I have now had two TPMS valve stems snap off while needing to inflate my tires. Both cracked in half at the threaded part or the stem. Cost is $150 each to replace. Mazda corporate says this is "normal". I have driven 500,000 in my life and never had a valve stem crack off. This car has had two. Forums are littered with this issue. People complaining of failure while driving and tires going flat on the highway. Will someone need to die for mazda to change these dangerous monitors?
2010 Mazda MAZDA3 tires complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 48, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The tire pressure sensors became corroded. One broke off during getting new tires installed, the second happened while I was filling the tire with air. It just fell apart in my hand.
On 4/19/14, I had a broken TPMS sensor which needed to be replaced. This sensor was on the passenger side, front tire. Then again on 6/2/14, I had the same problem on a different tire - the driver side back tire.
While driving on the highway my tire pressure monitor system (TPMS) light came on to indicate a low tire. I pulled into the gas station near my house right after and check my tire pressures. When checking the driver side rear tire pressure with a tire pressure gauge the TPMS sensor and stem pushed in and air blasted out, blowing several pieces of the sleeve that keeps the stem in place off of the wheel/stem. I picked up the 2 remaining pieces (one third of the sleeve was missing and presumed to have fallen off while driving) and they had cracked length-wise and had a large amount of white corrosion in the threads. The remaining stem was also covered in white corrosion on the threads and the tire had lost most of its pressure. I still have those pieces of the cracked TPMS sensor sleeve if needed to be examined. I took the vehicle and wheel to the mazda dealership where they inspected that wheel as well as the others. They stated that 2 of my other TPMS sensors had cracked sleeves that could come off at any time in addition the one that had failed. If one of those had failed on one of my front wheels this could have caused a loss of control while driving.
In the mazda 3, the TPMS sensor is connected to the air valve. The TPMS sensors break easily, causing the tire to deflate. If the outside part of the TPMS sensor breaks from corrosion or being hit against a curb, the tire will deflate. I have had 3 TPMS sensors break since I had the car, which has only been 4 years (approx 39,000 miles), and is expensive to replace. My tires are less than 3 years old. The part of the TPMS exposed on the outside will corrode, and if the outside part breaks off, your tires deflate. This is a common problem for mazda owners. These things break and then cause a flat, leaving the driver in a possible emergency situation. The reason for the TPMS sensor is so drivers don't have blow outs, but the emergency light is very nonspecific, so the only way you know what the problem is when the flat has already occurred, which is unnecessarily caused by the TPMS sensor. This latest incident involved me stranded in the country, yet another TPMS sensor replacement ($200 approx), a new tire, and an alignment - almost $500 total. If the TPMS sensor hadn't broken, the flat would not have occurred at all.
It is now march 2014, and 3 of the TPMS valve stems have corroded and are falling apart. The first one was discovered during tire replacement. Now 2 more are falling apart. All components are the original, so the claim about galvanic corrosion due to using aftermarket valves with brass is irrelevant. Mazda has a serious safety problem and is doing nothing about it. For reference I also own a toyota rav4 and the TPMS are still perfect.
Tire pressure gauge broke off, resulting in sudden loss of tire pressure and the need to suddenly slow and pull over. After taking it into be serviced, the mazda dealer says all four are corroded, and need to be replaced. At 4 years and less than 40,000 miles, this seems clearly like a potential safety problem with the car in general.
Rear tire was flat in the morning. Could not find visible damage. Pumped it up to 32 psi and by next morning it was 20 psi. Three days later, a front tire was flat. No noticeable damage, but did notice a cracked tire stem on a third tire. Went to a tire dealer to get repairs. Was informed that three of my four tire pressure monitor sensors were leaking. Had all four replaced at my expense. I do not believe this is a safety improvement over not having the sensors which are now required by law.
