2008 Mazda Mazda3 Brakes Problems

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 FUSIONS. 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.

TL* 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.

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. *TR

BRAKE ROTORS WARP EARLY ON 2008 MAZDA 3 CAUSING EXCESSIVE VIBRATION WHEN BRAKING OVER 45 MPH AND CAUSES THE STEERING WHEEL TO SHAKE. *TR

I OWN A 2008 MAZDA 3. ON THIS PARTICULAR MODE OF MAZDA THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS ARE LESS THAN 1/4 INCH FROM EACH OTHER. I HAVE BEEN IN NUMEROUS NEAR MISSES WITH SEVERAL CARS, THE MOST RECENT BEING TODAY BECAUSE ALOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU GO TO STEP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL YOU GET THE GAS AT THE SAME TIME BECAUSE THEY ARE SO CLOSE TOGETHER. *TR

FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED AT 25,900 MILES; BRAKE WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON CONSOLE DASH. DEALER IDENTIFIED A FAILURE OF THE ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM) MODULE WHICH WAS LEAKING BRAKE FLUID. DEALER REPLACED ABS MODULE UNDER WARRANTY. SECOND OCCURRENCE AT 37,600 MILES; BRAKE, ABS, AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED ON DASH. DEALER IDENTIFIED FAILURE OF THE ABS MODULE WHICH HAD STOPPED COMMUNICATING WITH THE PCM. AS A RESULT OF THIS SECOND FAILURE, THE ABS AND/OR TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WAS NOT FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. DEALER COULD NOT IDENTIFY A ROOT CAUSE FOR THE CONSECUTIVE FAILURES OF THE ABS MODULE. COST TO REPLACE THE ABS MODULE WAS QUOTED BY DEALER AT APPROXIMATELY $1,600.00 (PART + LABOR). UPDATED PORTABLE 02/24/11

WHILE TURNING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION ON AN EXTREMELY COLD DAY (BELOW -10 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT) DRIVER DEPRESSES BRAKES ON AN ICY SURFACE. ANT-ILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM FAILS AND VEHICLE BEGINS TO HANDLE UNEXPECTEDLY. BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATE. AFTER ~2 MILES OF DRIVING, SYSTEM STILL INACTIVE. DRIVER PULLS OVER AND SHUTS OFF VEHICLE FOR 30 SECONDS. WHEN VEHICLE IS RESTARTED, ONLY THE ABS WARNING LIGHT STILL ACTIVE. AFTER BRAKING IN SAFE LOCATION, ABS SYSTEM ACTIVATES, AND WARNING LIGHT GOES OFF. DEALER INVESTIGATION STATES THAT THE MALFUNCTION IS LIKELY CAUSED BY EXTREME LOW TEMPERATURES. NO CORRECTIVE ACTION TAKEN. *TR

AFTER DRIVING ON SNOW COVERED ROAD, ABS WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AND ABS IS NON-OPERATIONAL. THE ABS WOULD RESUME FUNCTION AFTER AT LEAST 30-45 MIN OF DRIVING. DEALER STATED THAT SNOW BECAME TRAPPED IN ABS SENSOR BUT PROBLEM CANNOT BE RESOLVED. ABS FAILURE OCCURRED 3-4 TIMES OVER THE PAST WINTER WHEN ABS WAS ESSENTIAL. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 75 MPH, TRIED TO AVOID A VEHICLE THAT WAS UNSAFELY CHANGING LANES. PUSHED BRAKES AND VEERED TOWARDS LEFT. THE BRAKES (WHICH ARE NOT ABS) RESPONDED SLOWLY AND I SLAMMED IN THE MIDDLE DIVIDER. A COUPLE MONTH BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE DEALER HAD THE ROTORS RESURFACED SINCE THE CAR WAS SHAKING VIGOROUSLY WHILE BRAKING AT HIGH SPEEDS. ALSO THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THE ACCIDENT. TOOK CAR TO A MECHANIC AND THE MECHANIC WAS AMAZED THAT BASED ON THE VISUAL FRONTAL DAMAGE TO THE CAR THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

MY DAUGHTER NOTICED AT WHEN STOPPING THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHACK. UPON HAVING THE DEALER LOOK AT THIS ISSUE THEY SAID IT WAS DUE TO HI-SPEED STOPPING, AND THAT IT COULD BE CORRECTED BY REPLACING THE ROTORS AND PADS WITH OEM PARTS. I THINK THAT AT JUST 17,000 MILES THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE A ISSUE. I COULD ONLY SPEAK TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP AND NOT A DISTRICT REP, AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD CHECK INTO THIS AND GET BACK TO ME. THIS NEVER HAPPENED. *TR