The automatic transmission in our late model Mazda 5 failed at 74,000 km. Needless to say we were both surprised and disappointed to have the transmission fail so pre-maturely. Mazda dealerships claimed it was out of their hands and directed us to Mazda Canada. Mazda’s Head Office in turn said even though the mileage was within warranty, the expiry date had recently passed, therefore no remedy or compensation would be forthcoming. No, not even goodwill. Mazda Canada was unwilling to acknowledge that if a vehicle fails at 74,000 km, it's not unreasonable to consider the cause might be a manufacturing defect in that vehicle. How many cars would any auto manufacturer sell if their transmissions have such a short life expectancy?
There were various reasons given for lack of help including no service records in the Mazda database, despite our submission of service records. It seems that the service work of licensed mechanics in Canada is not good enough for Mazda. Apparently they need to be employed by Mazda authorized -dealers.
As new transmissions are not available from Mazda, the dealerships offer rebuilt transmissions for $2,900.00 with a one year warranty, no extended warranty available. A nationwide transmission company has quoted $2,000 for the same work and will extend the warranty to three years for about $400 more. Despite not employing the service of Mazda mechanics, the national transmission chain is confident enough in their workmanship to offer a non-prorated warranty that’s 3 times longer than Mazda ‘s! We went back to Mazda Canada, requested that they make up the $800 difference and have the work done at one of their dealerships. We believe our request for some compensation was fair and reasonable. The answer back from Mazda was no.
We’ve been told that auto manufacturers are only interested in selling new cars. Fair enough. If Mazda had even offered a $1,000 or so rebate on a future purchase of a Mazda vehicle, that would have been acceptable. That purchase of a future Mazda would still net Mazda a profit even after the rebate was applied, the company would retain the loyalty of a Mazda driver while we would have the comfort of knowing that we are dealing with a manufacturer that stands behind their products and values us as long term customers. As it turns they now have a Mazda family that does not have a good story to tell and will likely never purchase a Mazda again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
MAZDA DISAPPOINTS.
The automatic transmission in our late model Mazda 5 failed at 74,000 km. Needless to say we were both surprised and disappointed to have the transmission fail so pre-maturely. Mazda dealerships claimed it was out of their hands and directed us to Mazda Canada. Mazda’s Head Office in turn said even though the mileage was within warranty, the expiry date had recently passed, therefore no remedy or compensation would be forthcoming. No, not even goodwill. Mazda Canada was unwilling to acknowledge that if a vehicle fails at 74,000 km, it's not unreasonable to consider the cause might be a manufacturing defect in that vehicle. How many cars would any auto manufacturer sell if their transmissions have such a short life expectancy?
There were various reasons given for lack of help including no service records in the Mazda database, despite our submission of service records. It seems that the service work of licensed mechanics in Canada is not good enough for Mazda. Apparently they need to be employed by Mazda authorized -dealers.
As new transmissions are not available from Mazda, the dealerships offer rebuilt transmissions for $2,900.00 with a one year warranty, no extended warranty available. A nationwide transmission company has quoted $2,000 for the same work and will extend the warranty to three years for about $400 more. Despite not employing the service of Mazda mechanics, the national transmission chain is confident enough in their workmanship to offer a non-prorated warranty that’s 3 times longer than Mazda ‘s! We went back to Mazda Canada, requested that they make up the $800 difference and have the work done at one of their dealerships. We believe our request for some compensation was fair and reasonable. The answer back from Mazda was no.
We’ve been told that auto manufacturers are only interested in selling new cars. Fair enough. If Mazda had even offered a $1,000 or so rebate on a future purchase of a Mazda vehicle, that would have been acceptable. That purchase of a future Mazda would still net Mazda a profit even after the rebate was applied, the company would retain the loyalty of a Mazda driver while we would have the comfort of knowing that we are dealing with a manufacturer that stands behind their products and values us as long term customers. As it turns they now have a Mazda family that does not have a good story to tell and will likely never purchase a Mazda again.
- al-to, Toronto, Ontario, Canada