View Full Version : Faulty Brakes Mazda 3 GT
IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Attention all Mazda 3 GT users - I was driving on the 407 yesterday and the next thing you know my brakes failed me. It took me almost 60 seconds to pull the car over to the side by pumping on the brakes to eventually slow the car down.
The car was towed to the dealer and we are now being informed that they cannot identify the problem and that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.
What would you do if your brakes failed you and you saw you life pass before your eyes?
The car is not even two months old?
Any feedback or comments would be greatly appreciated.
majic
04-30-2005, 01:17 PM
Originally posted by ugcf
IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Attention all Mazda 3 GT users - I was driving on the 407 yesterday and the next thing you know my brakes failed me. It took me almost 60 seconds to pull the car over to the side by pumping on the brakes to eventually slow the car down.
The car was towed to the dealer and we are now being informed that they cannot identify the problem and that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.
What would you do if your brakes failed you and you saw you life pass before your eyes?
The car is not even two months old?
Any feedback or comments would be greatly appreciated.
damn.. good to hear you\'re ok...
hand brake, was that working at all??? i mean that\'s what it\'s there for (emergency brake) just pull up gradually.. also downshifting in an emergency like that would help to slow the vehicle down..
Majic, thanks for your reply.
Didn\'t need to use the hand brake. I just kept pumping the brakes til the car slowed down. If there were any cars ahead of me at the time, I probably wouldn\'t be here writing to you.
MAZDA Kitten
04-30-2005, 04:06 PM
http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/traurig/sad-smiley-023.gif
O M F G !!!!!
Thank goodness YOU are okay. Imagine that....
Shat2
05-01-2005, 04:33 AM
lucky ur okay ^^ by any chance u get ur car fixed by a Can Tire mechanic?:p
Shat2,
the car is less than 2 months old...
brakes and abs system do not require servicing after 60 days!!!
Zaku_4
05-01-2005, 11:03 AM
wow,
lucky to be alive, are you sure they failed? maybe its just you not hitting them for some reason? what were you doing? why did u need to stop? lol the only reason im asking u think is because i drive on the 407 and i have a mazda3 AND YOUR FREAKING ME OUT MANNN.. :(
well good thing your ok
*note to self: drive SLOWER on the 407*
EDIT: if your chinese, this would be the perfect opportunity for oyu to buy a chicken and \"bi sun\"
majic
05-01-2005, 11:40 AM
Originally posted by Zaku_4
lol the only reason im asking u think is because i drive on the 407 and i have a mazda3 AND YOUR FREAKING ME OUT MANNN.. :(
well good thing your ok
*note to self: drive SLOWER on the 407*
I don\'t think his brakes failed BECAUSE he drove on the 407 :sarc I never drive on the 407 so does that mean my brakes won\'t fail?
besides if you drive slower but drive right behind someone and your brakes fail, you\'ll still ram them..
Zaku_4
05-01-2005, 11:56 AM
i was being sarcastic XD :zzz :D :p
TheProfessor
05-01-2005, 12:07 PM
This post is scaring the crap outta me.....I would think that the dealership would take this case very seriously, please keep us informed of the outcome.
mazda3boss
05-01-2005, 01:35 PM
wow, thats crazy, now did they tell u what the problem was or what??? i feel my brakes dont brake as good as before, need to find another dealership to check them
lol leave it to a dealership to tell you that there is NOTHING wrong with the car even when you just had the friggen car towed in and you had such a serious problem.. lol I hate dealerships of all kind no matter what u say is good about them..
but man. glad to hear that your ok guy.. if your not afraid to void the warranty I suggest you take it to get ur brakes looked at by another mechanic (one that you are familiar with).. most mechanics at dealerships are HALF ASSED !! Mines DIDNT EVEN BOTHER TO BOLT BACK DOWN MY REAR SEATS!!!!!!! and let me drive out of there... good thing a friend sat in the rear seats this weekend and found out..
keep us posted when u find out whats wrong man. goodluck on ur upcoming battle.
My Fellow Mazda 3 Members,
Thank-you for your support.
