I called a Mazda car dealership to let the know I receive a recall letter and to make an appointment for my Mazda CX7, the service man said if the car was not making any noise or smoking I didn't need to bring the car in. After weeks by after taking the service man advise I was driving on the highway in my CX7 Mazda with my 6 month old grandbaby in the back seat all of a sudden pressing on the gas, the car just shuts off without any kind of warning in the middle of the highway; this highway is normally very busy especially with 18 wheelers, luckily there was enough power left for me to pull over out the highway before the steering wheel locked up. After waiting for tow truck driver in the heat with no ac and a 6 month old baby car was towed to a Mazda dealership, which was closed. The next day serviceman calls me and tells me the timing chain broke, destroyed the engine and it was going to cost $4000 to be repaired, I had to bring receipts for oil changes, there was no sludge found; Mazda offered $1000 as a good gesture, if they had found sludge they wouldn't have offered that. My car is still there; I can't get the car out because I have to make car payments and rent cars to get back and forth to work. What is it going to take before someone steps up and have Mazda Corp held accountable for these malfunction parts. Will someone have to loose their life before someone recognizes that there is a major problem!!!! there are to many complaints on line for the same reason for this not to be an issue!!!!!! I've been in contact with lawyers and the media I feel the public needs to know how this corporation is treating the consumers.

- Tampa, FL, USA

Vtt timing chain broke on this vehicle which could have resulted in a horrific accident if the car had been mobile. Mazda has acknowledged that this engine component is faulty, because they issued a warranty extension to 72,000 miles in January 2012. This sort of engine failure could lead, and may have already lead to numerous accidents if they vehicle stalls while on the interstate or other roadways. Mazda should recall the engine part and reimburse customers who have had to pay for this mechanical failure.

- Gulfport, MS, USA

On May 18th I took my car to the Mazda dealer in NJ for a timing belt recall and was replaced. On May 28th driving on the highway the A/C stopped working, the warning lights came on and immediately the car stalled. I then had it towed to the same Mazda dealer. The next day they told me that my engine was blown and it was going to cost me $7,476.79.I have always serviced my car every 3,000 miles, my car is only 6 years old and only has 57,040 miles. I took it to an engine expert and told me that the engine was defective. Mazda should recall all cx7S from 2007. It is obvious that all of them came out with a defect.

- Totowa, NJ, USA

My 2007 Cx-7 started making a loud banging noise when I started it (May 7,2012). I brought it to the dealership to have it checked out and they said it was my timing chain & actuator (vvt) and it would take $1350 to repair. I paid the money and it was fixed in a couple of days. On June 7th,2012 I started to realize that my ac was not working, but had decided to wait a little bit to have it fixed because I was still hurting financially from the last fix a month ago. Than on June 9th, 2012, I went to start my vehicle and it sounded like it was about to explode. I live in the country and the closest dealership is at least 50 miles away. So I brought it to my local repair shop and they told me my turbo is blown. The Mazda dealership wants $80 to diagnose it and $5000 to fix it (that doesn't include my towing fees and the cost of fixing the ac). I've read all of the complaints online and everyone is saying sludge build up and Mazda wants the receipts for all of their oil changes. I have all my receipts for the synthetic oil changes that I have had done to the vehicle on time (not to mention only filling the car with premium gas). Unfortunately, my car is up to 100,000 miles and they only extended the warranty to what...70K" so basically I have a car that I paid $16K for and is completely useless to me only after 100K miles. From what I've researched vvt's are not supposed to go out until what 250K-300K miles" and it seems a bit ridiculous for the turbo to go out after 100K miles....

- Watertown, TN, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Mazda CX7. The contact stated that she had to replace the turbo in the engine four times due to sludge build up. The contact also stated that the most recent turbo failure caused the engine and transmission to fail. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and was informed that it was unusual for this failure to occur. The contact stated that the first turbo failed at 33,000 miles, the second at 58,000 miles and the third at 83,000. The manufacturer stated the turbos were not covered by warranty. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 33,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.

- Salem, OR, USA

The air conditioner compressor went out. The vehicle began to have acceleration issues and started smoking like burnt rubber. Mazda has extended the warranty to 60,000 miles but refuses to replace the compressor beyond that mileage.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

While driving on the freeway at about 70 mph, my 2007 Mazda CX7 randomly lost power. I was able to pull to the side of the freeway even though the steering wheel became very hard to turn. I was very lucky there were not many cars around me. The motor would only rev when I pushed the gas pedal. I had the car towed to a mechanic. The next day I was told that my motor and turbo needed to be replaced. The repairs would total to about $8,000. I already owe $15,000 on the auto loan. I only had the car for one year, the motor went bad at 60, 000 miles?. I'm a full-time student and a mom, my husband makes less than $30K a year. We cannot afford the repairs at this time. As a result, the car is sitting on our driveway.

