I was driving about 45 mph on rochester rd in traffic when I had to pull to the right and brake for and ambulance heading my way, I heard something break in the front end and upon trying to resume my position in my lane my car would not steer and in order to keep my wheels straight I had to turn my steering wheel to the car left. I thought I had a tire going down so I pulled over to inspect my tires and found nothing so I got back in my car and made a turn back on the road and I knew right away something was terribly wrong as it felt like I was on a sheet of ice. I pulled over and called for a tow truck. Upon inspection at my repair shop they found my subframe was rusted out.

- Clawson, MI, USA

Had the oil changed yesterday at 93000 miles and was told subframe was extremely rusted. They suggested we only drive in town because it could break with any stress and cause loss of steering.10

- Howard, OH, USA

Driving on highway, I had to brake and realized I had to struggle to steer the vehicle properly. I heard a loud clunk when releasing clutch when I had to use it. My steering wheel was out of alignment. When I brought in for service they said the entire frame and underside of the body had rusted out. I do not have pictures yet.

- Whitinsville, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Mazda 6. the contact stated that there was extensive rust and corrosion built up on the subframe. The vehicle was towed to modern Mazda of burlington (2608 alamance rd, burlington, nc 27215, (336) 229-5501) to be diagnosed. The dealer refused to service the vehicle for an unspecified recall campaign. The dealer asked the contact to pick up the vehicle and would not repair it because they were not in a salt belt state. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Russ darrow Mazda of milwaukee (11330 w metro auto mall, milwaukee, wi 53224, 1-(888) 675-2781) indicated that if the vehicle was towed them, they would provide a loaner vehicle and service the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.

- Willow Springs, WI, USA

I braked quickly for a traffic light. The car skidded and veered violently to the right. When I accelerated from the light, I had to hold onto the wheel tightly to keep the car on the road. If I let go of the wheel, the car would immediately swerve to the right. In addition, the front passenger side wheel was squealing. I got it to my mechanic who told me that the subframe has rusted through and broke. I was shocked as the body has no rust. I have always keep the car very clean and maintained. In fact, I had the under body rust proofed when I purchased in 2009. I had to remove the car from the road as it was undrivable. If I had been on the highway doing 55, I would have been involved in fatal accident.

- West Monroe, NY, USA

The subframe on my 2009 Mazda6 has been noticeably rusting over the years since I purchased the car from a Mazda dealer as the original owner. Over the previous year, mid 2016 to mid 2017, my mechanic had become increasingly concerned with the consequences that would come from the subframe rust and suggested we start documenting and referring the problem to Mazda. The mechanic's concern was related to the decrease in strength of the subframe and its ability to continue to support the engine weight. His fear was that the engine would drop out of the bottom of the car onto the road after going over a bump on the highway. The Mazda6 was brought into a Mazda dealer in March and June of 2017 for service related to brake light and takata inflator recall. The problem with the rusted subframe was identified by the service mechanic during the second visit, June 1, 2017, and the service department noted on the service ticket "subframe rotted" and "car is not safe"(attached). The problem was also directed to Mazda on their on-line complaint service. The original text to Mazda is not available from me as this was an on-line form as this one is. The response from Mazda (attached) was that there were no recalls for the subframe rust problem and that the warranty on the vehicle did not cover the subframe rust problem. It is unimaginable to me or anyone that I have presented this issue too, that a car with daily use and typical mileage would have a subframe that is results in a vehicle that is unsafe to operate after only 7-8 years.

- North Andover, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Mazda 6. the contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. Upon inspection of the front passenger tire, and front and rear frame, the contact noticed extensive rust and corrosion. The frame also had cracks near the front passenger tire. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V457000 (air bags), but the contact was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was to follow-up on the recall information. The approximate failure mileage was 74,151.

- Lambertville, MI, USA

I have received multiple estimates (please see attached files) that indicate the beginning of a problem other Mazda6 2009 owners have had--the subframe has rusted and needs to be replaced. First time the problem was identified to me was at 65,000; previous owner may have been notified but problem has grown more severe. No incident has occurred as of yet but estimates range from $2,000 to $4,000 to replace; Mazda dealership claims part would take 1-3 months to order. I dated the incident as of the first estimate I received. I have been warned that the engine and transmission could drop out of place!!! at only ~60K miles, this car has a lot left in it!

- Chicago, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Mazda Mazda6. While driving and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle veered to the right. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who changed the brake pads, but the failure continued. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the front subframe of the vehicle was rusted and corroded. The manufacturer was notified and the contact was advised to tow the vehicle to the local dealer (morries Mazda, 13700 wayzata blvd, minnetonka, mn). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was confirmed that the subframe was rusted and corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000. * consumer stated Mazda usa is replacing the subframe for us. Either way this is a huge issue with cars on the road that could cause major accidents. The sub frame was so rusted that you could put your hands through in many different places. Very dangerous. Updated 10/26/18

- Zimmerman, MN, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at state inspected, the contact was informed that the sub frame was extremely corroded and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was driven to marketplace Mazda dealer located at 3755 w henrietta rd, rochester, NY 14623, (585) 359-4900, for inspection. The contact was informed that the sub frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,300.