June 9th 2013, vehicle experienced loss of inflation pressure in passenger front tire while driving. Dealership confirmed TPMS valve seal failure was root cause of air loss. Check of other tpm sensors confirmed driver side front seal was also defective and leaking small amounts of air. Both replaced under warranty with dealer indicating this as a known issue. September 16th 2013 passenger rear tire experienced airloss while driving vehicle. Dealer investigation confirmed tpm valve failure. Part not covered under warranty or dealer goodwill. Failure of safety-critical part after ~3 years of field exposure is not acceptable.
Within 2 days of driving, my mazda 3 had two separate incidents, where the valves of the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) failed, on two separate tires. On monday, july 18, 2013 while traveling at highway speed on rt. 25 in bourne, ma, the tire pressure warning light came on. I stopped at the nearest gas station. The driver's front tire was very flat. When I attempted to fill it with air, the valve pushed into the tire. Luckily, I was at a gas station and they were able to repair the tire with "standard" (non-TPMS) valve and I was on my way. As I was on vacation. I parked the car for a week. When I returned to my car (july 22), I drove the car for about 50 miles. I stopped to have lunch and noticed that the driver's side rear tire was very flat. When I attempted to put air into the valve, it too pushed into the tire. That is two TPMS valves that failed in two days of driving. I called mazda customer service (800‑222‑5500, ext. 6) explained the situation to jose (ext. 1180). He was sympathetic, but would not commit to mazda repairing the TPMS valve at no cost to me. I am having my mechanic put in non-TPMS valves in the remaining two tires on the car, as I feel they are a real safety hazard. I will not drive the car until it is repaired. I went on to the internet and there are numerous instances of valve failures on mazda3 cars (http://carproblemzoo.com/mazda/mazda3/tire-pressure-monitoring-system-problems.php). I plan to take the failed components to wellsley mazda, in wellsley ma where the vehicle was purchased, for evaluation. I do not trust the reliability of the tmps system in my mazda3, and apparently there are others who feel the same. The failure of the TPMS valves is a serious safety issue and one that the federal safety agency should consider investigating. Tire failure at highway speed can lead to very serious accidents.
I have a 2010 mazda 3, I have had issues with the tire pressure sensor corroding and causing the tire to lose air quickly. This has happen to me twice within 6 months of each other. I took the other two tire sensors off, which they were also corroded. This issue needs to be addressed as quickly as possible, I got lucky that I wasn't traveling at high speeds at the time my pressure in my tires went out. Also at the time I had two children under the age of 5 in the car which thank goodness nothing happen to them! This could very easily cause someone to loose control and wreck their car and cause serious injuries.
Only owner of a 2010 mazda 3. Issues with car since purchasing. Replaced tires in winter of 2012, few weeks later tire pressure light came on. Filled tires with air. Few weeks later, same occurrence. Brought car to the place were the tires were professionally installed. The inspected over all 4 tires and found that 2 of the 4 tire stems needed to be replaced. Called mazda corp and they stated the car needed to go to a dealership to be diagnosed. ( for leaking tire stems ). Called my local mazda where the car was purchased, they were great and said they wouldn't charge a fee to diagnose leaking stems as it was obvious. They did find that 2 of the 4 were broken. 1 was actually snapped in half. No driver error noted, or damage to rim. If you google this issue there are other complaints out there regarding this, but mazda still wont recognize this as a safety issue. My question being... What if the stems failed at a high rate of speed ????
While checking a customer's tire pressure the TPMS sensor broke causing all air to escape the tire, immobilizing the vehicle. We had a new TPMS sensor installed and the tire repaired for $81.41.
Tpms alerted driver to low air pressure in a tire. Checked tire, pressure low (subsequently found screw in tire). Once air nozzle place on valve stem, it snapped in half and all the air immediately went out of the tire. Others checked and are corroded and brittle. Dealer and local auto mechanic both stated likely to happen again without warning. Materials used in the valve stem should be changed to make them flexible, like the older ones without the monitoring system. Replaced valve stem with $5 stem of flexible material to prevent safety issue in the future.
