Premature Clutch Failure in 2010 6 spd Man

[Coakub]

okay guys, so I am trying to get as much documentation as i can before i go back to the dealershit.

I have absolutely loved my mazda 3 up until 3 days ago when my clutch failed at 19.5K miles. Ive only had her since November, and with the way I drive theres no way in hell the clutch should go out this soon... Now as to explain as to what happened, I was driving on the highway when my engine started reving a bit oddly when i barely pressed on the gas pedal. It went from the normal 2900 rpm in 6th gear at about 65 mph and shot up to 3500 way to quickly then dropped back to 2900 and slowly rose how it shouldve to get me to 70mph...it continued doing this when i got off the highway for about 15 minutes, growing steadily worse until i was unable to get into any gear at all. There was never a smell of clutch inside the car the entire time, no odd noises, no grinding, and the clutch was about half as stiff as it normally was. So i called Mazda RSA, they towed my car(course it took forever because they sent the truck to the wrong location haha). It took 2 days before they even got to glance at the car to see what needed to be done(not take apart mind u, just looked), and said the clutch was "smoked" no other specifics but wanted me to authorize them for 525 worth of labor plus parts -_-. So now im stuck fighting them to repair this under warranty(i know theres usually not a warranty unless manufacturers defect..but this is DEFINITELY defective).

So I am hoping you guys have heard of this happening before, and if anyone else has some kind of documentation they could pass along(links to other site your aware of, w/e you can help with id be great). So far ive found 2 other sites talking about this, and ill be damned if they make me pay over 1k for something that was not my fault. Corporate isnt even being of much help at this point and i really just need to find some way to fix this, cause i dont have 1k to spend on this car when i still owe 13k on my loan. only reason i even bought a new car was so i wouldnt have to spend thousands of dollars on repairs for a couple years -_-*. And i went with this car because it was the highest rated car in its class for quality and price(fully loaded for 23k, hell yes. lol).. okay im done ranting... any information would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!

**edit- Forgot to mention, just drove this vehicle to florida and back(got back on sunday) and she was perfectly normal and didnt have a damn issue getting there or going back.

 

[MS3G35]

Try having it towed to another dealership. Express that this other one took two days just to look at the car. I'm sure a second opinion wouldn't hurt. That should def. be covered under warrenty.

 

[Coakub]

not a bad idea, but i already told them to take everything apart, and then show me the parts and prove to me either way, im bringing a few mechanics with me. i think the worst part is i have no vehicle to drive atm, they were out of loaners, and unless i wanna pay like 20$ a day to rent one im SOL...they are taking it apart on monday. course it took them 5 hours to get back to me about that one.. i hate dealerships. i really do.

 

[Cleverfrog]

dang that really sucks. It smells like a lemon if you ask me.

 

[albumreaf]

So i called Mazda RSA, they towed my car(course it took forever because they sent the truck to the wrong location haha). It took 2 days before they even got to glance at the car to see what needed to be done(not take apart mind u, just looked), and said the clutch was "smoked" no other specifics but wanted me to authorize them for 525 worth of labor plus parts -_-. So now im stuck fighting them to repair this under warranty(i know theres usually not a warranty unless manufacturers defect..but this is DEFINITELY defective).

**edit- Forgot to mention, just drove this vehicle to florida and back(got back on sunday) and she was perfectly normal and didnt have a damn issue getting there or going back.

No, it sounds like you glazed the hell out of the clutch because you don't know how to drive, and you're trying to pass it off on the dealership. NOBODY has these issues you're talking about. I know plenty of people who learned how to drive stick on their new Mazda 3s (granted, both not the MS3) and they haven't had issues for years. What the mechanics told you makes perfect sense for someone who starts with the engine revving too high or rides the clutch all day. You can do this in any car and ruin the clutch in that many (or less) miles.

dang that really sucks. It smells like a lemon if you ask me.

No, it smells like someone doesn't know how to drive.

Try having it towed to another dealership. Express that this other one took two days just to look at the car. I'm sure a second opinion wouldn't hurt. That should def. be covered under warrenty.

