Mazda Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Engine Defect

Mazda faces a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of vehicle owners, alleging that the automaker intentionally concealed information about an engine valve defect and has refused to repair the problem. 

The complaint (PDF) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on August 21, seeking class action status to represent all owners of Mazda vehicles that used engines equipped with a variable valve timing (VVT) assembly.

According to allegations raised in the Mazda class action lawsuit, the variable valve timing assembly has a “propensity to fail prematurely,” which may cause the engine’s timing chain to loosen or detach, leading to partial or total engine failure.

“Although this defect is covered under Mazda’s powertrain warranty, Mazda fails to repair the defect under warranty,” the complaint indicates. “Mazda has had actual knowledge about the VVT assembly defect since at least 2007. Unfortunately, as part of the purchase process, Mazda has concealed material facts regarding the defect from purchasers and lessors of vehicles equipped with a defective VVT assembly.”

The lawsuit claims that Mazda’s standard response to complaints about the VVT defect is to maintain that the vehicle owners failed to provide sufficient proof of engine oil changes. The automaker’s standards are subjective and designed to make sure it does not have to acknowledge or repair the defect under warranty, according to allegations raised in the class action.

Vehicles that allegedly have the defective variable valve timing (VVT) assembly include the Maza CX-7, Mazdaspeed 3, Mazda 6 (2.3L) Mazda3, Mazda5 and MX-5. None of the defective engines have been in production since 2010, according to the complaint.

Mazda allegedly attempted to cover up the engine defects to uphold its claim that its vehicles will be “free from defects,” a statement made in its warranties, the lawsuit maintains. However, class action indicates that the company has known about the problem since November 2007, when it issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) to dealers stating:

When the engine is started, some vehicles may exhibit a loud ticking noise from the variable valve timing actuator at first start for a couple of seconds. This is caused by the lock pin of the variable valve timing
actuator not fully engaging. Heat treatment has now been added around the hole of the variable valve timing rotor lock pin to prevent this from happening.

The lawsuit says that the company determined that the variable valve timing assembly problems were caused by inadequate or improper hardening of the components when they were first manufactured and attempted several times to fix the problem.

The company has also received a number of consumer complaints about variable valve timing assembly failure leading to catastrophic engine failures, according to the complaint.

In January 2012, the company launched a “Special Services Program” for owners of vehicles affected by the problem, saying it would extend the warranty coverage specifically to repair the VVT on vehicles equipped with its L3T engine. it extended the warranty one year or 10,000 miles. However, the lawsuit claims that Mazda referred to the problem as a noise concern and did not advise consumers that it could lead to catastrophic engine failure, and excluded a number of vehicles with the defective VVT from the program.

The class action lawsuit for Mazda vehicle owners indicates presents claims for fraudulent concealment, breach of warranty, and violating consumer protection laws.