I own a 2011 Mazda 3, which I purchased new 4 Years ago. The car is within the 5 year warranty window, but I exceeded the 60k mile warranty just a few months ago.

When I had a safety inspection last week for registration renewal, I learned the Rack & Pinion is leaking badly, and the car will not pass until it is fixed. The vehicle is still in perfect condition otherwise, and has no other damage that could have caused the leak.

I had it checked by a Firestone Technician first during the inspection, who said he’d never seen one blow this early, and that the part must be defective. Mazda Customer Service said that in order for them to consider covering the part, the vehicle needed to be inspected at a Mazda dealership. I paid to have that done, and the dealership technician confirmed problem. He said that he thought Mazda would definitely take care of it for me, because it is highly unusual for the Rack & Pinion’s seals to fail like this so far before it’s expected life.

However, Mazda’s After Warranty Department informed me yesterday that they are unwilling to do anything for me. They cited 2 reasons, 1: The vehicle is over 60k miles, and 2: This is not a common problem… I’m aware of both those issues, however neither seems like a legit enough reason to not take care of a defective part that failed so early.

I requested that they reconsider, but was refused... It seems shortsighted of Mazda. I have 1 year left to pay on the car, and had planned to buy a second Mazda next spring for my fiance. However, if this is how they do business, there is no chance I will ever purchase a car from them again.

It’s a bad situation for both myself and Mazda… I guess there is nothing else I can do, but I felt the need to share this, and tell others about my experience.