO QUICKLY PULL MY CAR TO THE SHOULDER, PUT IN PARK WHILE THE CAR SEEMS TO BE LURCHING FORWARD, AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. IF I DO NOT DO THIS QUICK ENOUGH THE ENGINE BEGINS TO REV HIGH AND LOW CONTINUOUSLY. MY RPM GAUGE BOUNCES AROUND AS IT IS DOING SO. AFTER LEAVING THE CAR OFF FOR A FEW MOMENTS I CAN THEN RESTART. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL NOW STAY ON FOR ABOUT 50 MILES AND TURN ITSELF OFF. ONCE THE LIGHT HAS GONE OFF USUALLY WITHIN 15 MILES MY CAR WILL DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. AFTER CALLING MY DEALER, BECAUSE I STILL OWE 2 MORE YEARS OF PAYMENT ON THE CAR, I AM TOLD THAT THEY CAN FIX IT IF I HAVE MY WARRANTY INTACT. UNFORTUNATELY IT HAS RUN OUT AS OF JULY. THE PART ALONE FROM THE DEALERSHIP IS $700. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL ON THIS ISSUE IF SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING IT? *TR

NHTSA ID

10644655

Incident

Sep 9, 2014

WAS AT A STOP SIGN TO MAKE A LEFT TURN HALF WAY THRU THE CAR STALLED AND ALL LIGHTS CAME ON, VEHICLE BEHIND ME ALMOST RAN INTO US. BARELY GOT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD HAD TO TURN CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON BUT VEHICLE WOULD DRIVE, AFTER ABOUT 5 STARTS THE LIGHT CAME OFF HAD THE CAR CHECKED, WAS TOLD IT WAS THE THROTTLE BODY. ONE WEEK LATER SAME THING WET TO PULL ONTO A BUSY STREET AND CAR STALLED ALMOST CAUSING ANOTHER WRECK, TRIED TO DRIVE IT HOME AND STOPPED AT THE GROCERY STORE, WHEN I WENT TO PULL IN THE CAR STALLED AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, BLOCKING ON COMING TRAFFIC. CALLED MAZDA TO SEE HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO BE FIXED, THE LADY TOLD ME THAT IF IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY IT WOULD BE FREE BUT THAT EXPIRED IN 2011. I HAVE SEEN MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS, MAZDA HAS ADMITTED TO IT BEING A PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT RECALLED IT. WE HAVE TWO KIDS AND THANK GOD NOTHING SERIOUS HAS HAPPENED WITH US IN THE CAR. THIS PROBLEM COULD VERY EASILY CAUSE INJURY OR DEATHS TO ANY DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10587693

Incident

May 2, 2014

Mileage

107,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING HOME THE CAR SEEMED TO HAVE LOST ALL POWER, BUT WAS STILL RUNNING. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO MY HOUSE BUT THEN TRIED TO STOP AND THE CAR SURGED. I HAD TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP. I WAS QUITE SHAKEN AT THAT POINT. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT BACK TO TOWN TO HAVE THE CAR CHECKED, NO ERROR CODES SHOWED UP ON THE COMPUTER. THE ENGINE LIGHT DID GO OFF, THE CAR RAN FINE FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS THEN PROCEEDED TO DO THE SAME THING. THE CAR LOST POWER BUT I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO MY PLACE OF WORK. HOWEVER EVEN THOUGH THERE SEEMED TO BE NO POWER AGAIN WHEN I TRIED TO BRAKE THE CAR SURGED AND THE CAR ALMOST JUMPED THE CURB, WHICH WOULD HAVE PUT ME IN MY OFFICE. I AGAIN HAD THE VEHICLE CHECKED, NO ERRORS. AFTER RESEARCHING IT SEEMS THIS MAY BE DUE TO THE AUTOMATIC THROTTLE SENSOR. QUESTION WITH ALL THE COMPLAINTS, CARS STALLING AT HIGH SPEEDS AND THE SURGING OF VEHICLES WHY IS THERE NO RECALL. YOU RECALL FOR A STUPID LIGHTS, OVER SPRAYING OF A CLEAR COAT, BUT NO RECALL ON SOMETHING THAT IS PUTTING PEOPLE IN DANGER?? I DON'T UNDERSTAND. *TR

