Equipment Problems of Mazda CX-7 - part 2

Purchased (new) - July 4th, 2011. One month in, the front driver tire blows out on the 55 freeway in costa mesa. The car is driven to the dealer the next day - to have a tire placed on. The price was surely "surprise surprise" - $250. 00. We push to know why the tire was so expensive, it's because the size is new for this size vehicle and there's one maker of the tire. Bridgestone. We pay for it begrudgingly, and go about our way. February 6th, 2015, 3 years, 6 months of owning the vehicle. The vehicle history is good, maintenance is excellent (my wife is a therapist for children with autism so that's why vehicle choice was extremely important - traveling client to client in administering therapy sessions) and without warning, she cannot reverse. Car can drive forward, yet is losing power when the automatic attempts to shift from 1st to 2nd gear, so it jumps from first to 3rd. We take the vehicle to browning Mazda in cerritos and we are advised that the transmission needs to be replaced ($3,200. 00). 3 years 6 months 64,262 miles, excellent maintenance history, & this vehicle needs a new transmission? this felt like a terrible joke. The power train warranty? 3y/60k. Expired just over 4,000 miles ago. We contact Mazda (corporate) & are advised later in the day that they would pay half of the ticketed amount. That's still egregious as there wouldn't be a vehicle sold if most buyers knew that at such ridiculously low mileage, the transmission would fail them. We retrieve the vehicle and have it looked at for two more opinions and apparently there are no codes indicating the transmission is bad, yet it's obviously the transmission according to the mechanic as indicated simply by the test drive.

See all problems of the 2011 Mazda CX-7 🔎.

Window motors; shortly after I purchase my vehicle my driver window would be difficult to go up once it went down. Then it got worse and made a loud sound when it went up and one would have to pull it up. Now the driver window does that. Its hard to get it up once its down and makes a loud sound. I find it strange that both windows are now not working.

See all problems of the 2012 Mazda CX-7 🔎.

The rear passenger door can not open from the inside. I have never activated the child lock on the door. It is not in the lock position. It is dangerous. I am unable to let my son out on street side protecting him from on coming cars. During inspection nothing was broken and they recomended I take it to the dealer for further investigation.

See all problems of the 2007 Mazda CX-7 🔎.

The ac quit working in the car. Hot air will blow but will not blow cold air.

See all problems of the 2008 Mazda CX-7 🔎.

Car did not want to move and white smoke came out tail pipe was in rush hour traffic.

Would like to make a complaint about my vehicle. I was stopped at a light and heard a clicking sound as I tried to accelerate when light turned green. Vehicle died at the light. Vehicle was towed to a mechanic. Timing chain stretched and broke which caused damage to the engine and valves. Vehicle has been in the shop for more than four weeks! my approximate cost will be $3500, but price can go up since mechanic has yet to complete the work. Have read many similar complaints about the timing chain and vvt with this make and model on the internet. Many vehicles have broken down on the highway. Even after my vehicle is repaired, I do not feel safe driving it. I will trade it in (not another Mazda) as soon as it is repaired. It is unfortunate that Mazda is aware of this problem but has not made effort to recall the Mazda cx7.

I was stopped at a traffic light with my 10 yr old in the car, and as soon as I pulled out form the traffic light we noticed smoke and people honking their car horns at us. I looked in the rear view mirror and there was a "puddle" of fire on the road that was not there when I pulled up to the stop light so I assume it leaked down from my engine. After noticing the fire I quickly pulled over (not even through the intersection yet) and instructed my son to get out of the car. I shut off the ignition of the vehicle, and exited as well to call 911. By the time the fire department arrived, the car was too far gone to be salvaged. The car was completely burned, all airbags discharged from the heat of the fire, and the front two wheels where damaged by heat and the front tires where melted.

I was driving 60 mph in the freeway suddenly I smelled burn rubber inside the cabin and I heard a loud noise came from the engine, after a few minutes the serpentine belt was broke. I found out the ac compressor lock-up. I was lucky there is no incident happen. Hope there is a recall for this concern.

