Mazda 6 - Did I buy a FORD!?!

Just noticed that my new Mazda 6 was manufactured in FLINT, MI and has already had 4 recalls. Mine just went in to have the HVAC fan unit replaced - and the replacement part was . . . Broken. So, they couldn't install it and I'm waiting for another, hopefully operational (meaning not supplied by Ford) replacement fan. Also, the antenna on my new car was not actually CONNECTED to the radio resulting in poor reception and an initial dealer comment that "they all do that" - meaning radios in Mazda 6's do not actually RECEIVE radio stations - BUT - the red 'glow' dials certainly are cool.

I'm getting a suspicion that this car is a 3-year and out. Too bad, because the overall engineering and feel of the vehicle are very good.

Any other Mazda 6 owners out there?

Richard Sarradet Steel Gray Mettallic '04i

Reply to
richard sarradet
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Yes, you bougt a ford. IIRC The "6" has somewhere around 60% US/Canadian content and about 20% Japanese. Engine and transmissions are both US products, I believe

Reply to
Grant Edwards

Oh no! All right. The repair order on my FIRST problem has some terms I don't recognize:

"Customer sts; perform msp02; evap monitoring"

Can anyone translate for me?

Thanx

Reply to
richard sarradet

The "6" is a Ford redesign of the 626. They hit the mark on most of their goals.

I bought the wife one as a replacement for the Sable LS she killed. (Slid sideways into/over a median and lunched the unibody rails and punched the transaxle in about 14-16 inches... But, ZERO injuries!)

I've not had any complaints about the vehicle, and the only time she complains is when I take the keys...

"Oh bother," said Pooh Bear when he saw the mushroom cloud...

// Change TEJAS to TX to reply via eMail //

Reply to
L Bader

My Maxda 6s is faultless so far- altho only 3 months, 5000 miles.

You didn't buy a "Ford" exactly- but you brought the first example of a new Ford empire mid-size "platform". Over the next few years, the Ford

500, a possibly smaller Ford (?"Fairlane"), matching Mercury and Lincoln, and possibly Volvo cars will have the same platform, which means basic internal pieces and layout.

Mazda sedans have been built in the US for years; the old MX-6 and the Ford Probe were built together in one place (Flat Rock MI- same place as the 626 and Cougar, now used for the 6, and soon for the Mustang).

This sort of thing is necessary to control costs- you make repeated use of well-designed internal parts, then switch styling, engines, and exteriors between nameplates to keep the customers interested. It makes sense- I really don't care who makes the door hinges and the side impact bars, as long as they work.

Our Miatas are a rare example of a non-shared platform (altho the engine is a decendent of an old 323 engine). Only its long lifespan without a full rebuild has made the Miata a profitable enterprise for Mazda.

Joe Silver '99 Miata Green '04 6s

Reply to
jchase

Hey, I put 142k miles on my '94 Probe and only just recently had my first mechanical problem with it (had to rebuild the alternator). This Mazda-Ford also lead me to buy my '99 Miata!

Cheers,

jgb

Reply to
J.G. Ballard

My 2003 V6 went through the recalls. One was an overnighter at the dealership for the glue removal on the doors. The other replaced something in the fuel line.

Afterwards, I've seen 4 CELs. The dealership has told me all four were misses. I had a string of rentals to address the issues. One CEL occurred right after taking the car back from a recall servicing.

On the fifth CEL, the dealership refused to take the car. They said it was not an issue but a firmware error. (I despise claims like this) They claimed the firmware was authored for Japanese driving habits and that the CEL was firing because I am an Amelican.

So I drove around with the very annoying check engine light glaring at me. Oddly enough, it went away on its own. It came back again for a short goodbye after which it's never been seen again.

Dunno. At this point, don't care. I think the dealership refused to take it in because of lemon laws, but who knows.

DESPITE all the minor annoyances and 5 of the 6 cylinders working, the Mazda6 has still been a very strong car. It has some of the best features and power to cost ratio that I've seen. I figure buying a new production car comes with these problems. But hopefully that's all of them.

Reply to
Brian

Ahh... There's the difference. I've got the wife in a 4-cylinder vice the V-6. Maybe powerplant issues more than anything else. (Glue aside...)

'97 STO, "Chouki"

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Reply to
L Bader

They did, eh?

I despise claims like that as well and would have strongly encouraged them to take another look at it.

Of course that's why they didn't want to take it in. What I don't understand is how you claim that they "refused". Did they look you right in the eye and tell you they wouldn't fix the car? Did they tell you they couldn't get it in until next month?

I dunno about anyone else, but if a dealership looked me in the eye and refused to service the brand new car I'd purchased from them, I'd have been spitting nails.

I wouldn't bet on it--I may be only 26, but I do know that it's a bad idea to assume your brand new car is just going through some growing pains.

Reply to
tooloud

The explanation offered was that they could reset the CEL but little more at that point. I believe them. They had already swapped most of the ignition system. Plus I was tired of their cherry red Neon.

They would have fixed it if they knew how. And if they were guessing, I'd prefer they experiment on someone else's car. The last thing I want is to see my engine being pulled out of a car with 10000 miles on it.

The CELs started after a recall service, went away a month later, and haven't reappeared. So if my choice is to push a repair from people who have already demonstrated that they don't understand the problem or observe the car, I'd go for the latter.

Wait and see approach. I think the lemon law spans time in the shop. Not sure how resetting a CEL (which takes all of two minutes) relates. It'd probably require a lawyer to make the dealership see the light.

Reply to
Brian

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