2014 Mazda Mazda3 Speed Control & Cruise Problems

While accelerating onto a highway, my engine overheating light flashed then stayed on and my acceleration suddenly throttled back and my car started slowing down. I was able to pull over on the shoulder, but there was a close call with a semi bearing down. I had my car towed to a repair shop, where they told me the water jacket had cracked and the overheating caused a blown head gasket. This was repaired and tested. A week later, I got the car up to highway speeds and the engine overheating light flashed again. When I stopped and looked at the engine, there was foamy tan coolant all over the place. Towed it back again and was told the weld had failed. But in trying to find a used cylinder to replace mine, the shop told me that all of their sources said they had no used ones available because the same crack happened on those as well.

I WAS TURNING SLOWLY INTO A PARKING SPACE BETWEEN TWO PARKED CARS WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. APPROXIMATELY 1/4 TO 1/3 OF THE WAY INTO THE SPACE THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED (MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE). IT JUMPED THE CURB, CROSSED OVER THE SIDEWALK, "TOOK OUT" 2 PILINGS AND LARGE FLOWER BOX AND THEN STOPPED. ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. IT HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF SECONDS AND I HAD NO TIME TO REACT IN ANY WAY. CAR HAD TO BE WINCHED OFF OF THE PILINGS WHICH NOW HAVE TO BE RESET APPROX. 15" - 18" INTO THE GROUND. I HAVE PHOTOS TAKEN BY A NEIGHBOR, BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD THEM. TOW TRUCK DRIVER TOOK SOME TO SHOW TO THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER.

MOMENTS AFTER DRIVING MY 2014 MAZDA 3, I NOTICED THE BLUE COOLANT DASHBOARD ICON WAS LIT SIGNALING THE COOLANT IS COLD. AS I DROVE WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR ABRUPTLY ACCELERATED AND I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES SO I WOULD NOT REAR END THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. PLUS, I NOTICED THE COOLANT DASHBOARD ICON TURN OFF ALSO. THE CRUISE WAS COMPLETELY OFF!

7/27/16 3:30 PM WEATHER CLEAR AND DRY ' TEMPERATURE 78 DEGREES MILEAGE ABOUT 24,000 ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE UP TO DATE I ACCELERATED ONTO WASHINGTON SR 520 EASTBOUND AT EXIT 51 TO GET UP TO MERGING SPEED. I KEPT THE CAR IN SECOND GEAR AND THE ENGINE REVVED TO ABOUT 5,000 RPM. I DON'T THINK I HAVE EVER DRIVEN THE CAR OVER 4500 RPM IN THE NEARLY 3 YEARS I HAVE OWNED IT. I AM NOT SURE WHY I DIDN'T SHIFT INTO THIRD AS I USUALLY DO. THIRD GEAR IS MY DEFINITELY MY PREFERRED GEAR FOR THIS MANEUVER AND IT ALWAYS WORKS WELL FOR MERGING ONTO A HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY. I WAS GREETED WITH MULTIPLE FLASHING IDIOT LIGHTS FOR ENGINE, TIRE PRESSURE AND ANTI-SKID. THE THROTTLE WAS UNRESPONSIVE AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY SAFELY AS MY SPEED DROPPED RAPIDLY FROM ABOUT 45 TO 30. I LIMPED ALONG IN THE FIRST LANE AT ABOUT 30 MPH, I TRIED TO TURN ON MY EMERGENCY FLASHERS BUT I DON'T THINK THEY WORKED. I AM NOT CERTAIN OF THIS LAST POINT AS I WAS PANICKED THAT THE ENGINE HAD APPEARED TO QUIT JUST HAS I WAS MERGING INTO HEAVY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC THAT WAS MOVING AT ABOUT 60-65 MPH. I COULD NOT GET ANY POWER IN ANY GEAR AND TRIED FEATHERING THE THROTTLE. I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT EXIT ' ABOUT 1 MILE. I SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND LET IT REST FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON, EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL. NO IDIOT LIGHTS AND THE THROTTLE RESPONDED NORMALLY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE LAST COUPLE OF MILES HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CAR BUT THIS INCIDENT SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME.

MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON THE LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY WITH 2 PASSENGERS IN THE CAR. SHE WAS DRIVING AROUND 60 MPH WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED BY ITSELF. IN A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS THE CAR WENT FROM 60 MPH TO OVER 120 MPH. SHE TRIED PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS SHE COULD BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND. SHE HAD TO *JSDODGE ABOUT 7 CARS AS SHE TRIED TO GET THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN. SHE THEN PULLED THE EMERGENCY BREAK BUT THE CAR WAS MOVING SO FAST THAT IT BARELY SLOWED THE CAR DOWN. SHE GOT HER CAR TO THE SIDE (LAST LANE) OF THE HIGHWAY AND DECIDED TO PRESS THE PUSH TO START BUTTON AND THE CAR FINALLY CAME TO A HALT. THERE WAS NOT TOO MUCH TRAFFIC SO SHE WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE THE CARS SUDDEN ACCELERATION WITHOUT GETTING HURT OR DAMAGING THE CAR. A WITNESS ON THE HIGHWAY SAW MY MOTHERS CAR SPEEDING OUT OF CONTROL AND CALLED THE POLICE. THE POLICE CAME AND FILLED OUT A POLICE REPORT AND LEFT. WE GOT THE CAR TOWED TO A MAZDA DEALERSHIP AND LEFT IT THERE OVERNIGHT SO THEY COULD FIGURE OUT THE ISSUES AS THERE WAS CLEARLY A DEFECT WITH THE CAR. THEY CALLED US BACK SAYING THAT EVERYTHING WAS CHECKING OUT NORMAL ON THE CAR AND THEY DECIDED TO HAVE THE CAR TECHNICIAN DRIVE THE CAR HOME AND BACK TO WORK THE NEXT TIME IN AN ATTEMPT TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. THEY CALLED US THE NEXT DAY SAYING THEY DROVE THE CAR 58 MILES AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE AND TOLD US THAT WE HAD TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE. THEY SAID THAT MY FAMILY FEELING SAFE IN THE MAZDA VEHICLE WAS THEIR PRIORITY BUT THAT WAS CLEARLY NOT THE CASE. THEY REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IF THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN AND WE GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT AND ALSO REFUSED TO PROVIDE US WITH A LOANER CAR OR A REPLACEMENT VEHICLE OR PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN TRADING IN THE CAR FOR A NEW ONE. THEY SAID THEY HAD DONE ALL THEY COULD AND UNTIL THIS HAPPENED AGAIN THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ASSIST US. MY MOM COULD'VE DIED IN THAT CAR. *JS