I purchased a brand new 2007 Mazda Cx-7 in April 2007, the vehicle started experiencing engine problems in September 2007, I was told it may have something to do with the vvt (variable valve timing) and timing chain. The vvt was replaced by the dealership a short time later; however, not the timing chain. After the vvt was replaced my vehicle starting to experience thick white smoke coming out of the tail pipes. My dealership technician advised this was due to a turbo issue with the engine. All of this occurred within the first couple years of my ownership. I have had the turbo repaired (out of pocket expense), as well as the vvt (2 times) and the timing chain it all seems to no avail. The car is revving very high on cold start ups and is now experiencing a code as of the last couple of days that is stating there is a decarbonization issue with the engine that is linked to the timing chain. Of course this is now the 5th time this vehicle engine will be opened up to diagnose one of the known issues that Mazda North America is aware of. I have had this vehicle since 2007, and has just over 120,000 miles on it. I have maintained a very good service history on the vehicle taking it to "reliable" Mazda dealerships in the area where I live. My main concern is Mazda is doing nothing to rectify the issue and it's only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or even worse. The vehicle safety is impaired due to unstable engine performance. There is obvious technical issues with the engines for this Mazda engine model.

- Hayward, CA, USA

TL- the contact owns a 2007 Mazda Cx-7. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started to make a whinnying noise before the check engine lamp illuminated. The contact mentioned that white smoke started to emitted from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the turbo charger was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 62,839.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

I did all my Mazda CX7 maintenance schedule, I paid a lot for it. Then my car started making noises, I took it to the dealer so many times and they said that the nose was normal because its a turbo car. One day, running at aprox 40 M/H my car lower the speed at no more that 20 M/H, it was Sunday afternoon so I took it to an independent mechanic (my car was out of warranty) around 68 K miles. The problem was the timing ch. After was some fixed, I took it to the dealer and they stayed with the car 21 days ( I paid for the rent a car) they told me that was about something different and they needed to wait for the part, so they changed it but it wasn't that part, so they put everything back and said that was the engine. I installed a new one in another Mazda dealer paying closed to $8K. Its not fear. Please help. My story is longer but I made short. Thank you.

- Oakdale, PA, USA

December 2012 (at about 64,000 miles) dealer replaced timing chain under extended warranty but didn't do anything to correct intermittent power loss and engine hesitation that I had complained to them at the time. November 2013 (at about 78,000 miles), the car experienced severe loss of power, stalling and heavy white smoke from the tailpipe. Dealer claimed "oil sludge" caused engine and turbo failure and refused to bear any responsibility or cost to fix. Mazda usa also refused, claiming the problems were due to insufficient oil change by the customer. Since we change oil regularly, we don't buy Mazda's claims, especially when they just opened up the engine less than a year ago to change the timing chain, and at that time didn't claim there was any "sludge" inside. Seeing many similar customer complaints on the internet, it seems Mazda has been trying to hide a serioius design and/or manufacturing flaw by blaming the customers as the cause of it. ?

- Arlington, VA, USA

In September 2013 my car suddenly stopped accelerating while driving it... heard a loud, grinding, screeching notice.. and suddenly my "check engine" light came on. Brought my car to Mazda.. 4 days later they tell me that my turbocharger blew.. and that I have damage to my engine. Told them I purchased an extended warranty in 2010 when I bought the car.. warranty co was notified... they sent their own inspector to look at my car.. a week later they tell me that they will not cover the damage due to excessive sludge in my engine. And.... that I must produce every oil change receipt from 2010-2013 to show proof of maintenance. I gave them all the receipts I could get... and decided to do a little research myself on the issue. All I have to say is.. wow. Apparently, there is a major default in how the turbocharger in the 2007/08 CX7... numerous of service bulletins on the Mazda website describing the exact issue with the turbos and how they are very much aware of it, and.. thousands of forums, complaints, etc about the same issue. However, Mazda is not owning up to this problem.. and blaming the customer for negligence! 3 months later, 2 rejected appeals w/ the warranty company.. I am stuck with a car that needs $7,000 worth of repairs, and a 2year car loan left to pay. I am beside myself.. and Mazda could care less.

