— The owner of a 2004 Mazda RX-8 says she has had so many problems with her car the only way she knows to get it fixed is to file a class-action lawsuit. And that's exactly what Christina Paschal did in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Paschal, represented by Knapp Petersen & Clarke and attorney Robert L. Starr, claims her RX-8 had numerous engine flooding problems before the engine finally failed. The lawsuit says Mazda knows there's a defect in the engine that causes the spark plugs to flood with fuel.
Paschal says Mazda issued a technical service bulletin to dealers in 2004 and extended the warranty on the engines. However, the lawsuit claims Mazda refused to pay for spark plugs in almost half the 69,249 warranty claims related to the engine.
Plaintiffs “have incurred, and will continue to incur out of pocket unreimbursed costs and expenses relating to the Engine Defect, or not be provided the full benefits of Mazda's extended engine core warranty, including being provided with new spark plugs as part of the repair.” - Paschal v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., Case Number 8:14-cv-00594
Currently the class-action includes an estimated 50,000 Mazda RX-8 cars purchased by California residents between 2004 and 2008. However, it's possible the lawsuit could eventually spread to include Mazda owners in other states.