Before i go on...
Zaku_4...this one\'s for you...and for others who still have a hard time understanding.
Close your eyes...
Your driving on a city street (doesn\'t matter where)
red light...you can\'t stop.
You use all means available to stop. But every situation is different.
You can blow by a red light once and nothing happens...will you be lucky a 2nd time???
In my case...what if it were to happen again???
It doen\'t matter how fast you drive...20-30km...you try stopping.
Psivic...
After the car was towed to the dealer...
The keys were handed back in 30 mins.
Nothing wrong...They did a diagnostics test...checked the brakes...test drove it...they found nothing.
Nothing!!!
Why did the car fail to stop!!!
The car is still at the dealer...i\'m driving a rental.
I\"m trying to get a hold of the manager. (that\'s step #1)
I will keep you all informed...
ugcf
PlatMS6
05-02-2005, 11:42 AM
ok i just want to know...
1. is your car std
2. was it raining that day
reason im asking is that, a couple of weeks ago when it was raining hard i was on the highway doin about 140 and did a quick lane change not noticing there was a car in the slow lane....there was a dip in that section and lots of water pooled...so i sorta slammed on teh brakes and it felt like i didnt aply them at all, no squeek no nothing...so i hydroplaned and got abit lossey in teh back end....but i guess the lockup was long enough to have teh car stall partialy atleast and when i got traction it probably continued running fine, i didnt notice a transition but i did notice red/orange lights on the dash for a split second...well everything was fine except that the powersteering light was on and it the wheel felt heavy, this lasted for about 30sec and i just pulled over and restarted the car...and the powersteering was fine again, could that have happened?
also with down shifting (if u have a 5spd) u can get the car to slow down within secs....i know when im driving the car messed up hard and start to get brakefade ...downshifting aggressively can slow u down better than the brakes when they are all gooey and hot...and then again ure ready to floor it again in that rpm sweet spot (if ure playin around)....stoping with a handbrake and downshifting at the same time u have good stopping power...not as great as slamming on the brakes, but a whole better than pumping the brakes
downshifting is your friend:)
chaser
05-02-2005, 01:01 PM
Glad that you\'re alright.
One possible reason for the \'brake failure\' was, did you step on the gas pedal accidentally when you pressed the brake? It sounds pretty stupid but that could be the case. Because our 3\'s brake pedal is very close to the brake pedal. If you\'ve big foot or wearing big shoes like CAT boots, it\'s easy to hit both when you try to hit either one. It took me some times to get used to this setup.
Also, as some have suggested, bring your car to another dealer to inspect the brake system.
rbart4506
05-02-2005, 03:48 PM
Originally posted by 2004mz3
ok i just want to know...
1. is your car std
2. was it raining that day
reason im asking is that, a couple of weeks ago when it was raining hard i was on the highway doin about 140 and did a quick lane change not noticing there was a car in the slow lane....there was a dip in that section and lots of water pooled...so i sorta slammed on teh brakes and it felt like i didnt aply them at all, no squeek no nothing...so i hydroplaned and got abit lossey in teh back end....but i guess the lockup was long enough to have teh car stall partialy atleast and when i got traction it probably continued running fine, i didnt notice a transition but i did notice red/orange lights on the dash for a split second...well everything was fine except that the powersteering light was on and it the wheel felt heavy, this lasted for about 30sec and i just pulled over and restarted the car...and the powersteering was fine again, could that have happened?
also with down shifting (if u have a 5spd) u can get the car to slow down within secs....i know when im driving the car messed up hard and start to get brakefade ...downshifting aggressively can slow u down better than the brakes when they are all gooey and hot...and then again ure ready to floor it again in that rpm sweet spot (if ure playin around)....stoping with a handbrake and downshifting at the same time u have good stopping power...not as great as slamming on the brakes, but a whole better than pumping the brakes
downshifting is your friend:)
Your question about rain got me thinking....I have found that my GS stops like crap in the rain. When I\'m the highway and it\'s raining and I apply the brakes it\'s like I have no brakes for a sec or so. My guess is the pads are really affected by the wet conditions. I know that brakes will not perform as well in the wet as in the dry, but I\'ve never driven a car that the braking dropped off so dramitically...
