Another One Bites the Dust! - Motor Mount Failure = Oh Noes!
 

**EDITED 5/1/07**
I am currently working with an NHTSA investigator with this situation, and I need to hear from all of those who have had this happen to them! I am trying to get something BIG going on, and I need your help. PM me ASAP.
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Hi guys. What a great day!


Today, while out driving and enjoying the new amps I put in my car, I was heading to a buffet to eat and relax. I was in the right hand lane, about to take a turn, when suddenly the engine compartment erupted with clanging and metal-on-concrete scraping noises! I coasted to a stop, and shut the car down immediately, but I already knew what happened. The Driver's side motor mount sheared off, and dropped the engine out from under the engine bay. The driveshafts, exhaust, intake, wiring...yeah just about everything - is ruined.

I know that Speed 3's have this problem, I just didn't think it would happen to me. In fact, during my first oil change, I had the Mazda service shop check that bolt specifically, because I was afraid of it. I also checked it myself as soon as I heard about it, and noticed that it was tight (from where I could tell.) Apparently, I was very very wrong.

I'll keep this thread updated with how Mazda handles it. Its in their hands now.

Here's PICS!
http://fc01.deviantart.com/files/f/2...Fourthmeal.jpg
http://ic3.deviantart.com/files/f/20...Fourthmeal.jpg
http://fc01.deviantart.com/files/f/2...Fourthmeal.jpg
http://fc01.deviantart.com/files/f/2...Fourthmeal.jpg
http://ic3.deviantart.com/files/f/20...Fourthmeal.jpg

THE BOLT SNAPPED!!!

now what?

my lord thats almost as bad as the weak engines they put in the MSP's.... When the dealership gets your carback to you the first thing I'd do is swap out all the mounts for aftermarket.. AWR and CPE mae mounts for the 3. That's the way I'd go with it.

maybe I can convince them to just give me my damn money back, so I can buy a different car...

because thats how I feel. If I would have had this happen at elevated speeds, I'd most likely have been killed. I can't tell you how uneasy it makes me feel knowing that. I used to ride motorcycles (and I'll probably buy another one), and I always made damn sure that it was in top running order, so my life wasn't going to be taken by some loose bolt or rusted chain. Same with cars.

I want out.

If you feel that way you should just take the next step and sue Mazda for a few million dollars. If I had my engine fall out of the car while driving down the road I'd be owning a mazda dealership ( or maybe a porsche dealership)

Wow, that's the most messed up thing I've heard in a really long time!! I really like the MS3's but not after hearing this. They need to at least issue a recall on that shit and get the cars that are on the road into good working order. This is a brand new car we're talking about here there's absolutely no reason for that. I dunno if I feel too confident with Mazda anymore ..

added pics to first post, so you can see it for yourself!

damn chinese bolts

no offense. I'm j/k

Does all 3's have this issue or just the speed? Man, I test drove one going ~ 100mph at one time........I can't imagine the picture if that happens at speed like that :eek:

sorry to hear - but keep us updated with your progress with the NHTSA investigator!

i was just thinking the same thing...
hehe, finally an excuse for getting stronger motor mounts :P

Yea, that's scarry!

I wouldn't give up on the car, see how they deal with it first. I would think they have a plan for a way to upgrade the motor mounts by now.

same thing...
 

i have a 3 also and i was noticing that my motor would shake like theres no tomorrow so i took it in to mazda and sure enough the passenger side motor mount and the rear mount were broken. i love my car but ever since i got it i have had nothing but problems. so far i have had a transmission warrantied out along with a drivers side cv axle at the same time. before 20k miles. an intake manifold had to be warrantied because of a bent valve is what they told me, and finally the two motor mounts. i just rolled over to 40k miles and im just worried that once the warranty is over at 50k how much ill have to spend out of my pocket when stuff keeps braking. if anyone has any tips on if they think i have a lemon for a car let me know please.

thanks
aaron

sux
 

so im really intersted in the ms3 is that the only problem with them and should i worry about my 05 3 2.0 motor mounts

Here's a copy of the repair bill, so you guys can see the new part numbers

http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs16/f/20...Fourthmeal.jpg

So I take it you're sticking with the Speed3? How has the dealership been treating you?

Just an FYI, I don't think it's the motor mount that's the problem here - it's the bolt holding the motor mount down. Would you agree?

Something like a lock washer missing if I recall correctly. It's a simple fix, but for some reason Mazda hasn't issued a recall yet even though it's a safety issue I'd say.

yes, and yes.

I'm sticking with the car, but I'm still in contact w/ the Investigators, because it may help others too. My dealership (especially my service writer) did exactly the right thing. They fixed it in record time, and in fact had me down for only a couple days. Too fast for me to even be mad at them, honestly. I was overjoyed when I took the car back, everything was perfect.

The car hasn't missed a shift yet, and feels 100% more solid and in control, as compared to when I purchased it. The simple act of keeping the engine in alignment with the car means a whole lot, it seems. Who would have thought it?

Damn, sorry to hear that. Is this common for the MS3?

Really glad to hear it! I love hearing about Mazda dealers that handle things the right way.

K, this is interesting. I have had a vibration so I got all my wheels balanced...better but still there. I saw a service bulletin Re: body vibration having to do w/ the motor mounts...I'm off warranty (2004 3 w/ 67,000 mi). How much does it cost to replace the mounts?

How often are you rotating your tires? If you wait longer than normal 5,000 - 7,000 to rotate your tires, you'll feel a vibration in them. I waited about 20,000 to rotate my factory tires and I noticed the vibration right off the bat and they told me it would effect the smoothness of the tire.
I know the 3's are a little touchy when it comes to tire rotation. It's nice for me that the local tire shop I got my tires from has a free lifetime rotation on them.
I'd get the mounts checked out to feel safe though.

