2011 Mazda MAZDA3 transmission complaints

Filed Nov 21, 2011 · Engine, Transmission · 3,500 miles · PA

I stopped at a stop sign and my car started accelerating as if the accelerator was fully depressed. My foot was squarely on the brake at the time but I was being pulled slowly forward on to a busy roadway. I am an experienced driver and was able to turn the car sharply to the right along the shoulder to avoid oncoming traffic. I shifted into park, and then shut the engine off. My foot placement was no where near the accelerator, and there were no other obstructions (I.e. Carpets). When I restarted the car the engine sounded normal. As an engineer, I am fairly certain that what ever happened was electronic in nature, not a mechanical obstruction or sticking linkage (I did not touch the gas pedal when I restarted). Prior to this incident I had been driving slow though a business park at 10 to 15 miles and hour for a couple of minutes, I was at a doctor appointment. I have not seen this issue before or since. Mazda has examined the car and did not see anything. I like the car, but I thought it was important to get this potentially dangerous flaw on record.

Filed Mar 30, 2011 · Transmission · 17,000 miles · AL

On friday my wife was driving my car (she learned how to drive on a manual and has no problems driving it) on a back country 2 lane road with our son in the back and out of cell phone coverage. She was driving along at 60 MPH, in 6th gear when the rps started to bounce off the rev limiter. She checked to make sure she was still in gear. She took it out of 6th and put it into neutral then tried to go back into gear. No dice, it wouldn't shift. So she pulled over and shut it down. She tired to start again, tried to get it into first, nope, tried to get it into second, and nothing. Amazingly she got some signal on the phone after a panicked 20 minutes and got roadside assistance out to tow her in. Now mazda is saying that the clutch is burned up and that it is not a defect so it is our fault and it won't be covered under warranty.