- Sun City, CA, USA

While driving our Cx-7 stopped running right in the middle of the road, we have found out that is a known issue with Mazda Cx-7 vvt pin/timing chain breaking. We were able to get the car stopped, but it was in the middle of the rode and was a hazard not only to our car, but other cars coming up behind us. We were unable to move the car and had to wait for a tow truck. Of course, Mazda won't do anything to remedy the situation because the warranty has passed...even though they knew the problem existed in 2009. Someone will get killed one day.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

After six months, we began to have mechanical issues with the vehicle. A diesel-sounding chug coming from the engine seemed off for an unleaded four-cylinder SUV. The common issue seemed to be a part called a vvt actuator. No recalls or service advisories had been issued for engine parts at this time. However, in January 2012, an entire half-decade after the vehicle rolled off the assembly line, we received a 'variable valve timing noise and timing chain noise warranty extension' notice by mail from Mazda. A month or so after we received the notice, the vehicle began leaking oil. We took our vehicle into a roger beasley Mazda center and had it examined. The oil cooler on the vehicle was beginning to fail. We explained the notice that we received in the mail and they were already well aware of these issues. We were told the engine had engine sludge and with it being a second-owner vehicle, we did not have the documentation to prove that regular oil changes had been performed. Instead, all repairs and replacements would come from our own pockets. The result ended up being a need to replace the vvt actuator, the timing chain, the oil cooler, and replacing all of the gaskets. The technician showed us a side-by-side of the current timing chain and the new replacement ' the used chain had literally stretched to be about half-an-inch longer than the replacement. We drove off the lot and hoped that the problems had been solved. Within two months of the repairs, the engine began making a high-pitched whining noise. My wife contacted the dealership that day while at work and they said to bring it in. On the way to the dealership, which is less than ten miles away, the vehicle died on the freeway. This ended up being the result of a blown turbocharger. Again, we had to take money from our nest egg to replace yet another part on this vehicle.

- Leander, TX, USA

Vvt and timing chain replacement needed Mazda knew these to be defective parts but only issued warning to me just this month and now that im over the mileage I have to pay for cost of replacing both... why hasn't the safety board looked into this very dangerous issue that will eventually cause someone to lose their lives..... this most be addressed now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Allen, TX, USA

Purchased 2007 Mazda Cx-7 with 65,000 miles. At the time was told it had a new turbo. Had the vehicle 2 months and the erg valve died (technician stated they should last 100K miles) was replaced at my cost of $850. When replacing the erg valve they also noticed a worn tube that will cost an additional $180 at my cost. They also noticed the new turbo was smoking and this was an extended warranty coverage from Mazda to 70K miles (I was at 68,5000). They are adding a whole new PCV vent kit at dealer expense). Now I am hearing a loud ticking noise whenever I turn on the A/C which could be either the vvt timing chain or the air conditioning system. Both are known defects of 2007 Cx-7's and will cost about $1,000 to fix for each issue. The timing chain is covered until 70K miles so I'm trying to get this fixed by the dealership now before I run out of warranty. However, the ac issues were only covered to 60 K miles and I am beyond that coverage so I will have to fix that at my cost. If you do a quick google search you will see extensive documentation of these same issues amongst many Mazda owners. Mazda refuses to recall such parts and only this year (4-5 years later) did they extend warranty coverage on some known defects knowing that most people would be beyond the warranty limit of 60/70K miles. There are many reports of engines seizing due to the ac and timing chain issue. I am quite frankly terrified to drive this car and seeking a very comprehensive extended warranty to hold me over until I can trade it in and get something reliable! I work for a car dealership so I know that these issues are legitimate with this vehicle.

- Northfield, OH, USA

My 2007 Mazda Cx-7 starting making a popping noise and began losing power on April 13, 2012. I drove my car to the dealership and was told that the timing chain and turbo charger are bad and need to be replaced. My car has 80,477 miles on it and therefore, nothing is covered under warranty and I cannot produce all oil change receipts. Thus, it is going to costs me $3,000 to get fixed. I am very disappointed in Mazda for not fixing a defect that they are clearly aware of, regardless of the mileage! I never received a recall letter and I have been a loyal Mazda customer, purchasing 5 Mazda's over the last 12 years! I travel with my job so I do put a lot of miles on a vehicle (averaging 2,000 miles per month) but I find it utterly ridiculous that a car has major defects at 80,000 miles! please help and stop Mazda from taking advantage of consumers!

- Calera, AL, USA