I bought the car w/9,000 on it... didn't rotate and neither did the original owner...fronts were bald at 20,000 (I'm bad I work pretty much 7 days a week driving 500 miles a week +/- hardly ever look at my car).

I replaced the oem Goodyears w/ two new Conti pro contacts, kept the oem Goodyears on the back, replaced those those spring with new Conti's. New on the front, one year olds on the back (I run blizaks in the winter). So my rotation is admittedly messed.

I have a service bulletin on tire balancing too. I'm thinking I'll have the mounts checked and balancing checked again before my track day at the Glen in August.

My major question is: Is this motor mount problem (failures) limited to the speed 3's or are we seeing it in the regular 3's too.

Do the '07s have this problem?
 

Or has Mazda dealt with this problem in their production of the '07s? I just got one this week, and this post scares the shite out of me!

you should be good to go on any car made after feb.

That's a relief, I think. I'll check the production date. Fingers crossed.

I just bought a Mazda 3 S Touring this weekend and this is not good news to hear. Do I have anything to worry about? Could this happen to me?

in a word,...NO.

This is regarding the MS3, not a regular 3. The torque of the turbo engine is why they redesigned it. And then, after this, RE-redsigned it.

Regular 3's have their own problems...

Looks like it's happened to me too
 

Last night I was just turning the corner on a side street near the mall here in Austin and whammo, something dropped and a whole lotta noise! Searching the web this morning I find this. It sure sounds the same. 2007 Mazdaspeed3. Only 2995 miles on it.

Had it towed to Mazda late in the day and no one's looked at it yet. Looking underneath all I can see is what looks like maybe CV joint failed. But who knows what really happened.

Imagine if I'd been going down the freeway instead of turning the corner on a side street. Holy crap!

Will post again when I know more.

WOW, I guess I need to check mine..
well, once I get the turbo

Sorry to hear! Hope everything works out at the dealer

If its the same issue, PLEASE report it to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration) to help us all out. Be sure to properly document everything and include your VIN number in the process so Mazda will put out a technical service bulletin and fix the issue for all of us speed3 owners.

Following up with pics
 

Here are some pictures with the hood up. You can definitely see that the whole engine has fallen down and forward.

One of the pictures was from me just reaching under and snapping one underneath. I'm not sure exactly what it's of. Feel free to suggest, but you can see that things have clearly become disconnected underneath.

that's a detached axle.. ugh no good!

yep looks like the trans bolt backed out like all the other people (see the list here)


Again, PLEASE take the 5 minutes report it to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration) to help us all out. Be sure to properly document everything and include your VIN number in the process so Mazda will put out a technical service bulletin and fix the issue for all of us speed3 owners.

I hope they come out with some kind of fix soon...it def. makes me uneasy when I'm driving mine...

The fix is simple! Dealers should be aware of this problem now. Any early model Speed 3 (like November-December 2006) should have this investigated by a dealer.

The replacement part is a longer, stronger bolt with a washer that actually fixes the problem. Its a simple fix, but it does work, and works correctly.

At my work, an odd coincidence came up while I was leaving for the day. I work at SRS/Identifix, and a guy in a Mazda shirt walked over to my car and commented on it being nice, and what not. He asked if I put a CAI on it yet, and I told him I just took a dremel to the airbox, and hacked it the best I could, and that it made a big difference. He then asked if I like it. I said, absolutely! Except for my engine falling out and all! He asked how it happened, and immediately said he's heard all about it, and that the fix for it should permanently solve any problem. He then said he was part of the design team for the Mazdaspeed 3, and he was one of the people who tuned it for NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) testing, to make sure it worked well in North America's streets. So, this guy helped design our car! He also said that if I ever take the hood off, and go drive, that I'd absolutely SHIT if I saw how much the engine moves in the bay, to avoid transmitting vibes to the chassis. Then he asked about the traction, and I told him point blank that I wish it were AWD, and that I'm tired of making short work of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear with tire spin (at least here in slippery Vegas roads). He said it was originally planned to be, but the added weight and complexity just made it impractical, and the Speed6 pretty much takes care of AWD. It would have weighed almost exactly what a Speed6 weighs if it were AWD. He did say that the transmission has a PTO (Power Take Off) point that could theoretically add AWD right to it, with the right parts and technical work. He also told me that the engine was severely de-tuned for both traction reasons and survivability, but that the engine would take a LOT more horsepower without really any problem at all. Then he grinned and bid me goodbye.

The whole drive home I wished I'd have sat down with him and asked him everything I could about the car. Oh well!

shoulda bought the MS6...weight or not those shits are fast. Same engine, same potential, only one of them has traction and rear legroom.:pfanndina

^^ I would hope the 3 also has rear legroom as I know anyone over 6'6" that sits in my car always sits in the back because it has enough legroom and has a lot more headroom (stupid moonroof intruding into headroom up front

yeah...tall passengers seem to like sitting in the back right seat (there no leg room behind me at all) because they get more knee room b/c the dash isn't there.

For me I was planning on the 6 but two things got in the way...

1. Money
2. I could only find Red.

you didn't look hard enough then! I only had silvers, blacks and reds near me when I bought mine but I had my dealer go get this car from the next state over. Don't settle....thats the biggest mistake I've made in buying cars is settling for what's right there, right now. Then you're stuck paying for a car you don't really like as much.

I REALLY like the MS3 but I'd never buy one just based on the lack of AWD. I drove a friends modified SRT4 and it was GREAT on the interstate but worthless on the street or autox. I'm not having that.

Okay guys - Now that Im scared as shit, is ther anyway I can go to the dealership and swap out my bolts before anything bad happens?