NHTSA ID

10557598

Incident

Jul 27, 2012

Mileage

155,000 mi

I PURCHASED A 2003 MAZDA 6 ABOUT A MONTH AGO, AND I HAVE HAD THE HARD SHIFTING PROBLEMS AND THE TEMP GAUGE GOING UP TO HIGH ALL THE TIME AND FLOATING BACK DOWN. I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THIS AND OTHER RECALLS OF THIS MODEL AND I HAVE BEEN DENIED TO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT SAID THEY FLASHED IT A COUPLE TIMES BUT IT IS NOT STATED O N MY REPAIR RECEIPT. I FEEL THAT I AM DRIVING A DANGEROUS CAR AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!!!! I AM NOT GOING TO KEEP DRIVING THIS CAR AND I FEEL I CAN TAKE IT BACK BECAUSE MY FIRST PAYMENT IS NOT DUE YET. BE IT SAID THAT THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 4 TIMES SINCE DAY ONE! THEY STILL WILL NOT FIX IT AND IT IS UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A RIP OFF AND THIS MODEL IS UNSAFE AND THESE MODELS SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF OF THE MARKET!!! *TR

NHTSA ID

10546259

Incident

Aug 24, 2013

Mileage

96,332 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA MAZDA6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BLUE SMOKE WAS EMITTING FROM THE TAIL PIPE AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS WERE CLOGGED AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. ADDITIONALLY, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE TIE ROD WAS LOOSE AND COULD FRACTURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000. *TR

NHTSA ID

10524537

Incident

Jun 9, 2013

Mileage

122,000 mi

TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 30-60 MPH DURING ANY TYPE OF TRAFFIC (STOP AND GO, FREEWAY SPEEDS, ETC), MY 2003 MAZDA6 WILL SUDDENLY GO INTO A "SAFE OR LIMP" MODE CHARACTERIZED BY ABRUPT LOSS OF POWER WITH NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. THE RPMS DROP TO BETWEEN 1000 AND 1300 AND FLUCTUATE QUICKLY BETWEEN THE TWO NUMBERS. I HAVE HAD TO QUICKLY PRESS THE CLUTCH, TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON TO REGAIN NORMAL FUNCTION. WHEN TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, THE ROOT CAUSE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY. UPON MORE RESEARCH (INCLUDING THIS SITE), THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AN UNCOMMON ISSUE FOR THIS MODEL OF MAZDA. *KB

NHTSA ID

10429294

Incident

Oct 9, 2011

Mileage

148,000 mi

TRAVELING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS IN CA ON THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY BRIDGE DURING EVENING TRAFFIC, MY 2003 MAZDA6 SUDDENLY WENT INTO "SAFE OR LIMP" MODE. THIS CAUSED ABRUPT LOSS OF POWER WITH NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED A MULTI VEHICLE ACCIDENT. WHEN TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, THE ROOT CAUSE WAS A CODE DTC P2135 FOR A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY. MAZDA ADMITS 3 (THREE) VERSIONS OF THEIR THROTTLE BODY FOR THAT VEHICLE DEFECTIVE WITH AUTOMATIC DISCARD IF THERE IS A MIL WITH DTC P2135(PER TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN NO. 01-016/06 ISSUED 05/18/2006 BY MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS), AND THROTTLE BODY MARKINGS "AA","AB","BA". MINE IS AN "AA". OBVIOUSLY MAZDA ADMITS THAT THESE ARE DEFECTIVE, BUT ONLY REPLACED THEM UNDER WARRANTY AND MY VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANY LONGER. THEY CALL THE NEW PART AN "UPGRADED VERSION". MY VEHICLE HAS DONE THIS (SAFE MODE) SEVERAL TIMES, SO NOW IT IS PARKED UNTIL I CAN GET IT FIXED (QUOTED PRICE FOR REPAIR IS $714 FROM MAZDA DEALER). THESE INCIDENTS CREATES AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND I FEEL VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO ME, AND LUCKILY NO ONE WAS INJURED, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I FEEL MAZDA HAS MADE A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ADMITTING THAT THIS PART IS DEFECTIVE AND IT CAN CAUSE DANGER AND POSSIBLY LOSS OF LIFE. MAZDA NEEDS TO BE FORCED TO MAKE A RECALL AND REPLACE THESE PARTS AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. DEFECTIVE PART - THROTTLE BODY WITH MARKINGS "AA", "AB", "BA" MINE IS "AA"