- Turnersville , NJ, USA

Timing chain replaced on 2007 Mazda CX7, July 2013. Vehicle over extended warranty issued by Mazda, repair was out of pocket, even though this is very common problem with this year Mazda. Now 5 months later, second timing chain has gone bad and Mazda is refusing to accept responsibility stating that the new timing chain failure was due to low oil in vehicle. I have service receipts to prove that all oil changes had been done, and that this was not the cause of the second timing chain failing, but more of continuance of faulty, defective Mazda parts. This is a huge problem with this company with an outstanding number of consumer complaints. They do not want to accept any responsibility for their own problem, instead putting it all back on the consumer. Please, get involved and put a stop to this before these defective parts cause someone to lose their life!!!!

- Orlando, FL, USA

Driving on the highway, turned on the A/C and a burning smell started emitting into the car. Open up the windows and the odor was coming from the engine. Very afraid to drive car and after reading numerous reports of similar incidents here: I'm afraid my car is suffering from the same deal.

- Culver City, CA, USA

I purchased a used 2007 Mazda cx 7 August 2012 with 60K miles. Recently took car for oil change at the dealership recommend to needing timing chain replacement, replacement of engine coolant and oil leaking around the engine. The engine is makes a loud tapping sound like the engine rod is going out.

- Orlando, FL, USA

A friend of ours was driving to pick us up from the airport (our car hadn't been started for a couple of weeks) and, about 15 miles into the trip, the ac quit working. When he got to the airport, the car engine was smoking, there was a burning smell coming from the engine, and it sounded like a bearing was out of whack. We drove it home (approximately 45 miles), and the noise got louder and the engine started rattling louder and louder the closer we got to home. We took it to a Mazda dealership this morning, and they informed us that the ac compressor had seized and it, along with the belt (in addition to any other parts that may have been damaged) needed to be completely replaced and the refrigerant flushed/refilled. I did research and found out that this is a very common, known issue in 2007 Mazda Cx-7's with low mileage.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

Turning into a walmart parking lot my car shut down for no reason. Almost got hit by another car that was passing by since I was not able to turn. Turning into my apartment complex the car turned off again. Started to research issues with this car and I ran into many similar complaints. Car turned off another 4 times. Car shakes when I turn ac on.and when I place it on reverse. Also had the clicking noise but it seemed to go away. There seems to be some sensor issues. I took my CX7 to Mazda so that they can see what is going on. They ran tests. Came back and said it would cost me about $3500. It was a list of things that could be wrong they said, they were not so sure what to say. Mechanic then stated that since he works at Mazda he probably should not be telling me this but he said that he has seen that problem one too many times with this particular car. That yes Mazda does know about it but they blame the owners. So I asked it I were to pay this would I get some warranty, he said no because the same problem will happen again. God forbid that my car turns off and I have and accident, since car gives no warning. I have 2 children that ride with me all the time. Mazda had some sort of recall on this car a few years ago. I purchased this car February of 2012. I know understand why this person took car to trade out. Maybe they got notice but did not care to take care of it, they traded the car in. I think they should look at those issues on all Mazda CX7. Their main issues are the turbo, the ac, and the timing belt. If you read other complaints you will see that its the same issue which is due to the actual car not the owners, please help us affected by these vehicles get Mazda to finally take responsibility for this. Make them recall these cars and get the problem fixed. To where we wont run into the same issues over and over again before someone looses a life.

- Austin, TX, USA

While driving down road timing chain jumped causing severe internal engine damage... (bent all valves) approximately $8000. To repair!

- Dubois, PA, USA

As I was driving, the timing chain broke and imploded into the engine, damaging the engine which now needs replacement. This appears to be a common occurrence with this vehicle.