Wear parts are not covered in event of neglect or misuse.

 

[Coakub]

if i glazed the hell out of it, then why was there no prior issues. when clutches give out due to wear there is SOME kind of warning. there was nothing. like i said i dont ride the clutch, or do any other thing bad to it. and as for other cases...
how about this one...I have a 2010 3 2.5 5 door sport with the 6 speed manual. I have put 17,000 mostly highway miles on it (drive back and froth from Alabama to Texas a lot). This car spends most of its life in 6th gear with the cruise on.

Here is some background, I've driven mostly Hondas and Acuras and with only a couple of exceptions I have driven stick shift cars for 20 years. My last car was a Civic with 120,000 miles on the original clutch that still felt brand new. I have been in the Auto industry for 15 years and know my way around a car.

On Friday my wife was driving my car (she learned how to drive on a manual and has no problems driving it) on a back country 2 lane road with our son in the back and out of cell phone coverage. She was driving along at 60 mph, in 6th gear when the RPS started to bounce off the rev limiter. She checked to make sure she was still in gear. She took it out of 6th and put it into neutral then tried to go back into gear. No dice, it wouldn't shift. So she pulled over and shut it down. She tired to start again, tried to get it into first, nope, tried to get it into second, and nothing.

Amazingly she got some signal on the phone after a panicked 20 minutes and got roadside assistance out to tow her in.

Now Mazda is saying that the clutch is burned up and that it is not a defect so it is our fault and it won't be covered under warranty. Now, I have never heard of spontaneous and catastrophic clutch failure, with NO prior slippage or difficulty shifting being due to driver error.
or...
Same problem here and dealing with it right now. 2010 Mazda 3 2.5 with 33K miles on it. Driving on the highway, tried speeding up and noticed my engined just revved up and then back down and locked into gear again. I thought, that's really weird. About 15 miles later, tried shifting into gear, and boom! nothing, I could easily push my clutch in and put the shifter into position but it would not go into gear....any of them. Dealership said it would cost $800+ to "diagnose" the problem & I would pay for parts if it's a clutch issue. I was upset, cause I thought this car would last forever with very little problems except normal maintenance. So I called Mazda Corp. they said they don't pay for a diagnoses but will pay if it's a problem covered by warranty. Here's my problems, Why isn't anyone questioning the fact that someone at Mazda Corp. picked a supplier that is making a cheap part that is failing and should be recalled and replaced with a better quality part? If Mazda Corp does not cover this problem I will be contacting the News and my good friend is a news anchor for Channel 2 in Houston! I mean really, I'm having clutch or transmission issues in the first year with only 33K miles on it. I would have rather bought a used BMW or Lexus. I'm terribly disappointed right now!!!!
or....
Review
I've really enjoyed driving this car. I've driven two manual hondas, one subaru and an old datsun. Never any clutch problems. My 2010 Mazda 3 had a tight clutch one day, and then in the course of a day and a half, the clutch engaged the gear only partially--losing power--and finally, with a snapping sound, no power at all. Miriam Stevens (at Mazda North America Customer Care) gave the impression that Mazda does not care about premature clutch failures on this car. I mentioned the many web-postings about customers with similar clutch failures that appear out of nowhere, ending in sudden failure. This issue is not the result of wear and tear. Want to call lawyer.
orrrrrr......
Review
I purchased a 2010 mazda 3 hatchback on 5/31/09. Car was driven for only two days and had problems w/ the clutch disc. Dealer repaired the issue then drove the car the next day. Car just stopped in the middle of the road and will not move, this time dealer ended up changing the clutch and transmission.To make the long story short I opted for a collateral exchange with the same model and specification as the 1st car I purchased.I got a 2nd car,after driving it for 2 weeks, car broke down again bec of the burnt clutch.I have driven a manual stick shift car for almost 20 years and this problem never happened to my Accord and Acura.I opted for lawyer representation bec Mazda won't fix the issue.

just to name a few. so dont even try to tell me this isnt happening in other mazda 3's

 

[Coakub]

also when i start... i dont rev the engine too high. its a perfect ratio between clutch and gas.. most passengers cant even tell im driving a stick.