NHTSA ID

10416210

Incident

Jul 11, 2010

Mileage

98,000 mi

ON SEVERAL MODELS OF MAZDA 6'S MAZDA HAS ISSUED A TSB FOR THE PROBLEM WHICH IS A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. I HAVE READ THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS BY CONSUMERS. MAZDA HAS MADE A NEW PART YET NOT RECALLED THE OLD PART. WHEN THIS PART FAILS YOU LOSE ALL ACCELERATION POWER TO THE VEHICLE. THE WAY TO RESET THIS IS TO TURN OFF THE MOTOR AND TURN IT RIGHT BACK ON. I WAS DRIVING ON A TWO-LANE HIGHWAY CROSSED OVER THE BROKEN DOUBLE YELLOW LINE TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE WHEN THIS DEFECTIVE PART FAILED AND I LOST ALL ACCELERATION. THANKFULLY, I HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW THE SAME CAR I WAS PASSING TO PASS ME AND I PULLED OFF THE ROADWAY. THE CAR WORKED FINE FOR THE REST OF THAT TRIP IT OCCURRED AGAIN ON THE FREEWAY IN THE FAST LANE. I CONTACTED MAZDA CORPORATE CUSTOMER CARE THEY ADVISED ME THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT HAD NOT ISSUED A RECALL AT THIS TIME.

NHTSA ID

10394944

Incident

Aug 1, 2010

Mileage

82,000 mi

ON 17 FEB 2011 I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 MAZDA 6S AND WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED OF 25 MPH ALL MY LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD TURNED ON AND MY CAR IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO REDUCE SPEED ALMOST TO A STAND STILL. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN TIME TO AVOID ANY ACCIDENTS OR POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. I RESTARTED MY CAR AND WAS ABLE TO PROCEED IN DRIVING. HOWEVER MY ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ONLINE AND FOUND THAT SOMEONE WITH THE SAME MODEL VEHICLE AND YEAR HAD THE SAME ISSUE ALMOST VERBATIM. THE REFERENCED A SERVICE BULLETIN FROM MAZDA BULLETIN NO: 01-016/06 RELEASED IN 2006 REGARDING THROTTLE BODY REPLACEMENT. I READ THE BULLETIN AND SURE ENOUGH IT STATED TO INSPECT THE LETTERS ON THE THROTTLE BODY. IT SHOWED AA,AB,BA MARKINGS = NO GOOD AND BB MARKING = GOOD. SO I INSPECTED MY VEHICLES THROTTLE BODY LETTER AND SURE ENOUGH IT WAS "AA". I WILL HAVE TO DEFINITELY REPLACE IT, AND OF COURSE I HAVE NO CHOICE BECAUSE YOU CAN IMAGINE THE RAMIFICATIONS OF DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY OR FREEWAY AND SOMETHING LIKE THIS WERE TO OCCUR. ACCIDENTS, OR EVEN DEATH. IT IS PRETTY UPSETTING THAT SOMETHING HAS NOT BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THESE ISSUES ESPECIALLY WITH THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF THIS DEFECT! *TR