I was driving my 2007 Mazda Cx-7 a few days ago on a major road and it suddenly started to make a loud noise as I accelerated and would not increase speed. This was very scary and dangerous experience for me because my car felt like it was about to cutoff on a major highway while cars were driving at high speeds. I took my car to the dealership the next day and I was told I needed to replace the turbocharger and vvt & timing chain for a total of $4,200. I begin to perform research online on these issues and found forums where hundreds of Mazda owners have experienced this same issue with their vehicle. Unbeknownst to me, Mazda sent a letter to owners with an extended warranty program for both of these issues. The warranty period is 70,000mi or 7 years. My vehicle is 75,000 and one mother past the 7 yr time period. Mazda is circumventing the recall process by offering an extended warranty for parts that they know are defective and the consumers who believed that they would honor their product is left with a huge bill to repair their vehicle when Mazda is responsible party. Please see the link below to see numerous complaints by other Mazda owners on this same issue. . Read more...

Egr valve failure on a 2008 Mazda Cx-7 with 47,500 miles. I had never heard of a egr valve before my check engine light came on and I took it to the local auto parts store to have them tell me the error code. Took it to the dealership and they told me that the warranty for the part was 60months/60,000 miles. While I was way under on the miles, I was 5 months over on the time. Since this was my 3rd trip into the dealership over the past 5 months dealing with problems/maintenance with my Cx-7, I asked why this particular part failed. I was told that it was due to the negative effects of ethanol. After some quick research, it is clear that 2007-2008 Mazda Cx-7 has serious problems with the egr valve. It will cost me $650 to fix. Mazda should have been forced to recall this part since it looks like it was defective from the start. Was told that a new replacement part for the egr valve would be put into the vehicle which will not break due to presence of ethanol in gas.

Whining sound when gas pedal is compressed, form 30 - 65 mph, at times ,loss of power.

My wife was driving to work yesterday morning when she heard a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot. She immediately noticed glass flying off of the top of the car. Apparently the sunroof exploded. There were no other cars around my wife at the time so it did not get hit by a rock or any other debris from the road. The good thing is that while my wife was shaken up over the incident, she did not wreck the car and the inner shade was shut so there was no glass in the interior of the car. I took photos of the sunroof and the remaining glass is pushed up as if someone kicked it from the inside of the vehicle. I can email the photos if they are needed. I searched the internet for any complaints of sunroofs exploding on mazada vehicles and to my surprise there were a number of people who experienced the same problem. I think that this is a real safety issue. I have contacted Mazda about the incident and am waiting for a response but when I spoke with the service manager at the dealership where I purchased the car, she stated that she had never heard of anything like my wife experienced. All of the other complaints that I found on the internet stated that they contacted Mazda and that nothing was ever done to rectify the situation.

I had smoke coming from under the hood. Ac compressor was burning up, and entire ac system needed to be replaced, only for the ac to stop outputting cool air on hot days unless I'm driving over 55 mph.

My 2010 Mazda cx7 has been in dire need of new tires. I have had several repairs from punctures in the tires which are bridgestone dueler 215/70r17 which is my understanding that they are soft tires and the rating is not that great on this type of tire but it is the only tire recommended for this model. This is the only tire recommended through Mazda. They are also expensive. I am very upset that Mazda gives no allowance of the brand tire that a consumer may choose. Even the Mazda dealer that I bought from didn't have them in stock. I feel this has been misrepresentation on the dealer's part and Mazda. I have been reading forums of this problem and it is recommended to replace every year because of type of tire. I live in florida and do not need winter tires. Is there anything I can do? I am tempted to contact every tire dealer and media.

See all problems of the 2010 Mazda CX-7 🔎.

Passenger side floor board stays wet.

Compressor kit was already having issues when driving and when stopped to fuel up, the car would not start as the pulley on the compressor kit was catching and not turning correctly to start the ignition. The car is only a 2007 and only had 60,000 miles on it.

