1999 MAZDA B-SERIES TRUCK Power Train Problems

SHIFT KNOB HAS COME OFF WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1 TO 2 IN MIDDLE OF A SHIFT IN A COUPLE OF SITUATIONS, CAUSING MISSED SHIFTS, AND THE VEHICLE TO DECELERATE RAPIDLY IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, CAUSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE KNOB IS ONLY HELD IN PLACE BY AN AXIAL PRESS SPLEEN, WITH NO REAL MEANS OF RETAINING THE KNOB IN PLACE SUCH AS A SET SCREW.*AK

Mileage: 81,750

MITSUBISHI B3000 TRUCK AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *BF THE CONSUMER NOTICED A ROUGH SHIFTING IN THE TRANSMISSION WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER TO NO AVAIL THE CONSUMER WENT ONLINE AND FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AGAINST MAZDA TRUCKS ( B3000 4X4) BEING DEFECTIVE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED MAZDA AND WAS TOLD HIS TRUCK WENT OUT OF WARRANTY THE DAY HE PURCHASED IT AND IT WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. *TC

Mileage: 63,000

IN HOT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES, FLORIDA, AFTER MY 1999 MAZDA B3000 HAS SAT IN THE PARKING LOT FORTHE DAY, THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE MASTER CYLINDERS FAILED TO FUNCTION CORRECTLY, IT IS AS IF WHEN I STEP ON THE CLUTCH THE FLUID BLEEDS BY THE O RINGS AND THE CLUTCH FAILS HALF WAY TO THE FLOOR, THE SAME WITH THE BRAKES, WHEN YOU STEP ON THE BRAKES, THE FLUID IS LEAKING PAST THE O RINGS IN THE MASTER CYLINDER, MAKING A GURGLING/AERATING SOUND. AFTER YOU HAVE DRIVEN A FEW MILES AND AIR FLOW OVER THE AFFECTED COMPONENTS COOLS THE COMPONENTS, THE BRAKE NOISE ALMOST DISAPPEARS, AND THE CLUTCH WILL SOMETIMES COME BACK TO FULL POSITION, MOSTLY THOUGH IT WILL ONLY COME BACK UP TO HALF POSITION. WHEN YOU PARK THE VEHICLE IN THE SHADE OR IN A COOL AREA, OR IN THE WINTER, THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN. MY QUESTION, WAS THERE A DEFECTIVE BATCH OF O RINGS AND IS THERE A RECOURSE FOR MAUFACTURERS INVESTIGATION AND SUBSEQUENT REPAIR. *AK

VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, CONSUMER FOUND OUT THAT THE FIRST OWNER HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED, TRANSMISSION IS CONTINUING TO MALFUNCTION.

THE DRIVETRAIN OF MY TRUCK SEEMS TO HAVE SLACK IN IT. WHEN I SLOW TO A STOP IT "CLUNKS". WHEN I ACCELERATE AWAY FROM A STOP IT "CLUNKS" BACK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I TOOK IT TO DIAMNOD MAZDA AND THEY CHANGED PART OF THE DRIVE SHAFT AND THAT CORRECTED IT FOR A FEW WEEKS BUT IT IS BACK TO DOING IT NOW. I CALLED BACK AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIX IT? I CONTACTED MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY SAID THEY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT DID NOT HAVE A FIX. THEY DO NOT APPEAR TO BE TOO CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. I WOULD GIVE THEM BACK THE TRUCK UNDER THE LEMON LAW SINCE IT HAS BEEN TO THE SHOP 3 TIMES FOR THE SAME ISSUE AND IT IS NOT RESOLVED BUT THE LAWS IN LOUISIANA ARE NOT IN MY BEST INTEREST.

THE DRIVESHAFT OR CLUTCH UNIT HAS A LOUD POPPING NOISE AS I COME OUT OF REVERSE AND SHIFT INTO 1ST. SOMETIMES IT IS LOUD ENOUGH TO SOUND LIKE A U-JOINT BUT I HAVE CHECKED THEM. MECHANIC AT A DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THE DRIVESHFT HAS A SLEEVE ON IT AND THIS IS WHAT I AM HEARING. BUT I AM NOT CONVINCED THIS IS THE PROBLEM. *AK

