— A Mazda MAZDA3 clutch noise and replacement lawsuit will continue after a California federal judge granted in part Mazda's motion to dismiss, but allowed some claims to carry on, giving 2010-2015 MAZDA3 owners hope of relief.
In addition to noise from the clutch systems, MAZDA3 owners describe defective clutch forks, pins and bearings that cause catastrophic clutch failure.
The class-action lawsuit alleges the clutch assemblies have design defects that Mazda knows about but continues to ignore, leaving owners with huge repair bills to keep the vehicles moving.
The vehicles, equipped with either 5-speed or 6-speed transmissions, allegedly make enough noise to wake the dead while causing some owners to replace the clutch systems multiple times.
"THIS IS RIDICULOUS. Second clutch replacement in this car, between 40 and 70k miles. Driving a clutch my entire driving life, and never had a problem until now." - 2010 Mazda MAZDA3 owner / Austin, Texas
"I think it is too early to have to replace the clutch. I expected Mazda to be a better quality car than a major repair at 52K miles @ $1300, 3 days car-less. Mazda knows it, corrected the clutch, but will not pay for it or recall it. Maybe I can get reimbursed later, but for now I need my car and will have to pay to replace the clutch." - 2010 Mazda MAZDA3 owner / Ford Lauderdale, Florida
The plaintiffs claim premature wear damages the clutch pressure plates and flywheels, with the standard response from Mazda being the owners are mistreating the vehicles.
Mazda told the judge that clutch failures can happen from numerous different causes and not just what the lawsuit alleges is the cause. The judge agreed and ruled in favor of Mazda but left the door open for the plaintiffs to amend their claims.
The judge also ruled in favor of Mazda concerning claims the automaker violated certain consumer protection and warranty laws. However, the judge again left open the door by allowing the plaintiffs to provide more facts about their claims. Other warranty claims were thrown out without leaving the plaintiffs the option to amend their complaint.
Mazda asked the judge to dismiss the claims of non-California plaintiffs based on the grounds such claims “should be governed by the consumer protection laws of the jurisdiction[s] in which the transaction[s] took place.” The court agreed and ruled non-California Mazda owners can't file claims based on California law.
Although Mazda succeeded in getting many claims dismissed, other parts of the lawsuit will continue, including claims made by two plaintiffs concerning California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act. Claims of violating the California Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act will also proceed.
The Mazda MAZDA3 clutch replacement lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California - Megan Humphrey, Iris Gonzalez, Charles Bunch, Anne Stom, David Woodward, Greg Thomason, Lisa Massa and Dan Carney, et al vs. Mazda Motor Corp.
The plaintiffs are represented by Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel, and McCuneWright.
CarComplaints.com has complaints about MAZDA3 vehicles:
Mazda MAZDA3 - 2010 / 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / All model years