NHTSA ID

10383310

Incident

Feb 17, 2011

Mileage

102,290 mi

2003 MAZDA 6 WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND APPROXIMATELY 60K MILES. HAVING INCIDENTS OF STALLING AND IDLING HARD. PER ONE MECHANIC IT IS A PVC AND LINES. A SECOND MECHANIC SHOWED US A CRACK IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THESE PARTS ARE CHEAP SINCE THEY ARE PLASTIC. BUT THE QUOTED INSTALLATION IS OVER $700 FOR JUST THE PVC. *TR

NHTSA ID

10367164

Incident

Nov 12, 2010

Mileage

62,000 mi

OVER A PERIOD OF 1-1/2 HOURS, OUR 2003 MAZDA 6 QUICKLY LOST ALL ACCELERATION POWER ON 5 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING OUT OF TOWN ON THE HIGHWAY. FOLLOWING A 'SLIGHT BUMP' THE CAR WENT FROM 70 MPH TO 35 MPH TO 10 MPH, QUICKLY, REGARDLESS OF PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR. GETTING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN TRAFFIC GOING 70MPH+ WAS IN ITSELF A CHALLENGE AND AFTER PULLING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE CAR BEGAN JERKING FIERCELY. ONLY TURNING OFF THE ENGINE COMPLETELY WAS THE SYSTEM 'RESET'. THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP HOOKED IT UP AND DETERMINED THE THROTTLE BODY MUST BE REPLACED FOR A QUOTED COST OF $534.41 (MACON, GA). THE SENSOR ITSELF, THE LIKELY CULPRIT FOR THIS ISSUE, IS NOT OFFERED OR AVAILABLE FOR SALE BY MAZDA WITHOUT ITS 'BODY', UNLIKE COUNTLESS OTHER MAKES, WHICH IS OUTRAGEOUS, BUT THE MOST DISGUSTING PART OF THIS ISSUE IS THAT ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A CRITICAL NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS LOGGED ABOUT THIS ISSUE, THE TPS HAS NOT BEEN LISTED AS A RECALL. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THEY DID NOT HAVE TO REPLACE IT SINCE THERE WERE ONLY 'SERVICE BULLETINS' LISTED AND NO ACTUAL RECALLS FOR THE PARTS. THEY ARE VERY AWARE OF THE SITUATION. FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND MY DAUGHTER'S WITH THIS ISSUE, I CAN GUARANTEE THAT THIS HAS DEFINITELY CAUSED SERIOUS INJURIES, IF NOT FATALITIES, THAT JUST HAVEN'T BEEN REPORTED OR POSSIBLY IDENTIFIED. I WILL CONTINUE TO HUNT DOWN THE SENSOR AS I WILL NOT FALL PREY TO MAZDA'S 'RACKET'. THE CAR WILL SIT UNTIL I LOCATE THE PART, OR END UP BEING PARTED OUT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10324019

Incident

Apr 4, 2010

ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED TWICE WITHIN LESS THAN 5 1/2 YRS. TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WITHIN 6YRS. BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED EVERY YEAR AND A HALF. INTERIOR CHEAPLY MADE. ALL PART ON THIS VEHICLE ARE PLASTIC AND BRAKE VERY EASY. MOTOR MOUNTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACE WITHIN 4 YRS. THIS VEHICLE IS A OWNERS NIGHTMARE . I WOULD NEVER RECOMMENDED ANYONE TO PURCHASE THIS CAR. REPAIRS COST MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. ENGINE REPAIR $6000.00, MOTOR MOUNTS $900, TRANSMISSION $2400-$4800, BRAKES $400, AND THE COST GOES ON. (LEMON). *TR