I think I might mention it the next time I take the car in...
Rich
I drive an automatic...
2.3 160 hp mazda 3 gfx...black
It was not raining...
Still waiting for manager to call me back.
A friend at work...her dad went 3x\'s before the dealer did anything.
Wasn\'t a mazda...they finally replaced the whole braking system.
ugcf
TheProfessor
05-02-2005, 05:41 PM
If you don\'t mind posting it, which dealer have you taken it to that said there was no problem?
Coaster
05-02-2005, 07:10 PM
Do you have cruise control? Was it on? If so maybe it wouldn\'t disengage & that caused the problem. When the dealership tested your car they probably didn\'t test the cruise.
Just a thought, glad you\'re OK.
Coaster,
Cruise control was not on.
ugcf
Newlook
05-02-2005, 07:45 PM
Glad to hear you\'re alright, must have scared the crap out of you. Sounds like it\'s brake fluid/hydraulic problem?
Change that to air brake might help :p
And don\'t go to Erin Mills.... try another dealer if they couldn\'t figure out any problem with your vehicle.
fat mike
05-02-2005, 10:12 PM
Well this just proves my point that the mazda 3 brakes sucks. I am glad to hear your ok. Hopefull this doesnt happen to anyone else on the forum. I have had problems wiht my brakes on my 3 GT but the dealship keeps telling me everything is ok. Booooo
Cosmo77
05-02-2005, 11:43 PM
Question,
Did you hit your brakes really really hard and then let off quick and then hit them again REALLY REALLy fast after taking your foot off the pedal??? ALL you Mazda 3 owners who have the 2.3L with ABS should try this....even at a stop in park....try just panic stopping the pedal and then lift your foot a bit....you might find that the pedal stays down a bit after you let off.
As far as your case, this is a new one for me...I hope that your dealer finds the problem. I know I would find it....LOL
Cosmo
funny you should mention cruise control. The sensation that I had when I was driving and the brakes didn\'t work was like being in cruise control mode where the pedal moves away from your foot. I pressed the cancel button on the steering wheel thinking that I might be on cruise control by mistake - truth is we never use the cruise control - this is an absolute mystery because nobody can tell us what happened and the car continues to be test driven and still nothing...
we met with the general manager of the dealership and we are still waiting for the mechanics to identify the problem
the thought of getting back into the car is really frightening - the \"what if\" scenario keeps playing into our heads over and over - i got lucky once - managed to pull over to the side and coast until the car finally slowed down - what if we\'re driving in the city next time it happens - or on the hwy for that matter - the chances of having enough time to pull over are slim ...
thanks for all your support - this is crazy
ugcf
Flagrum_3
05-03-2005, 10:09 PM
Originally posted by ugcf
I drive an automatic...
2.3 160 hp mazda 3 gfx...black
It was not raining...
Still waiting for manager to call me back.
A friend at work...her dad went 3x\'s before the dealer did anything.
Wasn\'t a mazda...they finally replaced the whole braking system.
ugcf
ugcf, Glad to hear your okay....I would demand that they look at the brake system until they find the problem and if they are still incompetent, I would take it to someone else you trust while writing a nice letter to Mazda Canada.
Note; I heard of a similiar situation before and the cause was the ABS system.
Good luck and keep us posted.
.
rinse
05-04-2005, 12:25 AM
Originally posted by Flagrum_3
Originally posted by ugcf
I drive an automatic...
2.3 160 hp mazda 3 gfx...black
It was not raining...
Still waiting for manager to call me back.
A friend at work...her dad went 3x\'s before the dealer did anything.
Wasn\'t a mazda...they finally replaced the whole braking system.
ugcf
ugcf, Glad to hear your okay....I would demand that they look at the brake system until they find the problem and if they are still incompetent, I would take it to someone else you trust while writing a nice letter to Mazda Canada.
