Brake rotors warp early on 2008 mazda 3 causing excessive vibration when braking over 45 mph and causes the steering wheel to shake. *tr
I own a 2008 mazda 3. on this particular mode of mazda the brake and gas pedals are less than 1/4 inch from each other. i have been in numerous near misses with several cars, the most recent being today because alot of times when you go to step on the brake pedal you get the gas at the same time because they are so close together. *tr
First incident occurred at 25,900 miles; brake warning light appeared on console dash. dealer identified a failure of the abs (anti-lock brake system) module which was leaking brake fluid. dealer replaced abs module under warranty. second occurrence at 37,600 miles; brake, abs, and traction control warning lights appeared on dash. dealer identified failure of the abs module which had stopped communicating with the pcm. as a result of this second failure, the abs and/or traction control system was not functioning normally. dealer could not identify a root cause for the consecutive failures of the abs module. cost to replace the abs module was quoted by dealer at approximately $1,600.00 (part + labor). updated portable 02/24/11
While turning through an intersection on an extremely cold day (below -10 degrees fahrenheit) driver depresses brakes on an icy surface. ant-ilock braking system fails and vehicle begins to handle unexpectedly. brake warning light and abs warning light illuminate. after ~2 miles of driving, system still inactive. driver pulls over and shuts off vehicle for 30 seconds. when vehicle is restarted, only the abs warning light still active. after braking in safe location, abs system activates, and warning light goes off. dealer investigation states that the malfunction is likely caused by extreme low temperatures. no corrective action taken. *tr
After driving on snow covered road, abs warning light comes on and abs is non-operational. the abs would resume function after at least 30-45 min of driving. dealer stated that snow became trapped in abs sensor but problem cannot be resolved. abs failure occurred 3-4 times over the past winter when abs was essential. *tr
While driving on the freeway at 75 mph, tried to avoid a vehicle that was unsafely changing lanes. pushed brakes and veered towards left. the brakes (which are not abs) responded slowly and i slammed in the middle divider. a couple month before the accident the dealer had the rotors resurfaced since the car was shaking vigorously while braking at high speeds. also the air bags did not deploy during the accident. took car to a mechanic and the mechanic was amazed that based on the visual frontal damage to the car the air bags did not deploy. *tr