NHTSA ID

10269003

Incident

May 10, 2005

Mileage

300,000 mi

ENGINE SEIZED UP AS IT WAS SITTING IN DRIVEWAY WARMING UP. OIL WAS ALL OVER THE DRIVEWAY UNDER THE CAR AFTER THE SEIZED UP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10256950

Incident

Jan 10, 2009

Mileage

51,800 mi

BEGINNING IN 2006, MY 2003 MAZDA 6 WOULD RANDOMLY EXPERIENCE POWER FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. THIS WAS BOTH SCARY AND DANGEROUS. I WOULD BE DRIVING, THE CAR WOULD COMPLETELY LOOSE POWER WITH NO WARNING AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD WOULD COME ON. I WOULD HAVE TO PULL OVER, TURN MY CAR OFF AND BACK ON, AND THEN IT WOULD WORK FINE TILL IT RANDOMLY HAPPENED AGAIN. OBVIOUSLY LOOSING POWER AT A HIGH SPEED IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR BOTH MYSELF AND THE OTHER DRIVERS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES AND THEY WERE NEVER ABLE TO DETERMINE A CAUSE. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP OVER 10 TIMES FOR THIS BEHAVIOR. FINALLY IN AUGUST 2008, I WAS READING ON A MAZDA MESSAGE BOARD THAT THIS BEHAVIOR IS CAUSED BY A BAD THROTTLE BODY. THERE WAS EVEN A MAZDA SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED FOR IT IN 2006 (BULLETINS 01-016/06 LAST ISSUED MAY 18, 2006). I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, HAD THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED AND HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THIS BEHAVIOR SINCE. THE SERVICE BULLETIN HAD SERIAL NUMBERS OF BAD THROTTLE BODIES LISTED ON IT, MINE WAS ONE OF THEM. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD BE A MAZDA RECALL, NOT JUST A SERVICE BULLETIN, AS DEALERSHIPS DO NOT EVEN SEEM TO BE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IT THE CAR IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF THE THROTTLE BODY FAILS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10242431

Incident

May 15, 2006

Mileage

61,000 mi

SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED MY MAZDA THERE HAS BEEN A FAULTY FAN CONTROL MODULE THAT SHORTS OUT MY COMPUTER. THIS TIME THE VEHICLE FORCED MY INTO AN INTERSECTION WITH MY GRANDCHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I COULD KEEP MY VEHICLE FROM MOVING EVEN WITH THE BRAKE ON. *TR

NHTSA ID

10239995

Incident

Aug 25, 2008

Mileage

3,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MAZDA 6. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED AND HESITATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE ENGINE, WHICH WAS REPLACED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT ROUGHLY FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. HE EXPERIENCED FAILURE WITH THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS AND THE WINDOW OPERATING MECHANISMS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE AFTERMARKET ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS WERE POSSIBLY THE CAUSES OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO REPLACED THE FOLLOWING COMPONENTS: ALTERNATOR, BATTERY, EXTERIOR LIGHTS, AND FOUR WINDOW OPERATING MECHANISMS. ALSO, THE COMPUTER MODULE, TRANSMISSION, AND AIR CONDITIONER MODULES WERE REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 94,000.

NHTSA ID

10233697

Incident

Feb 5, 2004

Mileage

85,000 mi

I PURCHASED MY MAZDA IN 2003. SINCE THE PURCHASE EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL THE END OF OCT. 2005 MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR WAS SHAKING, AND MY RPMS WHERE MALFUNCTIONING (GOING UP AND DOWN, THEN BACK UP AGAIN). I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS INFORMED THAT MY CAR JUMPED TIME, MY CAR HAD UNDER 45K MILES. THEY FIXED IT, BUT IN THE BEGINNING OF NOV. 2005, NOT EVEN A MONTH LATER, MY CAR DID THE SAME THING, BUT THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THAT THE BOLTS IN MY ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. THEN IN THE SUMMER OF 2006 I HAD A VACUUM LEAK, MY CAR WOULD START AND STOP, I HAD THAT REPAIRED AT REPAIR SHOP OF MY OWN CHOSE, SINCE MY WARRANTY WAS UP. NOW IN APRIL 2007, I WAS INFORMED BY A REPAIR SHOP, OF MY OWN CHOSE, THAT I THROWN A ROD IN MY MOTOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10188515