- Rochester, NY, USA

This past week, while driving my vehicle to and from work on a public roadway, the steering wheel was off-center and the vehicle started to shift to the side of the road while vehicle was in motion while driving straight. I took it to an auto repair shop and they told me the sub frame is completely split in half and all corroded. The vehicle is undriveable right now. It's going to be very expensive to repair.

- Clay, NY, USA

I purchased a used 2009 Mazda 6 almost a year ago (November 2017). The vehicle seemed to be in fairly good condition. The seller was up front with any areas of concern and fixed the issues I was concerned about before the vehicle left the lot. I had no issues withthe vehicle there after. An air bag part was recalled on the vehicle that required maintenance from the Mazda dealership. Upon having the recalled part corrected the dealership worker informed me that I should be concerned about the front sub frame which is a costly repair. Two months later, still trying to figure out how to come up with the money for this repair, I noticed and issue with the steering. I had the vehicle assessed only to find that the rusted subframe is the cause of my concern. Went online and to my great surprise I am not the only 2009 Mazda 6 owner experiencing this. This is a travesty.

- Pittsfield, MA, USA

The front of the sub frame on the right side has rusted and the car is not driveable. The steering is pretty much disabled. I was able to get it to the shop which is a mile away. It will take two months to repair as parts are not readily available.

- West Roxbury, MA, USA

While driving my 2009 Mazda 6 at 30 mph on a city street the car violently pulled to the right and I had to cut the wheel to the left in order to drive straight. I brought the car to a local mechanic who informed me that the car's subframe had significant rust and rot and was not safe to drive. The car is in otherwise good condition and has approximately 65K miles.

- West Roxbury, MA, USA

In August 6th, 2018, I was driving back from work with my 4Y old son in quebec city at 50 km/H. when I want to stop at the red-light I sensed a significant loss of steering control to the right and I was completely shocked because I was just about to hit a cyclist. And my son was frustrated too. Luckily nothing bad happened. But from there I wasn't able to drive correctly, I held the steering wheel to 60 degrees to the left while going at 25 km/H to be able to drive straight and get back to my home. The following day I drove my car to the nearest garage, and to my surprise, the guy told me that the subframe at the right near to the wheel is completely corroded and the steering rack was separated from its mounts causing the steering loss. The garage owner told that he called Mazda to ask for a new subframe for me, but they told him that they don't have it in stock and they have already 5 more people with the same problem waiting for that. Knowing that I do rust check and treatment before every winter. I am very thankful to god that nothing bad happened while I was traveling with my family during our holidays. Mazda should recognize this as a serious and very dangerous defect since it is happening for a lot of people.

- Quebec, ME, USA

During a recent alignment, for my 2009 Mazda 6, I was informed by a mechanic that I could have a serious problem if the "suspension crossmember-engine cradle" is not replaced. After bringing the car to a body shop, I was informed it would not be wise to drive the car until this part is replaced. I was quoted $1,800 dollars for parts and labor. For a well maintained car with less than 100,000 miles on the odometer, I consider this an extreme and unreasonable repair.

- Kinnelon, NJ, USA

I was driving and making a turn when a loud clunking noise occurred and I lost stability of the car. In order to make it to the dealership (which was within a mile), I had to turn the wheel to the left and drive 10mph to maintain stability. Over the 2 days previous to the event I heard occasional clunking noises while driving. The mechanic found significant rust that had gone through the subframe on the front passenger side, rendering it undriveable. They informed me that this was a common problem they had been seeing and that the part is backordered months. The rest of the undercarriage was mostly rust free except for the subframe.

- Stevensville, MI, USA

The vehicle was purchased by me and given to my son to drive a year ago. The vehicle has about 120,000 miles and run perfectly except it won't pass a state inspection because the inspector says the subframe under the engine is so badly rusted, the engine could easily drop out from under the car while in operation. This is a safety hazard and were told Mazda is ignoring the issue.

- Milton, VT, USA

At 70,000 and 9 years to the day since we purchased the vehicle the front sub-frame is dangerously rusted and close to complete failure. Detected during routine service.

- East Falmouth, MA, USA

We were driving my 2009 Mazda 6 on 4/25/2018 - which I purchased new in Sept., 2009 from berkshire Mazda in pittsfield, MA, 01201. The car suddenly veered dangerously to the right at about 50 mph on NY rt 22 (the road had rough pavement) in canaan, NY, went off the road, barely missing two trees. It had to be towed from the scene. If this sub-frame had broken apart 5 minutes later I would have been on I-90 next to semi trucks. Two people in the car could easily have been killed, endangering other motorists as well. There is no rust-through on the body of the car. It has been regularly serviced. It has about 85,000 miles. I called Mazda they said there's no recall for sub-frame rust/deterioration. This is the fourth Mazda our family has purchased. I have seen numerous other online complaints and descriptions of the 2009 Mazda 6 losing directional stability because the front sub-frame had collapsed due to premature rust disintegration. I also see that this particular model: 2009 Mazda 6 was recalled in australia for this exact problem. NHTSA needs to have this recall enacted to protect american lives as well.

- Hillsdale, NY, USA