- Camp Springs, MD, USA

While driving on the highway I heard a ticking noise after a few seconds later the car lost power and smoke came out of the exhaust. When I pulled over I took the cover off from the engine and noticed that there was oil coming out from where the top of the oil goes.the oil pressure on the block was compromised due to failure of the turbo. When taken to the roger beasley Mazda dealership and the car was cranked the dip stick shot out from the engine. The dealership indicated that there was carbon build up but could not explain why. The car was towed to another acs certified mechanic and confirmed that the engine failure was due to the failure of the turbo. Before taking the trip on 4-18-2013 I took my car the Mazda of mesquite dealership because I heard a ticking noise and the technician indicated that the noise was normal. Also the technician performed msp 36 reflashed PCM with updated software and cleared all fault codes since there was a recall. Three weeks later the engine goes out. The manufacture warranty expired, but have a in service warranty. The in service warranty Agency denied the claim indicating that it was not normal wear and tear of the engine failure. I contacted the dealership and also emailed the manufacture to express my concern and both agencies directed me back to the in service warranty. Both the dealership and in service warranty are not willing to assist in the cost being that the CX7 model is a lemon in my opinion. There have been many claims against this model by other consumers in which was confirmed by the employees at the georgetown roger beasley Mazda dealership. The employees indicated that the CX7 model has a lot of problems that is why the CX5 replaced the CX7 model. Since the claim was denied I have spent over 1000 which does not include any repairs, on a side note I was 300 miles away from home.

- Mesquite, TX, USA

My check engine light came on as I was driving at 40 miles per hour. I did not notice a difference in the way the car was handling, however I took my car into my local Mazda dealer to have it checked. They informed me the cars timing belt needed to be replaced and there was sludge on the engine. Ironically I had just had my oil changed and my engine cleaned of sludge less than 2 weeks prior. We submitted the claim through my extended warranty and after a week got it approved. The morning I was slated to pick up the car I was told by the dealer that there was still an issue that they needed the car later. A few days later they told me I needed my engine replaced. The extended warranty denied the original claim now and the claim for a new engine due to poor upkeep, though I have my records of maintenance. I have only had the car for 1 and 1/2 years. This is ridiculous. I am now in the process of taking the car to another mechanic, bear in mind I have been without transportation for about a month and am pregnant. After researching this issue I have discovered tons of issues with the 2007 CX7 which can result in severe safety issues, engines losing power etc. Mazda is not owning up to any of it. No engine should die at 76,000 miles. This is deserving of a recall, Mazda needs to own their mistakes.

- Los Angeles , CA, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Mazda CX7. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning while all of the instrument panel lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where it was advised to the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.

- Hamilton, MT, USA

A/C compressor locked up.

- Garland, TX, USA

2007 Mazda Cx-7: timing chain and vvt hub started to fail prematurely, leading the car to not be driven and possible engine failure at speed. Mazda is aware of this design flaw and possible hazardous situation, but is reluctant to repair at their cost. Engine mount #3 has also broken creating unsafe situation.

- Prairie Village, KS, USA

65mph car dropped out of 6th and powered down. Turbo killed the engine.

- Marshal, VA, USA

I was accelerating to merge into expressway traffic when I heard a loud whine/squeal from under the hood and the car lost a significant amount of power. The noise was so unexpected and unrecognizable that the shock I experienced when I heard it caused me to tense up and veer off to the right. Fortunately as I was on a ramp there were no vehicles to the right of me to hit. I was able to get up to highway speed by gradually accelerating on the shoulder before merging and then exited at the next exit. The vehicle is now at a Mazda dealership and I've been told it was a turbo charger failure. My research into this issue on this make, model and year, has proven that this is a known issue for Mazda and they have extended their standard warranty coverage to owners for additional months and/or miles. There has not been a recall however and I think that considering the number of these incidents that have occurred, one would be warranted.

- Roselle, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Mazda Cx-7. the contact stated that the variable valve timing (vvt) burned out and caused smoke to emit from the exhaust pipes. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The dealer stated that the vvt valve timing chain was defective and replaced the vvt valve timing chain. The contact stated that the vvt valve timing chain was replaced four times prior to the recent failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Reading , PA, USA