Nothing but Trouble - Warning Long Story

Hey everyone, I haven't been on the forum for a few months, I believe my last post was about my experience trying to get a rattle in my door fixed. Given my experience of the last few months, I guess I should have been so lucky if that were my only problem.

About a month after I got the car, in February, the car began to stall every few days. The first time was when I was pulling into my garage, low speed, almost coasting forward. The car is moving forward and all the sudden, engine dies, nothing. Turn the key back, restart, seems to be fine. Brush it off, seems a bit weird that a brand new car would stall, but it was an isolated thing. A few days later, it stalls again, this time when I'm stopped at a traffic light. Again wait a few days, again it happens. 3 times stalling, now seems to indicate to me a problem. No engine light coming on or staying on, but I make an appointment anyway. Take it in, they keep it for the day, tell me there's nothing wrong with the car, its just stalling for no reason and to let it go. I don't buy that but I let it go because there's no engine light, and there are no other symptons.

A few weeks go by, the stalling still happens a couple more times. I also notice that it seems like the acceleration is sluggish. I'll step on the gas, and the car will hesitate. Still no engine light, but the problems and stalling are becoming more frequent and pronounced. So I call my dealer again and tell them the problems I'm having again. They tell me to bring it in. So I take it in, explain the problems, explain that this is the third time it's been in (twice for the stalling and sluggish acceleration, and low idling RPMs, once for the rattle...which after 3 trips, and it still being there, and them saying its fixed 3 times, was still there). The service guy tells me they are going to take the car for a roadtest, and hook it up to the computer all day. He calls me at the end of the day and says that they couldn't recreate any of the things I was complaining of (bullshit), and that they needed more time with it. They at least gave me a rental Escort so I had a vehicle to use. The next day, I get a call, the technician TOOK THE CAR HOME OVERNIGHT WITH HIM (this seemed completely unprofessional, and also just plain wrong since they never asked my permission for anyone to take it home with them). In the process of taking the car home, the technician put 101 miles on the car. And on top of all this, they again said they could find absolutely nothing wrong with the car. I was flabbergasted, and had a heated discussion with the service manager. He spend the whole time taking an extremely patronizing tone with me, and basically told me since I said they could roadtest it, that they were authorized to do what they felt they had to to create the problem.

I take my car, tell them that if the problem continues, I will be taking my business to a different dealership, and that Mazda USA would be hearing from me with my complaints. I call Mazda, they take my story down, and that's that.

Few days later, engine light comes on. I call a second Mazda garage and explain to them that I'v had the car in a number of times, I have received no help, and now I need to make an appointment with them. Take the car in, they call me later that day, tell me that the problem was a faulty purge solenoid or a vent and that the parts they needed would be shipped in for the next day. The car stays overnight, no problem, I just want the car fixed. The next day, they call, the part didn't get shipped in from the wholesaler, and it would be another day. The next day, they call again, and tell me the part is backordered, and that it would be a few weeks. He said the car was driveable (I begged to differ, but let it go) and that he would call me when the part came in.

Flash forward 3 weeks to Easter weekend. I call and ask if the part is in, because I hadn't heard from them. He tells me I must have been psychic, it had just come in (I didn't buy it, but whatever). I told him I'd be going away, but I could leave the car, and just pick it up when I got back. He said it would only take a few hours, but if I wasn't going to be around, that was fine. So the end of the day comes, I'm on my way to Baltimore for the weekend, and I get a phone call. They ordered the wrong part, and the part they needed was also backordered for at least 3 weeks. I was pissed, but didn't make a deal of it, because I was actually finding my trouble amusing in a sick way at this point. They were at least nice enough to wash my car.

So another 3 weeks go by, the stalling problem has subsided somewhat, but the sluggish acceleration has changed to full blow power loss. I'll be stopped at traffic lights, the light turns green, I hit the gas to go, and the tach drops to 0, then the engine will whine, then it will slowly move forward for a few seconds before all the sudden it gets a burst of energy and the RPMs go to 5000 or so. Also, the car seems to have trouble shifting on its own (AT, it will stay in 2 unless I let off the gas, then it shifts, then I hit the gas again).

I call again, he said I must be psychic, the part just came in (again I don't buy that). He says it will only take a few hours to fix. I take it in in the morning. Wait all day, no phone call. Finally 5 PM rolls around, I need my car, so I call. Some guy tells me that the service manager went home sick and that they had no idea what my car was in for. It was just sitting there. There was no work order, there were no technicians who worked on my car, and the parts department didn't have a record of what part was for my car. He says that he will call the next morning and let me know about my car. Now my anger over this is reaching the boiling point.

The next morning, no phone call. They said they'd call by 9. 11 comes and finally the phone rings, its the manager, he says the car will be done by lunchtime. 2 comes and he calls again, telling me the car is ready. I go pick it up, I'm driving it home. It seems to be fine, so I'm excited. Finally after 4 months, the probelm is fixed....

I decide to run some errands and I'm driving down the hill. Engine light comes on. Car stalls. Acceleration is sluggish. Only now, the problems are the worst they've ever been. I call again. This was a Friday afternoon, so I'd have to wait at least till monday. He asks me when I want to bring it in, I say Monday, he says Monday is bad, how bout Tuesday. Doesn't even seem to care that I no longer feel safe in my car. So this past weekend I was driving to my parents house, and I'm cruising down the highway, and the car stalls while I'm going 45 mph.

Yesterday morning, I spent 3 hours on the phone with 1. Mazda USA, who told me I should talk to my dealer about buying back my car 2. My dealer, explaining to them what Mazda USA told me, which they quickly dismiss and say that they don't do that and that I should call a lawyer 3. a lemon law firm who believes I have a case

And BTW, my car is spending its 13th and 14th day, out of my possession at the garage, where they now believe its a faulty O2 sensor...

What do you all think about this, anyone have this kind of horror story?

Needless to say, regardless of what the outcome of my lemon law case is, I will be getting rid of the car and looking at something else (Accord coupe perhaps)