— A Mazda class action lawsuit alleges oil consumption issues make these vehicles dangerous to drive.
- 2021 Mazda3
- 2021 Mazda6
- 2021 Mazda CX-30
- 2021 Mazda CX-5
- 2021 Mazda CX-9
The Mazda oil consumption lawsuit was filed by California plaintiff Brian Heinz who purchased a 2021 Mazda CX-30 in September 2021.
In February 2022, the Mazda CX-30 experienced a low oil warning light that began to intermittently come on and then turn off. On May 24, the low oil level light illuminated and a Mazda dealer changed the oil and "other services" were performed.
However, shortly after this the Mazda’s low engine oil light came back on again.
The plaintiff claims he must add additional engine oil to his CX-30 when the low oil light activates, "and thus has been forced to purchase engine oil at a substantially increased rate."
And according to the plaintiff, he has been "placed at a significant risk of substantial injury or death" due to the oil consumption issue.
The oil consumption lawsuit also alleges the plaintiff must drive a vehicle that isn't safe and he will allegedly continue to suffer financial harm from oil consumption issues.
Mazda Oil Consumption TSB
On October 4, 2021, Mazda issued to dealerships technical service bulletin (TSB) 01-012/21 entitled, "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON WITH DTC P250F:00 DUE TO LOW ENGINE OIL LEVEL."
According to the TSB:
"Some vehicles may have a “LOW ENGINE OIL LEVEL” warning message and a CHECK ENGINE light illuminated in the instrument cluster, along with DTC P250F:00 stored in memory."
The Mazda oil consumption bulletin provided dealership technicians the following instructions.
"Upon inspecting the engine oil level, the level is found to be low and there doesn’t appear to be any trace of oil leakage in the engine compartment. This concern usually occurs when the mileage reaches approximately 3,100 – 4,700 miles (5,000 - 7,500km) and may also occur again after replacing or topping off the engine oil."
TSB 01-012/21 said Mazda hadn't determined the root cause of the oil consumption issues and a repair procedure would be announced at a later date.
Mazda dealers were also told the oil consumption problem had been reported after a valve stem seal modification and, "it is very likely that valve stem seal damage is causing oil to leak into the combustion chamber."
The plaintiff contends Mazda is unable or unwilling to repair the oil consumption issues and allegedly has not offered to compensate customers for their injuries or costs.
However, the Mazda oil consumption TSB says owners would not need to pay anything for adding oil or for repairs because all the vehicles were under warranties.
According to the bulletin, Mazda dealers were told to explain the oil consumption problems to customers and how it had been confirmed oil leakage into the combustion chamber would not cause immediate engine damage.
Mazda owners were told the vehicles could be safely driven, and owners wouldn't have to pay for replacement oil or oil changes.
"The warning message and CHECK ENGINE light will go off by topping off the engine oil level. This is only a temporary repair and as soon as Mazda identifies the root cause, a complete repair procedure will be announced. Mazda will top off or replace the engine oil at no charge until the complete repair is provided." — TSB 01-012/21
Mazda dealers were told to inform customers they could be reimbursed if they already paid for adding oil to the vehicles outside the dealerships. Dealers were also told the repairs would be covered for free under the powertrain warranty.
The Mazda oil consumption lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California: Brian Heinz v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Wilshire Law Firm, PLC.
