Airbag light is on.....lost power steering at only 110,000 miles...ABS break system not working

- Scottsburg, VA, USA

Brakes became spongy after hard braking at interstate highway speed of 65 mph. Afterward, sporadically, brakes would require several pumps of the pedal to build enough hydraulic pressure to stop the vehicle. I'm reporting this incident now after learning about Ford recall 19S54, NHTSA identifier 19V904. Brake parts on this car were made by fomoco. ABS hydraulic unit, P/N bvsn-43-7azd, was replaced by Mazda dealer to correct problem at a cost of $1200.

- Troy, IL, USA

The brakes normally function correctly except for when, and for some time after the ABS activates. After the ABS activates you must push the brake petal nearly to the floor before the brakes engage. Usually, the brakes seem to "reset" after 3 or 4 hard braking attempts.

- Shawnee, KS, USA

The vehicle when in motion attempting to brake has soft brakes that when engaged, the brake pedal moves to aprox. 1 inch from the floor. The brakes only slightly engage, however, if needed the ABS system and the braking ability is hindered when hard stopping. The rotors and pads were replaced, and the brake lines bled hoping to solve the issue. Yet, further diagnostics show that the ABS control module is faulty.

- Mason, OH, USA

#1 air bag warning dash light remains illuminated and has stayed illuminated for approximately 1 1/2+ years. There is no Mazda dealership in my area and I initially believed it was my responsibility to replace or repair at my expense due to the vehicle's age. #2 brakes: Vehicle was recently serviced and comprehensive safety inspected on 6 Nov 2018. I asked the shop to check the brake pedal for abnormal pressure. I felt the brake pedal was not maintaining a firm pedal push while driving, but at first felt firm then softened almost all the way to the floor board. I returned to the auto service to point this out and the representative responded no evidence of brake fluid leaking out and earlier while they drove it around their facility it felt fine, therefore it was ok to drive like this. Today is 3 December and it is still a mushy brake.

- Flagstaff, AZ, USA

The brake pedal goes too far before engaging. I've had the brake fluid replaced and after about 6 months, the problem has occured again. The research that I have done shows that it is a problem with the ABS actuator. There's appears to be a fault that allows pressure to bleed past the valves in the actuator. This is a serious problem as stopping distance is affected. There needs to be a recall.

- Lees Summit, MO, USA

I was driving on a 30 mph road near my apartment and when I went to brake while moving, the brakes failed on my Mazda 3. I was pressing the brakes and then all of the sudden the pedal went to the floor and the car continued rolling. Luckily the car was not going fast and was able to roll to a stop with just the hand brake. My car only has 104,000 miles on the odometer. There were no lit up indicators on the dashboard and no warning signs before the catastrophic failure. Based on my trip to two mechanics and the dealership, the ABS unit failed and allowed air into the system which causes a catastrophic loss of brakes without warning. This is a serious and potentially deadly flaw that I believe Mazda should pay in full to remedy. This seems to be a common safety problem in Mazda cars from about 2004 to 2016 based on my research. I found multiple other sources that had the same problem.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

Break pedal movement necessary to activate brakes increased dramatically without warning. Activation of brakes requires brake pedal to be close to the floor of the pedal compartment. By "close" I mean with 2-3 inches. This occurred suddenly while in motion on a city street. After the increased travel of the brake pedal when applied, the brakes do activate to slow and stop the car but tend to more quickly actuate brakes which then require increased pedal pressure to stop motion of the car. This is not the normal brake system actuation and makes controlling break pedal pressure much more difficult. In wet road conditions this might present a dangerous condition. This occurred on February 19, 2018. The car will in be factory dealership repair shop on Feb. 22, 2018.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

This is for a 2008.5 Mazda3. The issue I am reporting is with a "soft pedal" caused by a malfunction in the ABS system. This problem began when driving over a bump and simultaneously pressing down on the brakes. The brakes and ABS system engage and car slows down. However, after that, the pedal loses pressure and needs to be pushed all the way down to the floor in order to get the car to stop. This issue can be fixed by activating the ABS system again and coming to a complete stop. However, when braking over a bump again the issue continues to happen. It looks like this issue has recently started to become widely reported for Mazda3, mazda6, and Ford Fusion. I am seeing that there is an investigation opened in December 2016 for the Ford Fusion and the Mercury Milan. I would like to report that this defect is also evident in Mazda's as well. There is a lot of confusion as to what is causing this problem and it seems most people go and replace their master cylinder, calipers, brake pads, ect. In order to fix the problem. The problem looks to be with the hydraulic's in the ABS system.

- Bloomfield, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Mazda 3. while driving approximately 10 to 15 mph in the rain, the brakes failed when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle continued to roll on its own and eventually stopped. The failure recurred numerous times. The manufacturer was notified. The contact stated that the vehicle had no traction control. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

When I brake, the rotor separated into two pieces effectively removing my front brakes. Upon inspection of the rotor, it looks like they preferentially rusted at the interface between the rotor body and where the brake pads grab. It seemed strange, like a defect and no one I talked to had ever seen this before. May have just been a freak thing but figured I would report it because the situation could have been a lot worse if I was on a highway.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

TL * the contact owns a 2008 Mazda3. While driving 65 mph, the steering wheel suddenly seized. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the brakes failed to respond. The vehicle spun and crashed into a guard rail. The contact was transported to the emergency room by ambulance and was treated for bruising, whiplash, acute neck, back, shoulder, and leg traumas. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was previously repaired according to NHTSA campaign number: 10V374000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Pittsburgh , PA, USA

While driving approx 75 mph on a highway, my power steering suddenly failed, and simultaneously my brakes failed (felt like they locked up, as they became extremely difficult to push pedal). I had to shift suddenly in to neutral in order to reduce my speed and pull safely to the shoulder. This same incident also occurred on 8/10/2012.

- Easton, PA, USA