2003 Mazda 6 i review from North America
"Could've been a nice car, but plagued with too many problems"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Here's a short list (I'm sure I'm forgetting some...)
- Dash board squeaks & rattles (from the beginning).
- Paint cracking issue on roof.
- Transmission/powertrain computer replaced due to extremely violent shifting.
- Metal-on-metal squealing noise from front-end when turning while backing up (mysteriously went away on its own after repeated inspections by the dealer).
- Warped rotors - at least 3 brake rotor turnings and 1 full rotor replacement (gave up on this issue).
- Brakes, to this day, continue to make a clunk sound when applied (calipers? linkage? gave up on this issue, too).
- Brake master cylinder.
- Console lights @ shifter went out.
- LCD fields on radio display stopped working.
- Broken engine mount.
- Alternator/alternator bearings.
General comments?
Driving this car over the last 6 years has been like driving a completely different car every single day. Monday it's peppy and responsive, Tuesday it's a complete dud. Problems appear, disappear, then come back again.
It's a great looking car, but sadly, since the day I purchased this car it has been a real pain. So many things continue to go wrong with this car that I've just become numb to them as they occur, and refuse to even have them looked at.
The dealers (multiple) have proven to be really of no help at all - they can never seem to replicate the issue.
I will never purchase another Mazda product.
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| A BMW without the badge |
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| A great looking, reliable, fun to drive car. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2003 |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.3 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 12 miles |
| Most recent distance | 71000 miles |
| Previous car | Nissan Altima |
| Date of Entry | 7th July, 2009 |