 

[Coakub]

so i saw the parts today. the fingers were BARELY worn at all. and the disc, was pretty much mangled, worn unevenly and had pieces falling off it, all the other parts looked fine other than being a little smoked(the disc was BADLY smoked, couldnt even tell it was metal it was so filthy, which makes me wonder why i never once smelled the clutch when the car was failing). mazda corporate said to bring the parts to another dealership. and they somewhat acknowledged the posts i found about the failures...i guess thats progress enough -_, the mechanic i brought with me, told me theres no way in hell i did that to the car, but the service manager wouldnt listen to either one of us regardless ofhow sweet or mean we were...frustrating.

 

[JP0317]

Why would Mazda Corporate they tell you to bring the parts to another dealership.
What, do they have a better relationship with one dealership vs another?
That's ridiculous. Make sure you snag some pictures.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Mazda may not have faith in that dealer; who knows if they have negative feedback on that one particular dealer. I would see this as a positive since Mazda appears to be helping the customer out. Jeez even when a manufacturer is trying to help people think there's some conspiracy going on.

 

[JP0317]

How so?
Regardless of what Mazda thinks of a dealer that is not the point. The point is customer satisfaction.
I would think that Mazda Corporate Headquarters would have the final say for any of the dealers regardless of feedback. And that they would provide reasoning of why they are sending them to a different dealer to have them look at the parts without putting some confidence in their recommendation.
I'm not sure if that last comment was directed at something that I had stated but just to clarify I'm not trying to start a 'conspiracy' or convince anyone of an existing one.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

"How so?"
Not sure if you mean how can Mazda have issues with one dealership or something else. My point is that not every dealership is good, Mazda does keep a running tab on them. In fact there is a pecking order with dealerships. Mazda as well as other manufacturers expect their dealers to take care of issues. If they don't or if a customer calls the Mazda CS hotline with a complaint then the dealer is demoted which means they don't get particular incentives, choice of stock etc.. Mazda may not come out and say that they have no faith in this dealership due to legal reasons, but we don't know what happens behind the scenes, nor is it our business as long as Mazda does right by the customer.

My last comment is more about this catch 22 that customers place manufacturers in. You're "ridiculous" comment kinda of triggered my response. Apologies for that, but the more I read these boards the more I realize that manufacturers are damed if they do right and damned if they do wrong. It's frustrating because the customer is NOT always right.

To the OP, Manufacturers typically don't cover clutches because it's difficult to figure out if the issue was due to abuse or not. I knew a guy who burned through clutches within 1500 miles because he rode the clutch.

This may not be a widespread issue if the problem was with a particular lot of parts or someone's particular driving style exascerbates the issue. How many miles were on the two new cars before you drove them? Here's a though: did your other clutched cars have a different engagement point? Did they ave a lot of travel before the clutch engaged? If you had a tendancy to rest your foot on the clutch (like my wife use to do) you could be unintentionally causing the clutch to wear.

Manufacturers have also become pretty skeptical when it comes to particular warranty repairs- especially in this economic climate- and may not act unless they see a trend occurring. It really could be that they either had a chancge of manufacturing process or a new supply of parts that just happened to coincide with your build date and your just the tip of the iceberg. The fact you went through two cars kinda suggests it maybe a parts supplier issue or maybe the lot attendedant at that particular dealership doesn't know how to drive a stick.

 

[Coakub]

this is the only *mazda ive had... the other cars mentioned were listings from other people having similar problems.. and i dont rest my foot on the clutch, after im in gear, i move it to a restspot...and they want me to take the parts to another dealer for a second opinion, they are trying to work with me the best they can....ill be getting pictures once i retrieve the parts... unfortunately without having a loaner(dealership said to me rather rudely that they didnt have any available and werent going to for a while, which mazda corp wasnt happy to hear lol), anyways, i have to rely on others to drive me around to get the parts, then drive 45 minutes to the next closest dealership...bottom line is i know i didnt abuse my clutch, i tend to baby my vehicles so i can make them last as long as possible, and every time i tell people what happened with my car, they almost fall over in shock(knowing how i drive and how it was impossible for me to have done this)*sigh*, i just want my car back...

