Check Engine Light On problems of the 2004 Mazda MPV

Engine coil issue. Rough idle, check engine light.

At approx. 50,000 miles my 2004 Mazda Mpv's 'check engine light' went on. When I brought the car in for service I was told an ignition coil had to be replaced. At approx. 60,000 miles, the same thing happened . . . The car's check engine light ' came on and, again, an ignition coil had to be replaced. I have since learned from web postings that this ignition coil problem may be a fairly common repair on 2004 Mazda Mini-vans and I'm wondering if this is a design defect that should be addressed through a recall and repair by Mazda. Were I on a highway when the light came on . . . The car lost acceleration capacity and became very difficult to drive . . . I could have been in a serious accident. I am now concerned that this ignition coil problem may continue to re-occur in the future.

2004 Mazda Mpv with 63k miles. Has broken down 5 times with same problem affecting one of two different coils. Engine light comes on. Van hesitates/shakes. No loss of life, but plenty of lost wages etc and Mazda rep not cooperative. $400 and average 3 days in shop each time to repair. Mechanic guessed problem before I even told him. States that they see this all the time with the Mpv's.

With our Mazda 2004 Mpv, we have had four separate incidents in 2 1/4 years from Mar 2008 through June 2010 where the check engine light has come on to indicate an engine problem. In each incident, the vehicle runs very rough and very slow. Each incident resulted in us taking the vehicle to the Mazda dealership where some or all of the ignition coils were replaced. For some of the incidents, the vehicle was out of warranty but in each incident all or some of the costs were covered by Mazda. In 2 of the incidents, we were out of town and it was dark. In another incident, we were leaving town, and the other, we were in town. Now, we will not take the vehicle out of town for fear of completely breaking down at night or in unsafe conditions. On the internet, I find very many similar incidents for the Mazda Mpv.

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda Mpv. Every time it rains, the engine misses and the check engine light illuminates. The contact took the vehicle to the mechanic and was informed that moisture enters the engine and fouls the cylinder when it rains. The failure causes the vehicle to run roughly and travel only at low speeds. The vehicle has not been taken to the Mazda dealer, but the manufacturer stated that there was no recall. The current and failure mileages were 80,000.

2004 Mazda Mpv. Engine went out without warning while cruising at 65 mph on the highway. Check engine light on. The car had only 3000 miles on it at that time. Got towed by Mazda roadside assistance to the closest dealer, who had no time to work on it for more than a week (!). Therefore the car was towed at Mazda's expense to the dealership I had bought it from. There they did not find anything wrong with it and therefore concluded that the ecu must be faulty. A new ecu was installed and the problem has so far not recurred. The car now has about 14000 miles on it.