Note; I heard of a similiar situation before and the cause was the ABS system.
Good luck and keep us posted.
.
wow, this kinda freaks me out.
I\'m very interested in buying a 3 within the next 2 weeks and this doesnt sound very good. Even if it is a RARE occurrence, it just takes one time for disaster.
Hi There,
Car is still at the dealer...they\'re checking brakes/abs...and a mazda hotline too see if this has happened to other mazda 3\'s.
Take care,
ugcf
mazda3boss
05-05-2005, 07:34 PM
Originally posted by Newlook
Glad to hear you\'re alright, must have scared the crap out of you. Sounds like it\'s brake fluid/hydraulic problem?
Change that to air brake might help :p
And don\'t go to Erin Mills.... try another dealer if they couldn\'t figure out any problem with your vehicle.
yep... thats tru on erin mills, they didnt fix my brakes...
Hi mazda3boss,
What was wrong with your brakes?
This is for everyone who reads this forum...
I\'ve been reading other problems others have been having...
Such as, hard shifting/passenger window makes noise...so on...and so on...
Get it checked...car is under warranty.
This is the only way things will start rolling...example RE-CALLS.
I\'m just shocked at the number of problems mazda3 drivers are having.
Unbelievable.
Are we all driving a LEMON..are we???
All my buddies driving CIVICS are laughing and keep bugging me with \"I told you \"
They\'re not having the problems we seem to be having.
I\'ll keep you updated as always,
ugcf
chaser
05-06-2005, 12:10 PM
Originally posted by ugcf
I\'m just shocked at the number of problems mazda3 drivers are having.
Unbelievable.
Are we all driving a LEMON..are we???
All my buddies driving CIVICS are laughing and keep bugging me with \"I told you \"
If you check the recall history of Mazda, Honda and Toyota, you\'ll find that Mazda\'s recall list is much longer than Honda\'s or Toyota\'s. It\'s not a big suprise that Mazda is less-reliable or less-better-built than them. So far, most of the problems from Mazda 3 are fixable (of course, except yours still being investigating)
There got to be reasons you picked the 3 over the Civic, like your buddies did, rite? Hope your brake problem will be resolved soon, and you\'ll be enjoying the car again. :)
Originally posted by ugcf
They\'re not having the problems we seem to be having.
And they\'re not having the pleasure and :D that we have :p
mazda3boss
05-06-2005, 06:57 PM
Originally posted by ugcf
Hi mazda3boss,
What was wrong with your brakes?
This is for everyone who reads this forum...
I\'ve been reading other problems others have been having...
Such as, hard shifting/passenger window makes noise...so on...and so on...
Get it checked...car is under warranty.
This is the only way things will start rolling...example RE-CALLS.
I\'m just shocked at the number of problems mazda3 drivers are having.
Unbelievable.
Are we all driving a LEMON..are we???
All my buddies driving CIVICS are laughing and keep bugging me with \"I told you \"
They\'re not having the problems we seem to be having.
I\'ll keep you updated as always,
ugcf
my rear brakes were makin noise so i looked at them and they are so worn out, in the past month or so i noticed my brakes havent been brakin properly, so i been downshifting a lot, took it to dealership and they said its fine which i think not
as for other probs i had engine check light on, needed a system upgrade, as well i went for a recall and thats about it... lol
Hello my fellow mazda3 users,
Great news.
They found the problem.
What a huge relief.
It was the brake booster...(i will get in more detail tomorrow when i pick-up the car)
I cannot tell you how stressful it was for my wife and i.
Brake booster caused the pedal to lock-up...pedal felt hard...Could not stop the car.
Anyways...we\'ll chat tomorrow. (saturday)
Have a great night...i know i will!!!
I\'m out,
UGCF
P-S mazda3boss...it is abnormal for rear pads to wear off quicker than front pads.
TheProfessor
05-06-2005, 07:56 PM
Well that\'s good news, sort of? I hope this is just an isolated incident.