The documented date above (07/13/13) is my most recent incident with my valve stem/tire pressure monitoring system falling off while driving. In june 2012 with ~34,000 miles, while driving on the highway, my first valve stem/TPMS fell out, not being able to drive on that wheel (no air), and the wheel could no longer be used until I had a mazda dealer replace the part. This was a very dangerous experience for my tire to suddenly deflate while moving at fast speeds. This was fixed under my almost terminated warranty. One month later, the valve stem/TPMS on another wheel came off while driving and this had to be replaced like the other one. Most recently, my third wheel tpmsensor went while also driving on the highway, vigilantly maintaining control on my vehicle until I could pull off the highway. This trend shows a huge safety issue/inadequate parts used during construction. There is no prescribed care for these parts in the mazda owners manual nor is there anyway to know that these would malfunction until they did. 3 out of 4 is unacceptable and unsafe and should show a trend. When I called mazda, they told me that the cost of this recent repair was mine because the vehicle, now at ~55,000 miles was no longer under warranty. These parts were dysfunctional from the beginning and should have all been replaced at my first incident if this was to happen again, and again. I am nervous that this could happen to my fourth wheel while driving, potentially causing an accident.
Tire pressure monitoring system sensor failed causing the tire to blowout and go flat on the highway. The stem of the sensor was corroded which caused the incident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mazda mazda 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the tire pressure warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the rear passenger's side valve stem and sensor was corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the valve stem was replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
My tire pressure light was on, I stopped at the gas station to put some air in and as I removed the plastic valve cap the valve cracked and broke off leaving me with a flat tire.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mazda mazda3. The contact stated that the rear tire pressure sensors failed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and it was found that the inside of the valve stems had rusted. The dealer determined that the valve stem needed to be replaced with a rubber stem instead of a metal one to prevent rust. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was not available. The current mileage was 27,000.
Bought a used 2010 mazda 3 5-door in january 2013. I was driving down the highway on may 18th 2013 when I suddenly lost control of the vehicle, I cut off traffic to get into the emergency lane. Noticed that the driver side front tire was flat, put on the spare and took car to the closest tire repair shop (good year tire). Turns out that the tires TPMS (tire-pressure monitoring system) sensors threads striped causing the sudden loss of air pressure in the tire. Ironically the small little sensor that is supposed to prevent running on low air pressure was at fault in this traffic incident.
On or about 4/24/2012, I had to purchase a new set of four tires at the firestone dealership on route 36, west long branch, nj 732‑542‑0995. Please also note I had my mazda 3i for only a little over 2 years at that time. Within the last year, I have already had to replace two of those tires due to leaks/blowouts. Upon taking my car back to the self-same firestone dealership in west long branch, nj for closer inspection, ed gonzalez, the manager, indicated to me that the tire valve stem on the tire most recently "deceased"' (left rear) had actually fallen out of the tire and into the wheel well without ever being touched by anyone previously (I have photos of defective stems. Upon closer inspection, the tire valve stem in the right rear tire is also defective to the eye. I have both defective stems and [xxx] will attest-in writing-to the fact that they are both defective-and the original, factory-installed tire valve stems that I received on my mazda 3i in february, 2010. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Checking tire pressure in driveway and TPMS sensor - tire valve cracked and failed in 3 of 4 tires/wheels. Two today, and the first approx. 3 months ago. Imagine what could happen if one of these valves failed while . Driving down the highway.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mazda mazda3. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the tire pressure warning lamp illuminated and after inspecting the left rear tire, the contact noticed that the sleeve for the tire pressure sensor was corroded. The contact also noticed that both of the rear and the passenger side tire pressure sensor sleeves had developed cracks. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician verified that the sensors were defective and corroded the inside of the tire. As a result, all four sensors and one of the tires needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 58,000.
Tire pressure warning light came on, so I checked the pressure of each tire. One was low, so I asked my mechanic to fix it. He found the leak was a cracked valve stem assembly, allowing air to escape along the valve stem. Fortunately it didn't damage the new tire, but still cost $150 to fix and I found this to be a common complaint for the mazda3. For me, the safety issue is having this problem happen when my wife is driving this car on a trip, sees the warning light come on, and has to find help to fix it or to change the tire for the spare, or the leak becomes fast enough to give her a flat tire.
