In early august 2009 at approx. 21k miles when I performed my 7500 mile tire rotation I noticed that all the 4 oe good year rsa tires were very worn on the inside, not the thread area but the area where the sidewall starts. I had noticed this before but had not thought much of it as it wasn't too bad. I drove on a 500 mile trip shortly after this and became more concerned . I had the alignment checked at the destination and it was within mfg. Spec. The alignment people said the cause was probably due to the negative camber on the rear wheels which at -2.3 and -1.7 was probably the reason for the wear and that I should replace the tires. Mazda does not provide for adjusting the rear camber. Not having the resources at the time, thinking maybe it was a overzealous sales effort, and to me the tires still looked usable I didn't replace them. Now at 27k miles I have the resources to replace them and the area on the inside corner in much more worn. Mazda gives no explanation, one said should rotate @ 5k miles, another says they put crappy tires on the vehicle. On the internet, people who replace the tires say they continue to have the problem and that it is caused by the excessive negative camber that cannot be adjusted. This is a safety issue in that, with a sour economy many people may not be able to afford replacement tires, many people may not be able to or pay to rotate tires and many people may not check them at all. At the minimum mazda should provide for adjustment of the rear camber.
2008 Mazda MAZDA3 suspension complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 15 of 15, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Rear camber is out of adjustment causing premature tire wear.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 mazda3 sedan. He noticed that the tires were wearing faster than normal. The dealer stated that the negative camber caused the tires to wear and that they are aware of the defect; however, they cannot correct the defect. The manufacturer stated they will not offer any assistance. The current and the failure mileages were 27,514. Updated 09/23/09. *lj updated 09/23/09
I purchased a new 2008 mazda 3s in october 07 with toyo tires. At 12,000 miles my tires were down to safety bar...had to purchase new tires. The toyo tire dealer told me that the rear camber on the car was the problem. Mazda says camber cannot be adjusted. Toyo tire people say the problem is the aggressive rear camber and that is the way mazda built it. I only got 17,000 miles on new set of tires. After many attempts trying to get mazda to fix the problem, and them always saying the camber was within specs. The dealer finally admitted there is a problem with the car. But there is no way to fix the problem. If this is their design flaw, they should put a disclaimer with the car at time of purchase that you will have to purchase tires every 15,000 miles. After reviewing on line, I came across several blogs of mazda owners that have experienced the same problem. Mazda needs to provide the part to fix the car. Who expects to have to purchase tires every 15,000 miles when they are rated for 40-60,000 miles. At this time, my car will not pass state inspection because of the tires and I will have to purchase new ones. This is wrong....and mazda needs to accept responsibility for its poor engineering/design and inform new buyers of this potential problem with their car. Mazda acts like this is normal tire wear because the mazda 3s has "spirited handling".
Shortly after purchasing a 2008 mazda3 I 2.0l sedan, I began to feel a shake through the steering wheel and chassis while idling/driving. Dealer verified shake and per tsb due to an ongoing problem, replaced motor mounts. Car felt better but not completely free of engine shake and now appears to be getting worse. When the engine is started cold it shakes the entire car and when warm a suttle but noticeable shake is still felt though the steering wheel and chassis. After reading numerous posts on mazda3 enthusiast websites, this appears to be a common and ongoing problem spanning several years.
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