Turning into a walmart parking lot my car shut down for no reason. Almost got hit by another car that was passing by since I was not able to turn. Turning into my apartment complex the car turned off again. Started to research issues with this car and I ran into many similar complaints. Car turned off another 4 times. Car shakes when I turn ac on. And when I place it on reverse. Also had the clicking noise but it seemed to go away. There seems to be some sensor issues. I took my cx7 to Mazda so that they can see what is going on. They ran tests. Came back and said it would cost me about $3500. It was a list of things that could be wrong they said, they were not so sure what to say. Mechanic then stated that since he works at Mazda he probably should not be telling me this but he said that he has seen that problem one too many times with this particular car. That yes Mazda does know about it but they blame the owners. So I asked it I were to pay this would I get some warranty, he said no because the same problem will happen again. God forbid that my car turns off and I have and accident, since car gives no warning. I have 2 children that ride with me all the time. Mazda had some sort of recall on this car a few years ago. I purchased this car February of 2012. I know understand why this person took car to trade out. Maybe they got notice but did not care to take care of it, they traded the car in. I think they should look at those issues on all Mazda cx7. Their main issues are the turbo, the ac, and the timing belt. If you read other complaints you will see that its the same issue which is due to the actual car not the owners, please help us affected by these vehicles get Mazda to finally take responsibility for this. Make them recall these cars and get the problem fixed. To where we wont run into the same issues over and over again before someone looses a life.

As I was driving, the timing chain broke and imploded into the engine, damaging the engine which now needs replacement. This appears to be a common occurrence with this vehicle.

Driving on my way to tennessee, the car had a major power loss and screeching noise from inside the engine bay. The car was taken to the closest Mazda dealership and was told that the turbo had to be replaced due to engine sludge. The car had regular oil changes using the proper amount and oil weight. Mazda had a recall involving the turbo and they did not honor it because I was about 1000 miles over the extended warranty.

The ac had been getting less cool and completely went out 2 days ago. Yesterday it started making a ticking noise. Today it started smoking and smelled like burnt rubber. I took it in and was told the ac compressor had gone out. It is now getting a new compressor/filter/dryer/belt which I am paying for as it is out of warranty.

The SUV began to smoke from under the hood. When stopped to look at it the belt had began to melt due to the ac compressor locking up. When went to dealer to purchase new compressor parts rep stated that this was a common problem. Upon further research online found several reports of similar incidents. Changed a/c compressor, dryer receiver, and belt. Yes the parts are available the replacement parts cost $420 and it was $90 to recharge the system (Mazda quoted $450 for labor, husband is mechanic so he done the work). Had the belt broke this could have easily caused me to be stranded on the side of the road with my toddler in 100 degree weather. The vehicle has only about 50,000 on it and a/c compressors should last way longer than that. When called Mazda they said I would have to drive the car 45 miles to the dealer pay for an inspection and the dealer would send them a report. I was not comfortable driving this far so we bought the parts from Mazda and done the work.

Driving home from work during rush hour. Smoke began pouring out of engine compartment outside vehicle and into the cabin. Fearing an engine fire, pulled off to left shoulder of highway and shut off engine. Opened hood (with much trepidation) to observe problem. Smoke continued to emanate from passenger side of engine compartment near serpentine belts - no obvious fire. Let vehicle sit for 5 minutes and restarted - same problem. Shut off a/c, and smoke and noise discontinued. Idled for 5 minutes - no more apparent problems with a/c off. Pulled back on to highway and continued trip home. Did some online investigation and deduced that a/c compressor had seized. Anecdotal evidence of widespread problem, including catastrophic failures for other Mazda cx7 owners. Anecdotal evidence of a complete component redesign for 2008 model year. Brought car to dealer following Monday - a/c compressor had seized and required replacement to the tune of $1300 at my cost (12,000 km over warranty). No help from the dealer, and no help from Mazda. Zoom-zoom appears to represent how quickly Mazda retreats from customer support.

On my 30 mile drive home from work, I briefly smelt something burning. Later on that drive, I realized that my a/c did not seem to be blowing cold. My a/c has always taken a while to cool the car down, but it wasn't even cool after my 30 mile drive home. When I confirmed that the a/c was not blowing cold at all, on my drive to work the following day, I took my car to a repair shop to have the a/c checked. That is when I was told my a/c compressor had "locked up" for some unknown reason, and needed to be replaced. I took my car to the Mazda dealership the following business day and they confirmed the same. Mazda could not provide an explanation for why this happened at 58,000 miles. The compressor is still not repaired at this time because the Mazda dealership will not warranty their repairs.

Airconditioning caused strong burning-rubber smell. Being aware of numerous problems leading to engine shutdown with potential for crash, shut down a/c to enable 500-mile drive home, then to dealer, who confirmed failure and replaced compressor and serpentine belt at cost of $552. 47. Mileage at time of replacement was only 52,132.