Ex-Rolla
05-06-2005, 08:14 PM
Good to hear they found the problem... So with the brake booster failing, it basically felt like you were pressing the brake while the car was off right? hence the reason why you needed to apply more pressure... make sense now.
Well I\'m glad they found the problem and that you came out of all this unscathed...
Just to comment on your previous post regarding your Civic buddies... As Chaser already stated... all these problems with the mazda 3 are *small* things that tend to annoy people more than anything... knock on wood, I have not once gone to the dealer for anything. I think the problem with this car is that being a Complete new design with new engine/suspension basically from the ground up, there are more unknowns vs a toyota, where they have been using the same engine (with minor differences) since 98. Internal electronics are almost all the same between the 98 and 2005 too.. just modified to fit the new design.
For the first time I gave mazda a chance. So far I\'m happy with imy decision and after this incident, I hope you will be too!!
mazda3boss
05-06-2005, 08:25 PM
Originally posted by ugcf
Hello my fellow mazda3 users,
Great news.
They found the problem.
What a huge relief.
It was the brake booster...(i will get in more detail tomorrow when i pick-up the car)
I cannot tell you how stressful it was for my wife and i.
Brake booster caused the pedal to lock-up...pedal felt hard...Could not stop the car.
Anyways...we\'ll chat tomorrow. (saturday)
Have a great night...i know i will!!!
I\'m out,
UGCF
P-S mazda3boss...it is abnormal for rear pads to wear off quicker than front pads.
ye man it is abnormal, well good thing u found the problem, hopefully nothin bad will happen to me or my car
and ex-rolla ya lil probs always come up, weather u have a mazda3, civic, rx8, bmw
majic
05-06-2005, 10:16 PM
Originally posted by ugcf
P-S mazda3boss...it is abnormal for rear pads to wear off quicker than front pads.
good they found the problem..
actually, for some weird reason (be it the pad compound or weird braking distribution) the 3 and the 6 wear out the rear pads like mad.. when i was swapping winter rubbers for summer rubbers, i stuck my nose close to the brakes and i had much more left in the fronts than the rears!!! hence the major brake dust in the rear.
so it\'s kinda normal for our cars :p
mazda3boss
05-07-2005, 05:19 PM
ohhh man, today my car is makin so much noise from my rear wheels, i think brakes are done, i\'ma start some shit on monday with erin mills mazda, FFFF*** em\'
oh i got some sruvey on the mail to send to the mazda headquarters, not gonna be a good one lol, when buying car was great services and maintenance now sux
Optimzer
05-07-2005, 10:00 PM
whoa - ugcf glad to hear you\'re okay man and that they\'ve found the problem. Hopefully the mechanic didn\'t find out why they weren\'t working during a test drive! :p I noticed too on other Mz3\'s that the rear wheels always have way more brake dust on them. Are they using softer pads on the rear? It looks funny.
MZ3_GS
05-08-2005, 08:07 PM
You Start with more friction material on the front pads than the rears anyways.
Over all I\'m very happy with the Mazda 3, only problem it gave me was a CEL.
47000KM on the Odometer.;)
Hello All,
Here it is...
Mazda tested the vacuum of one valve (booster valve).
It was causing it to stick.
They replaced the hose with a shutter valve...test drove it...no problems.
This booster valve caused the brakes to be real hard/stiff.
That\'s why i couldn\'t stop the car.
I\'m glad Erin Mills Mazda were able to locate the problem.
Kudos to them and their excellent tech/advisor staff.
I also want to thank you (the forum members) for your input and support.
I\'m out...
Ugcf.
Let\'s close this file.
mazda3boss
05-10-2005, 10:13 PM
ERIN MILLS MAZDA?????
wow maybe they dont liek me, they can\'t do anythin right and if i ask em a question they just mumble some bs answer back, well glad u got that prob fixed, mayeb they got in shit cause of the surveys
PiCASSO
05-26-2005, 08:20 PM
Could this be the same supplier???
