My 2008 CX-7 GT that I babied is garbage now. Thankfully I was at a full stop with the turn signal ON when all power to the car shut off and car would not start again, with no warning indicators on the dash. Battery? Alternator? NOPE! Had it towed to Mazda. The timing chain stretched $2000cdn. I was warned it was a gamble having it fixed as there was no way to determine if other damage had occurred to the engine due to the timing chain failing. I figured @ 103,000km it was worth it. During the install the Technician discovered the OIL was THICK SLUDGE. Odd, as I do my oil changes "had one last month" (keep your receipts, as it will come up later). BAD NEWS, new chain installed and engine starts but it sounds like a bag of hammers inside the engine. Bent valve, hole in piston, dead gerbil? who knows?! (it's important to keep your humor when your $40,000 car dies at 103,000km) Service dept. recommended not driving the car as it could fail at any time. ONLY solution is buy a used engine for it $5,000. This is where I say "would have been nice to know BEFORE spending $2,000 for a timing chain! Mazda corporate offered no help after hearing this and blames it on no proof of oil changes not being done every 8,000km. DON'T MAKE MY MISTAKE, hear the words OIL SLUDGE leave the car there and walk away!!! ZERO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MAZDA!

Purchased our 2008 Cx-7 from our daughter who purchased new. We have driven it 1 month and the check engine light came on and semi stalled . I immediately drove it about 8 miles to the mechanic and found out today that it is the timing chain guide broke (made of Plastic) and looking at replacing it or engine replacement. 1200.00 or 5000.00 if it is the engine. Now I am not a mechanic but why would you ever put a plastic part around anything that heats up to the degrees of an engine.And I don't understand how this problem carried over from 2007 into 2008 and Mazda knew. Even though I am the second owner, not having any knowledge of the special services warranty which would have expired long before our purchase anyway. but why would my daughter never receive any info regarding this problem. She lived in Phoenix and took the car into the dealership for the oil changes and no one mentioned to her that there could be a problem and to watch for any sudden noises or sluggishness in the car's engine. Mazda and Ford must really be desperate to allow these substandard parts to be used in their vehicles and certainly do not care that families are left stranded. I think we should start another class action suit for the 2008 vehicles.

MAZDA CX-7 STARTED MAKING A VERY LOUD AWFUL NOISE, PULLED INTO THE GAS STATION (PICTURES ATTACHED) OIL ALL OVER THE TOP OF THE ENGINE, MAZDA DECLARED IT A CATASTROPHIC LOSS AND THE REPAIR IS MORE THAN I OWE ON THE LOAN. EXTENDED WARRANTY RAN OUT 1200 MILES AGO.

TURBO BOOSTER AGAIN THIS WAS REPLACED NOT EVEN A YEAR AGO.

OIL RING IN MAIN ENGINE

EVERYTHING IN THE ENGINE WAS BROKEN...........CLASS ACTION SUIT IS NEEDED THEY ARE SELLING CALLS THAT HAVE PART FAILURE, PART FAILURE IS WHAT WE WERE TOLD. SECOND TIME FOR THE TURBO CHARGER.....PICKING UP PAPERWORK TODAY WILL LIST EACH INDIVIDUAL MECHANICAL NOTE THAT THEY STATED FROM MAZDA THIS AFTERNOON ON THIS WEBSITE..........THIS IS TERRIBLE!!!!

I just had the oil and filter changed at Jiffy Lube, which cost close to $100, when all of a sudden, the engine failed, and died on the highway, and would not start. I had my young daughter in the car with me at the time and I had to have the car towed to a garage. They said that the engine had a hole in the cylinder wall. They told me that the engine needed to be replaced.

I cannot afford a $4,000 or $5,000 repair bill for a new engine. When I searched the internet for Mazda recalls, there were pages and pages of problems with engine failures related to VVT failures, VVT actuator, and timing chain issues which caused the hole to be punched in the engine block. This is also a safety issue. I did hear pinging coming from the engine a few times when I started the car, but the check engine light never came on. I have been paying for a rental to get back and forth to work, and it is inconvenient and costly. They told me I could possibly get $3,000 for the car without an engine or $5,000 or $6,000 with an new engine, and I owe about $10,000 on the car loan. Sooo frustrated!!!

I purchased my 2008 Mazda CX7 at a dealership. Only had 18 months. There was front bumper issues which it had to be attached, and squeaking noises. I returned for different reasons because of stalling, battery issue, and at one point we thought electrical.

Well, I went for an oil change and found out it's a timing chain that needs to be replaced and I have an oil leak. The extended warranty plan wants maintenance records and oil change records which I don't have. I have gone various places locally and out of town to change my oil, didn't keep all the receipts. Don't even remember all the places. What is the purpose of getting an extended warranty if you have to go through this? $1800 timing chain and who knows about the engine.

Mazda dealership warranty expired in Dec 2013. I'm a school teacher and need my vehicle like anyone else. Lesson learned for the teacher. Solution?

when I bought my cx 7 used 2 years ago i took it to a mazda dealer and complained about a ticking noise, they told me that was normal. In Jan 2011 I got a letter explaining the problem with the ttv valve. My check engine light was on so I took it in. I said I wanted the timing chain thing checked cause I had received the letter. They call me and say your car is ready but it was blah blah something else, I said did you check the timing chain they said no, I insisted they check cause I was coming up on 70,000 miles. I get a call back and they say their is sludge in the engine and i need to bring in my oil change papers. They will not fix it per warranty without them. So glad they recognize the problem but want to blame it on sludge. I have had my oil changed regularly and now I have to go to about 5 different places to get copies, not to mention taking the day off to do it. I have been without my car now for 5 days and who knows if they will even fix it if I get the maintenance records they wish. After doing research on the internet it seems that this is a common problem. Mazda sucks and I will never buy another one if I can get rid of this one.

There was a clicking noise I began to noice and my son said something about oil being low or not. We checked and he said it sounds like the lifters. I have done very regular oil changes at no more than every 5000 miles. As a matter of fact when I was at the dealer he said the oil was dirty and I said I was surprised as the oil was changed in the last month. Needles to say the VVT is the problem and there is an extended warranty which just happens to end at 70,000 miles or 7 year. Leaves me out. Also I noted that many complaints regarding this issue and denail due to "sludge" which seems to be a major problem with Mazda engines even with proper maintenance. The cost for repair is $2000 and Mazda is making it difficult for independents to do the repair as they are saying the parts are not available etc. I loved this car but I am having serious reservations on ever buying another Mazda. Great design but poor quality. It looks great but .....