New headrests since 2010 are terrible. My neck constantly hurts because I like to sit against the back of my seat, and my head is pushed forward at an angle no matter how I try to adjust the headrests in my cx7. These "safety" regulations are causing me pain and permanent neck issues. These safety regulations need to be revised.

I was driving. Ac suddenly stopped burned smell coming in to the car, were I had my 12 month old baby in the car. Smell was making me sick baby start to cry. I called the towing company to take the car to the dealer. Saw on line that other people have had the same problem with the Mazda cx7 ac problem.

About a year(8/21/08) after purchase (new) my '07 Cx-7 a/c went out(the compressor) 49,000mi and of course it was out of warranty. It would be a little easier too swallow if it was just one part but no it usually ends in most of the system being replaced! the Mazda tech told us that the compressor clutch assembly failed/imploded and was in fact glowing red/burning inside the housing. The failed fragments entered the a/c's system and basically ruined the other parts. After going round and round with Mazda corp. They covered some (compessor and a $500 gift card) without mention of fault (go figure!). I really had to stay on them to do anything. They were very reluctant, even then it cost me $700! I payed my half and had it repaired at tim marburger Mazda(out of business now). My wife does a lot of travel to/from work and what do you know, on 9/25/09 at @87,000 the same thing happened again!!!!! now, I'm truely pissed! not sure even if I have options at this point. I'm ready to take the hit on a trade in value of my car. I feel this may be a yearly occurence and I can not afford it! in the two years we've had the car/SUV I have had now 2 a/c complete failures, 1 bad idler pulley, just waiting for the next thing before I can get rid of it. You know I traded in a '01 chevy tahoe w/ 225,000 and never had any kind of problems like this just minor up keep that I expected! we will never buy another Mazda again.

A/c stopped working - instead of cold, it blowing hot air - while returning from the trip (~4hhs). After that, on ~45m/h road - I felt a smell and saw smoke came from under the hood. Had to call fire department, luckily car/engine did not flame up. Car is in repair shop now. It was not only a fire hazard, but also probably health too: I have been driving and breathing whatever is burning ?!.

Ac compressor shaft failure and fell off. Car was 18 months old.

Sudden failure of ac clutch. Locks up and burns. Affects steering and will damage engine.

I bought a brand new 2007 Mazda cx7. In Jan. Of 2008, my a/c stopped working and smoke was pouring out of the engine compartment. After having it towed to the Mazda dealership, we were told the a/c compressor was fried. It was still under warranty at that point with approx. 25,000 miles. Around this time we had to have all four tires replaced because they were bald. Now it is may 2009, and once again, the a/c stopped working, the car is no longer under warranty, we took it to the dealership, they told us it was the compressor again, that the part had to be ordered. They disconnected the compressor and said it was safe to drive. The next day while driving the car smoke was pouring out of the engine compartment, after pulling off of the road we tried to re start the car, that is when the belt snapped, and the car is no longer drivable. And the tires are bald again one year later.

My a/c compressor gave out suddenly at about 40k. A few seconds before it happened there was a loud belt noise from my engine, and a burning smell. I had to pull over quickly to find where the sound was coming from. It wasn't until I turned off my a/c that I discovered that it was the source. I can not run the a/c without further damaging other components in my car. This is only a two year old car. Mazda says they will not completely cover it, since it happened outside of the 36k bumper to bumper warranty. It has not yet been replaced. After plenty of research on forums, I observed that this is happening on most Mazda Cx-7's between 25k-40k miles. It happened to my friend who has the same model and year 4 days after her bumper to bumper warranty expired. She was driving down the freeway when the car started to smoke and left her stranded on the side of the freeway. Serpentine belt burned all over. This could have been a very dangerous incident for me if I had not pulled over in time. I have contacted Mazda about this issue and they deny that there is a problem in this model car. They say they handle it on a case by case issue. Yet I have found postings in which people have had Mazda cover the entire cost of this issue outside of the 36k mile warranty. Mazda is only willing to cover half of the cost. Yet after all my research, and all the other owners that I have discovered to have the same issue with the 2007 Mazda Cx-7 model, I have come to the conclusion that this is a quality control issue, not warranty. For the past two years my car has been to the dealership for multiple TSB's and recalls.