Clutch Pedal/linkage problems of the 2012 Mazda MAZDA3

While driving on four lane highway, car slowed and failed to respond to gas pedal. Could not shift gears in manual transmission. Pulled to side of roadway and called for tow to dealer. Dealer found front surface of clutch disk to be completely worn away, thus allowing clutch to slip. Danger was inability to maintain flow with heavy traffic. Due to low mileage, suspect defect in parts or assembly.

I have a '12 Mazda Mazda3 itouring hatchback w/2. 0l skyactiv I-4 (bl generation) with skyactiv 6mt. When starting off from a stop in 1st gear and shifting into 2nd gear (clutch pedal completely depressed before shifter was pulled out of 1st, no gas pedal was applied) transmission would grind when shifter is being pulled into 2nd gear. Grind can be heard inside and outside, and can be felt in shifter. Grind would continue for less than a second then would pop fully into 2nd gear. Along with issue, whenever grind does not occur, shifting into 2nd gear requires significantly more force to fully engage compared to reverse, 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gears. Mazda dealership could not duplicate symptom, therefore declaring an "npf" or "no problem found. ".

While downshifting from 4th to 3rd and/or 5th to 4th to slow down without having my foot on the gas pedal (only on the clutch) my 2012 Mazda 3 itouring 6 speed mt accelerates very rapidly and jerks about. It happens for several seconds and then stops. It's almost every time I downshift. I brought it to the attention of the Mazda dealer on the first service appointment at 5000 miles in April 2013. However, the service advisor informed me that mechanic checked the problem and found no issues with the car that would be causing this problem.

My 2012 Mazda 3 skyactiv hatchback with the 6 speed manual transmission is exhibiting unintended acceleration. The symptoms exhibited are consistent with multiple other reports in this system. After downshifting into 2nd or 3rd gear, or after coasting in one of those gears with the clutch disengaged, the engine revs and the car "surges" forward upon re-engagement of the clutch. When this occurs, the accelerator pedal is only being slightly pushed, but the car acts as if it has been pushed almost to the floor. Depending on the position of the clutch pedal when this occurs, the engine will either rev to 3000 to 4000 rpm, or the car will accelerate forward until either the brake or clutch pedal is pressed. This issue has been confirmed by Mazda after multiple trips to the dealership for service. Upon the last visit, a data recorder was installed and recorded 7 specific unintended acceleration events between the dates of 11/13/12 and 11/20/12. According to an email I received from the district service & parts manager for district 2 of Mazda north America operations (mnao) on 12/23/12, "the concern found on the data recordings taken from your vehicle were found to be a pcm calibration issue. Mazda corporation is working on a new calibration for the pcm with an unknown time of completion. " when I requested that my vehicle be replaced with another of the same model, this was the response from the same district service & parts manager: "since the calibration of the pcm is the same on a 2013 like model with a manual transmission it would not be advised to trade you into that vehicle as it could potentially exhibit the same concern depending on your driving habits and conditions. " I am currently awaiting a response from mnao's mediation department regarding either replacing my car with another model, or buying back the car from me.

The car sometimes surges during downshifting. I will be driving in moderate traffic in third gear. The traffic slows, and I let in the clutch and apply the brake. When the traffic starts to pick up again, I am going too slow for third, so I shift into second and let the clutch out. My right foot is just resting lightly on the gas pedal. The car has not been idling fast, but as soon as the clutch is engaged, the engine suddenly roars and the car leaps forward, even though I have not pressed the gas at all. I let in the clutch again to avoid an accident. When I let it out again, it works normally. This happens once, twice, or not at all in a 40-mile round trip out of town and back. It also happens frequently when I make a left turn without stopping, but where I need to slow and downshift. I coast into the turn with the clutch pedal in, shift down, and attempt to let the clutch out when coming out of the turn. I would expect the car to slow when I shift down unless I am pressing the accelerator, but something other than me is giving it gas. It is impossible to predict when this will happen, and it never happens twice in a row. I have made it happen on purpose, but I think that was pure luck. It happens when downshifting into any gear, but because of the heavy traffic in our area, it ends up usually being third to second. It has happened to me when downshifting into third or fourth also.