My daughter was driving the mazda 3 headed east on I-94 in brookfield, wi near the moorland road exit on saturday afternoon, february 9, 2013 the car was moving at about 65mph. The low tire pressure warning light came on suddenly. Then a few seconds after that the steering became wobbly and the right front tire blew. She was able to get control of the car, decelerate and pull to the shoulder. The right front tire outside sidewall was completely shredded. With the help of state trooper david w. Hanson she got the tire changed. On monday, february 11, 2013 I took the car to a trusted mechanic. We found the tire valve and tire pressure sensor inside the shredded tire. The valve stem had blown into the tire. We didn't know what could have caused that. I had the mechanic, rob of erv's service in hartland, wi examine the other tires and valve stems on the remaining wheels of the car. He found another valve stem with a cracked housing that was ready to fail. I had the mechanic remove it and secure the valve stem. I retained the faulty parts. I believe the valve stem assembly failed causing the sudden loss of tire pressure, the shredding of the tire sidewall and near loss of control of the car. This could have resulted in a crash. Injuries and possibly loss of life.
Spontaneous failure of tire valve stem resulting in the near instantaneous decompression of the rear driver's side tire. At the time I was attempting to check the tire pressure of that wheel. The stem separated into two pieces without any prior indication of wear.
New car, mazda m3, purchased in april 2010. Yokohama tires were on the car. Car currently has approximately 18,000 miles and tires have been rotated. Last night while traveling approximately 40mph, the rear passenger tire went flat. Upon removing the tire to fix the flat, the sidewall had split from the tread. This happened on the inside of the tire meaning the side of the tire against the car so it was not visible from just looking at the outside of the tire. The split is 15 inches in length and I can see that there are other areas that look like they are about to split as well. I found the federal safety agency campaign id number: 12t025000 talking about recall of a yokohama tire that seems to match what I have had. I have contacted my car dealer as the recall says the dealer will replace free of charge, but they aren't aware of any recall. I've been on hold for yokohama for 30+ minutes with no luck in speaking to a live person. I can't afford not to have a car and based on all I've read about these tires, I can't afford to have my children ride on tires that perform like this. I can't afford to wait on a process to determine if yokohama will make good on their warranty claims. I have to purchase new tires and will be purchasing 4 new tires and not yokohama.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mazda mazda3. The contact stated that the front passenger side tire valve stem failed. The contact mentioned that the valve stem cracked in half. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 24,750.
While checking and inflating a customer's tires the valve stem broke causing the tire to completely deflate.
The valve stem of my tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) had significant corrosion leading to immediate and rapid deflation of front left tire while removing air hose while tending to TPMS warning light. The rapid deflation was due to complete and immediate severance where the threaded portion of valve stem met valve cap without any torque or abnormal pressure applied. The severed edge of the valve stem shows clear evidence of corrosion 360 degrees and inward, with a thin halo (appx. 1/10 of the wall) remaining. Both the tire and valve stem showed no sign of leaking and held proper pressure while filling to recommended pressure until removal of air hose caused the stem to split horizontally between the 9th and 10th thread. Plastic valve caps were in place on all 4 tires. Spare tire also not able to be put in place due to 'stuck' lug nuts on same tire; similar corrosion is suspect, possibly caused by galvanic corrosion due to metals found in disk brakes, shoes or alloy rim. Vehicle is still under warranty and needed tow to nearest mazda dealership for repair. When calling the service department about sending my vehicle over I addressed my concerns about the other 3 valve stems needing replacement and was told "they are $150 each so if you want to pay to have the other ones replaced you can, but the dealership isn't going to pay for it" my response: "really? I'm thankful this didn't happen on the highway, I would hope the safety of your customers would come first" ..no im sorry, no we'll look into it for you, just "well can I give you the number for roadside assistance?"
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