*****************************************
Mitsu Needs Eclipse Fix
Mitsubishi has halted sales of the \'06 Eclipse after the company received reports of flawed brake systems from its Normal, Ill., plant. Automotive News reports that Mitsubishi reported the problem to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday, noting that up to 1185 vehicle could be involved in the brake issue. The industry weekly says 44 of the vehicles have been sold to buyers, with 400 at dealers and the rest in transit. In the vehicles, a problem with the vacuum brake booster could cause brake failure. Mitsu has not stopped building new Eclipses in Normal, and says the problem could be corrected in production by the end of the week.
Source: The Car Connection (http://www.thecarconnection.com/Industry/Daily_Edition/Daily_Edition_May_26_2005.S173.A8667.html)
jeff192
07-12-2007, 01:38 PM
I have the same brake problem and they can't find whats wrong.... they just give stupid explanations like ((its your ABS you dont feel like the car is slowing but its braking well..))
i broke my front bumper and front right wheel on the gardiner express way because of that:flaming
Fuman
07-12-2007, 02:35 PM
I have the same brake problem and they can't find whats wrong.... they just give stupid explanations like ((its your ABS you dont feel like the car is slowing but its braking well..))
i broke my front bumper and front right wheel on the gardiner express way because of that:flaming
+1 on searching.
can you provide more details on your car?
which dealer are you going to?
mazda lover
07-12-2007, 09:15 PM
ok i just want to know...
1. is your car std
2. was it raining that day
reason im asking is that, a couple of weeks ago when it was raining hard i was on the highway doin about 140 and did a quick lane change not noticing there was a car in the slow lane....there was a dip in that section and lots of water pooled...so i sorta slammed on teh brakes and it felt like i didnt aply them at all, no squeek no nothing...so i hydroplaned and got abit lossey in teh back end....but i guess the lockup was long enough to have teh car stall partialy atleast and when i got traction it probably continued running fine, i didnt notice a transition but i did notice red/orange lights on the dash for a split second...well everything was fine except that the powersteering light was on and it the wheel felt heavy, this lasted for about 30sec and i just pulled over and restarted the car...and the powersteering was fine again, could that have happened?
also with down shifting (if u have a 5spd) u can get the car to slow down within secs....i know when im driving the car messed up hard and start to get brakefade ...downshifting aggressively can slow u down better than the brakes when they are all gooey and hot...and then again ure ready to floor it again in that rpm sweet spot (if ure playin around)....stoping with a handbrake and downshifting at the same time u have good stopping power...not as great as slamming on the brakes, but a whole better than pumping the brakes
downshifting is your friend:)
not sure if this member is still here but just wanted to say doing 140 while it is raining hard as he says is insane and the reason we pay high insurance rates. He did not see a slower car, why, he was going to fast for the condition. Could have a caused a major accident hurting drivers being cautious and driving according to the condition.
jeff192
07-13-2007, 08:52 AM
its an '07 Mazda 3 Sport GT, I have 12 000 km on it and I went to Agincourt Mazda 3 times or 4 im not sure
Fuman
07-13-2007, 10:53 AM
its an '07 Mazda 3 Sport GT, I have 12 000 km on it and I went to Agincourt Mazda 3 times or 4 im not sure
what was wrong with your brakes? can you please provide more details
jeff192
07-13-2007, 01:03 PM
when i was pressing the brake pedal it wasn't braking just slowing down a little bit, the dealership said its brake fading because im hard with my breaks but thats not what happened and I know that because everytime it happened i wasn't using my brake enough to heat warm them too much, it was always on dry asphalt. Im working at Toyota Canada and I spoke to few technicians and they told me it can be some air in the line or just a defect of the master cylindre.
Fuman
07-13-2007, 02:07 PM
when i was pressing the brake pedal it wasn't braking just slowing down a little bit, the dealership said its brake fading because im hard with my breaks but thats not what happened and I know that because everytime it happened i wasn't using my brake enough to heat warm them too much, it was always on dry asphalt. Im working at Toyota Canada and I spoke to few technicians and they told me it can be some air in the line or just a defect of the master cylindre.
well try bleeding it, if it isn't then u know its master cylinder.
either way sounds dangerous! take care man
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