The other day I was driving and I was trying to speed up to get on the interstate ramp. My car acted like it didn't want to shift out of 3rd gear and wouldn't accelerate much. It then shifted into 4th gear and there was a very loud thud and the car jerked. The thud and jerk have begun to happen almost every time the car shifts from 3rd to 4th gear.

- Gray, TN, USA

While traversing an intersection my Mazda 6's idle climbed to 3000 RPM without shifting. In order not to stress the engine I was forced to drive at a maximum of 15 mph and being on a highway with no parking or emergency shoulder I was frightened that I would become involved in or cause an accident. I was fortunate enough that neither occurred and I was able to get to safety. Upon investigating I discovered that this problem is not covered under any sort of manufacturers warranty and is the subject matter of many online discussion forums. It appears that this problem is all too common. I believe that it is in the interest of civic duty for the manufacturer to be held responsible for the replacement of a part that is defective and could potentially pose a great traffic safety risk.

- Riverside, CA, USA

I started hearing noise that sounded like I had ran over a bump in the road, then I noticed when my car switched gears it started to sound like a loud thump. This was unbelievable to me as my car only had 28K miles on it. I took the car to the dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. However, when I took them driving and accelerated and the car changed gears, sure enough..thud! the service manager said turn around carefully and get back to the dealer because this car is dangerous to drive because it's slipping out of gear. They had my car for 6 weeks trying to get a good transmission from Mazda to put in my car. Now it's 3 years later and my car has 82K miles on it. I had a broken motor mount two weeks ago and there has been a noise in the front wheels that I have been told is the strut mounts but they can't seem to hear it. My daughter and I took a day trip this week and the day we got home I was running some errands. One place in particular is very hard to get out of and into the flow of traffic and you have to accelerate very quickly. When I did, my heart dropped because what did I hear but the familiar thud! yes, my transmission was slipping again and my car is sitting in the shop as I write this waiting on another transmission. I don't think my transmission will ever go out of warranty because they have to keep replacing it. I just pray it doesn't take 6 weeks for them to receive one that they consider good enough quality to install into my car again.

- Powell, TN, USA

Mazda sedan6 purchased 05/2007- current mileage 2800- discovered oil leak at engine rear main seal. Service mgr offered to correct problem. Oil leak not noticeable-oil dropping on under engine shield and coagulating. Low mileage might indicate problem existed at time of manufacture. If so, replacement of vehicle is proper action on part of manufacturer/seller.

- Dearborn Hgts, MI, USA

While on vacation, 6/23/07, with approx. 400 mi on my 2007 Mazda 6, I initially noticed some steam coming from the engine compartment and a distinct odor. Shortly thereafter, my car would not shift out of first gear and my at indicator light appeared. I immediately pulled the vehicle over and noticed a pool of transmission fluid leaking under the vehicle. I then contacted the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the nearest Mazda dealer. I was informed that the vehicle's transmission had a defective seal that led to the torque converter and therefore, leaked all transmission fluid. The car would now need a new transmission installed. At approximately 3000 mi on the vehicle, I noticed a high pitched whine when accelerating and decelerating. In addition, there seemed to be a lag in shifting. I contacted the dealer to investigate the problem and brought the vehicle in on 9/6/07. I was notified that 2 components in the differential failed; a differential seal and a solenoid valve. Mazda installed the two components. The seal was repaired but the solenoid valve install was unsuccessful. The dealer contacted the manufacturer and was instructed to install another new transmission. As of 9/18/07, the dealer should have completed the install today and will contact me with the results.

- Saint Francis, WI, USA