Incident

Oct 31, 2005

AFTER 4 PREVIOUS REPAIRS I STARTED MY CAR AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ONCE AGAIN BEGAN TO FLASH, THIS TIME FLASHING RAPIDLY. I CALLED THE DEALER WHO TOLD ME NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE THE RAPID FLASH MEANS THE CAR IS UNSAFE. I WAS TOLD I HAD A BAD COIL. AFTER A $400 REPAIR, I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME LIGHT FLASH. THE DEALER THEN TOLD ME MY CATALIYTIC CONVERTERS SPLIT. NOW I HAVE A $4,600 REPAIR JOB ON A 2003. PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR FOR THE PAST YEAR. THANK YOU. *NM

NHTSA ID

10179467

Incident

Jan 16, 2007

I PURCHASED MY 2003 MAZDA6 IN JUNE OF 2003. SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR MUTIPLE PROBLEMS. SEVERAL RECALLS OF COURSE, BUT THE FIRST MAJOR PROBLEM CAME WHEN THE CAR WAS ABOUT 1 YEAR OLD AND MY RADIATOR SEAM AT THE BOTTOM SEPERATED. THEY REPLACED THE RADIATOR. WHEN I PICKED THE CAR UP MY AIR CONDITIONING WAS NOT WORKING, SO I RETURNED THE CAR AND THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED AT THAT TIME. APRIL OF 2005, MY CAR ONLY HAD ABOUT 19,000 MILES ON IT MY AIR CONDITIONING STARTED BLOWING HOT AIR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THE STATED THAT MY FREON WAS LOW AND CHARGED IT UP. I ASKED HOW THAT COULD BE WITH A CAR AS NEW AS THIS ONE AND THEY STATED, IT WAS NORMAL. FOR A CAR THAT IS LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD?? LAST WEEK, AUGUST OF 2005, ONCE AGAIN MY AIR IS BLOWING HOT,PARTICULALY WHEN SITTING IN AN IDLE POSITION,WORKS BETTER UPON ACCLERATION. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THE CONTROL FAN MODULE WAS BAD AND REPLACED IT,WHICH BY THE WAY HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED WITH A RECALL. AS OF AUGUSST 22, 2005 MY AIR IS STILL NOT WORKING PROPERLY. WE WENT ON A SHORT TRIP AND WERE STUCK IN A TRAFFIC JAM. ONCE AGAIN THE AIR WOULD NOT BLOW COLD WHILE WE WERE SITTING. I KNOW THIS IS NOT RIGHT BECAUSE WHEN WE FIRST GOT THE CAR, THE AIR WORKED GREAT. I AM REALLY FRUSTRATED WITH THIS CAR,I JUST KEEP WAITING FOR THE NEXT THING TO GO WRONG. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE MY BRAKED PADS AND HAD THE LEFT FRONT ROTOR TURNED. I THINK MAZDA OWES US ALL OF US THAT HAVE PURCHASED THESE CARS AND HAD MAJOR PROBLEMS A BIG APOLOGY . AND SHOULD REPLACE THESE VEHICLES, WHICH I KNOW WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

NHTSA ID

10133791

Incident

Apr 1, 2005

Mileage

22,812 mi

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE HESITATED WHEN SHE HIT THE GAS AND WHEN SHE IS DRIVING, IT SEEMED TO HESITATE AND THEN GOES ON. SHE SAID THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. SHE HAS HAD IT TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES. ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS. SHE SAID THAT TWO MONTHS AGO THEY TRIED TO LOCK IT AND THE HORN STARTED BLOWING. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID

10129952

Incident

Jul 4, 2005