2004 Mazda Mazda3 Electrical System Problems

I HAD MY MECHANIC WORKING ON REPLACING A BURNT OUT LICENSE PLATE LIGHT WHEN HE DISCOVERED THAT THE TAIL LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. HE TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF AND BACK ON, AND THE TAIL LIGHTS STARTED WORKING AGAIN, TURNED THE LIGHTS BACK OFF AND ON AGAIN, AND THE TAIL LIGHTS WERE BACK TO NOT WORKING AGAIN. HE IDENTIFIED THE FUSE BOX TO BE THE CAUSE OF THIS ISSUE, AS WHEN THE TAIL LIGHTS WERE OUT, HE WOULD HIT THE FUSE BOX WHICH WOULD THEN CAUSE THE LIGHTS TO COME BACK ON, AND HE DEMONSTRATED THIS FOR ME. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN TO ME AND AFTER ONLY A FEW MINUTES OF INTERNET RESEARCH I FOUND OTHERS WERE HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE THAT I'VE NOT BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND. I'VE CALLED MAZDA AND THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF A KNOWN ISSUE AND THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE PART, BUT I'VE ALSO LEARNED THAT THIS PART HAS BEEN REISSUED 6 TIMES. THIS MAKES ME THINK IT HAS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE, OTHERWISE WHY KEEP MODIFYING THE PART? *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH AT NIGHT, MY LOWER DASH (RADIO, HVAC) AND STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS LIGHTING WENT OUT FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES, AND THEN CAME BACK ON. THIS STARTED HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY FROM THAT POINT ON, SHUTTING OFF AND COMING BACK ON RANDOMLY, WITH THE LIGHTS BEING OUT CONTINUOUSLY ONCE FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT IN TRAFFIC. THE SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT I JUST DISCOVERED THE TAIL LIGHTS WERE ALSO GOING OUT AT THE SAME TIME. INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE CAUSE IS A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER JUNCTION BOX (PJB). THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND AN UNACCEPTABLE ENGINEERING FLAW WHICH APPEARS TO AFFECT OTHER DRIVERS OF THIS VEHICLE MODEL AS WELL. DUE TO PROHIBITIVE COST OF JSB REPLACEMENT AND UNCERTAINTY OF THE INTEGRITY OF THAT PART ITSELF, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO INSTALL A FAILSAFE INDEPENDENT WIRING SOLUTION FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO ENSURE REQUIRED RELIABILITY

THE INTERIOR LIGHTS AROUND THE AIR CONDITIONER CONTROLS WERE NOT ON, THOUGHT IT WAS A SHORT OR A BLOWN FUSE, PLANNED ON CHECKING ONCE RETURNING HOME THAT NIGHT. HOWEVER WAS PULLED OVER BY LOCAL POLICE DEPT AND TOLD I DIDN'T HAVE ANY TAIL LIGHTS. CHECKED ALL FUSES RIGHT THEN, ALL FUSES WERE GOOD. DROVE HOME WITH EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON TO AVOID BEING HIT. TOOK THE CAR TO THE MECHANIC THE NEXT DAY THEY CHECKED ALL FUSES AND FOUND THE FUSES WERE GOOD BUT FOUND THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS HAD BLOWN. TWO WEEKS LATER THE SAME THING, NO LIGHTS AROUND AIR CONDITIONER CONTROLS SO I IMMEDIATELY GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND DISCOVERED NO TAIL LIGHTS. TOOK CAR BACK TO SAME MECHANIC AND UPON RESEARCHING HE FOUND THAT THIS MODEL HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE PASSENGER JUNCTION BOX (FUSE BOX) HAVING SHORTS. WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE JUNCTION BOX AND THE REPLACEMENT BOX IS APPROXIMATELY $800. WITH THIS BEING A KNOWN PROBLEM THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO REPLACE ALL PASSENGER JUNCTION BOXES! I COULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT FROM NOT HAVING TAIL LIGHTS AND NOT KNOWING IT!!!!! *JS

MY 2004 MAZDA 3 OFTEN STALLS WHILE I'M DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, I TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO RE-CREATE THE PROBLEM AND THEY WON'T FIX IT. I THINK MAZDA CORPORATION HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT CAUSE IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO MANY MAZDA 3 OUT THERE AND IT ALWAYS SCARE ME WHENEVER MY CAR STALLS ON THE FREEWAY AS IT IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE VEHICLE, MAZDA 3 MANUAL, WAS RETURNED TO DEALER AFTER AIRBAG RECALL MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED. VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SUFFERED FROM MANY COMPLAINTS. SERVICE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT A LOOSE GROUND WIRE AT ONE OF THE FUSE PANELS WAS THE FAULT. VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM RAN AS PROMISED FOR MONTHS UNTIL BOTH LOW-BEAM HEADLAMPS BLEW AT THE SAME TIME. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED AND ACTION WILL TAKE PLACE. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL ELECTRICAL FAULTS IN THE VEHICLE AND ASSUME MANY MORE ARE TO COME. SAFETY WAS SEVERELY COMPROMISED. NO HEADLAMPS AT NIGHT IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE IS VERY MUCH A PROBLEM. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED 2004 MAZDA RX 8 STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 20-35 MPH. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. , BUT AFTERWARDS ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON, AND THE VEHICLE DIED. THE CONSUMER REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALER ,AND THEY DID THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST, AND FOUND NOTHING BUT SUGGESTED THAT HE DO A TUNE UP ON THE CAR. THE CAR HAS HAD NO OTHER PROBLEMS AND HAS DRIVEN FINE BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. THE OWNER NOTICED BEFORE THIS HAPPENED THAT HE HAD DRIVEN ABOUT 100 MILES WHEN THE CAR STALLED. THIS WAS ON BOTH OCCASIONS. THE DEALER DID DO A COMPUTER UPDATE. *AK

DT: THE ENGINE JUST TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE CUT OFF TWICE WHEN TRYING TO GO UP HILL AT 20 MPH. THIS HAPPENED ON JULY 20TH, 2005. THE EVOLUTION WAS ROUGHLY AT 10,000 FEET. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER. *AK *SC