THIS TRUCK IS MANUFACTURED BY FORD, IT IS IDENTICAL TO THE FORD RANGER WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW EXTERIOR BODY PANELS. THIS TRUCK HAS A MECHANICAL FLAW IN THE DRIVE LINE THAT FEELS AS IF THE TRANSMISSION BOUNCES OR "THUMPS UP AND DOWN" WHEN MODERATELY ACCELERATING FROM A STAND STILL. MY SERVICE CENTER HAS ATTEMPTED 4 REPAIRS AS PER MAZDA SERVICE BULLETINS, ALL HAVE FAILED. EACH TIME I CONTACT MY SERVICE CENTER REGARDING A REPAIR SOLUTION I AM TOLD THE SAME THING" MAZDA IS WORKING ON A FIX". I HAVE CONTACTED MAZDA CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMEROUS TIMES AND GAINED NO INFORMATION. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS DEFECT. IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME I HAVE LOCATED OTHER FORD RANGER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, SOME MODELS DATING BACK TO 1994. WHEN THEY TURNED TO FORD FOR A REPAIR, THEY TOO WERE PUT ASIDE. WHAT ALARMS ME IS NHTSA HAS MANY BULLETINS WHERE FORD ACKNOWLEDGES MY SAME COMPLAINT, SOME BULLETINS DATING BACK TO 1997 MODEL YEAR. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT FORD HAS SOLD 100'S TO 1000'S OF RANGER AND RANGER EQUIVALENTS WITH THIS DESIGN DEFECT AS FIRST QUALITY, WHILE KNOWING THEY ARE NOT. TODAY, SEPT. 18,2000 A MAZDA REPRESENTATIVE HAS CONTACTED ME FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THIS PROBLEM BEGAN. HE SAID THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. I NEED HELP IN DIRECTING FORD TO AKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM AND RELEASE A FIX. I HAVE TOLERATED THIS DEFECTIVE VEHICLE FOR 25000 MILES AND I AM APPROACHING THE END OF MY WARRANTY. ANOTHER CONCERN OF MINE IS WHAT LONG TERM EFFECT THIS WILL HAVE ON OTHER RELATED COMPONENTS. PLEASE HELP IN ANYWAY POSSIBLE.

#1 AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 MILES THE DIFERENTIAL PINION GEARS WERE REPLACED DUE TO A GRINDING NOISE FROM THE REAR END, #2 AT 9,500 MILES I TOOK THE TRUCK BACK TO THE DEALER AND COMPLAINED OF NOISES IN THE REAR END AND FRONT END VIBRATION. THEY DISREGARDED THE NOISES IN THE REAR END AND REPLACED THE TWO FRONT TIRES. SINCE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BY MAZDA TO BALANCE THE FRONT TIRES, I STILL HAVE THE VIBRATION IN THE FRONT DURING NORMAL DRIVING. 18 OCTOBER 1999 WITH APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, I TOOOK IT BACK, THIS TIME THERE IS A VERY DISTINCTIVE NOISE FROM THE REAR END AND FRONT END VIBRATION. MAZDA ORDERED A COMPLETE REAR AXLE ASSY AND ONCE AGAIN BALANCED THE FRONT TIRES. I WAS TOLD BY SERVICE MANAGER THAT THE TRUCK IS SAFE TO DRIVE. NOTE: THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY WILL MOVE ABOUR ONE INCH FROM SIDE TO SIDE WHEN I SHAKE THE REAR TIRES. I BELEIVE THE FRONT END PROBLEMS ARE BEING CAUSED BY THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY FLOATING WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN.( DOT NUMBER: W2UU TIRE SIZE: P225/70R15 )

#1 AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 MILES THE DIFERENTIAL PINION GEARS WERE REPLACED DUE TO A GRINDING NOISE FROM THE REAR END, #2 AT 9,500 MILES I TOOK THE TRUCK BACK TO THE DEALER AND COMPLAINED OF NOISES IN THE REAR END AND FRONT END VIBRATION. THEY DISREGARDED THE NOISES IN THE REAR END AND REPLACED THE TWO FRONT TIRES. SINCE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BY MAZDA TO BALANCE THE FRONT TIRES, I STILL HAVE THE VIBRATION IN THE FRONT DURING NORMAL DRIVING. 18 OCTOBER 1999 WITH APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, I TOOOK IT BACK, THIS TIME THERE IS A VERY DISTINCTIVE NOISE FROM THE REAR END AND FRONT END VIBRATION. MAZDA ORDERED A COMPLETE REAR AXLE ASSY AND ONCE AGAIN BALANCED THE FRONT TIRES. I WAS TOLD BY SERVICE MANAGER THAT THE TRUCK IS SAFE TO DRIVE. NOTE: THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY WILL MOVE ABOUR ONE INCH FROM SIDE TO SIDE WHEN I SHAKE THE REAR TIRES. I BELEIVE THE FRONT END PROBLEMS ARE BEING CAUSED BY THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY FLOATING WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN.( DOT NUMBER: W2UU TIRE SIZE: P225/70R15 )

ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A REPAIR MADE FOR THIS PROBLEM, IT IS STILL NOT FIXED AS OF 8/23/1999. AN ADDITIONAL TSB WAS INSTALLED BUT STILL NO DIFFERENCE. THE BEAT GOES ON.