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Sorry to hear the dealers are jerking you around. I had issues with a Honda once where the dealer was horrible. Luckily I lives close. Also happy to hear Mazda is trying to work with you. Unfortunately defects do happen which is why they have warranties. Dealers can suck though. Hopefully Mazda will deal with them.

 

[Coakub]

so get this, i finally got to take the parts to another dealership... and dun dun dun... i was right. its defective.. the pressure plate is supposedly the reason why disc got shredded...and guess what! baglier is still jerking around with me, and i caught the service manager in THREE lies just today.. called him out on it. he FLIPPED out on me to the point i was in tears, and then my fiance flipped out on him.. he told me to pay for the tear down and get out of his shop. i told him i aint paying for anything(because its OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE).. and then he screamed at me that i wasnt getting my car back -_-. corporate was still only mildly helpful.. still no problem resolved, but now im waiting on some rep to look at PICTURES(not handle the actual parts which i think is retarded, you dont get a full idea of the damage jsut from a picture)...who knows how long this is gonna take. (thanks btw for all the input you guys are giving me, its helping to vent to people who know about cars)

 

[Coakub]

couple pictures of the disc... didnt get any good ones of the plate...

 

[MS3G35]

Holy hell. If someone talked to my wife like that I would have beat the hell out of them. U should really have your car towed to another dealership.

 

[JP0317]

Wow that is absolutely horrible to hear.
This definitely needs to be brought up with more than just Mazda Corp. That type of treatment is absolutely unacceptable. So what is Mazda Corp doing about this? Did they have any comment as to the treatment or if this dealership can actually have a hold on your car like that. I understand payment for service and all that, but when another dealership that is in the Mazda network has found the parts to be defective isn't that enough to say hey, you're wrong so fix it. I mean this is really unbelievable to hear that a service manager would pull that kind of crap. This man is showing absolutely nothing for the 'after sale' service that Mazda boasts about so much on their corporate website.
I'm really sorry to hear about all this. Just reading it has me pissed off at them.

 

[Coakub]

right now corp isnt doing anything. other than waiting to her from some district guy whos gonna see the pictures...my mother and i(who is probably the scariest woman i know...) are going to the dealership in the morning and shes gonna wear her suit.. my mom is a very powerful woman and is going to scare the living daylights out of these guys...shes the kinda scary that looks at you and makes u wanna piss yourself while she smiles and talks ever so sweetly... so something is going to happen tomorrow hopefully.. and legally they can keep my car until i pay them which sucks, but im still holding out on that warranty.. my next step is to do what a friend on facebook told me :"Try calling Jay Amestoy at 949-727-6443 he is the vice president of public affairs for Mazda America. Explain your situation in a calm and professional manor to him. If he can't help you he can probably give you to the right person."...also had some other good info from this person :"I've been in the car business for 15 years and actually worked for that dealer in Monroeville at one time. First off, Baglier is terrible and actually Monroeville Mazda is not much better. The only way this will work is if you can have Monroeville Mazda fax, email or send you documentation on why the clutch plate is defective and you will have to copy that info for your own records and give a copy to Baglier. Or, you need to verify with Mazda corporate the clutch plate is defective and have them notify Baglier. Legally, Baglier can hold your car until you pay them. Until Monroeville looks at the clutch and verifies it was a defect and not from your driving habits there is no way they can say they will cover it. Basically, you could go there and fall into the same s***. You're in pretty bad situation right now but I think I can help you out. I looked up the issue online and it is a major, major issue on almost all of these cars"

 

[JP0317]

Depending on what goes down you might want to get that other dealership to sign something saying that upon their inspection they found the clutch to show defective signs rather than signs of abuse. I'm not sure if they would be willing to or not. But you might want to get that done before you head over to this POS dealership. At least then you've one less thing to worry about getting. In any case good luck tomorrow. Keep us updated on what goes on. Hope Mazda corp gets their act together and takes care of business for you.