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2003 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA — UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire · 1293419 · 2016-06-28

Vehicle

Make
MAZDA
Model
MX-5 MIATA
Year
2003
Manufacturer
Mazda Motor Corp.
Component
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Miles at failure
42,516
Speed
30 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
Yes
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

THE PLASTIC BATTERY TRAY IN THE MAZDA MX5 IS QUITE FRAGILE AND OFTEN BREAKS UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE SEVERAL OF THESE TRAYS IN MY 2003 MX5. NOW, WITH YET ANOTHER BROKEN TRAY, I AM TOLD THAT THESE TRAYS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. RECENTLY THIS CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH MY BATTERY MOVED ENOUGH TO MAKE A CONTACT BETWEEN THE POSITIVE BATTERY POLE AND THE METAL PART THAT HOLDS DOWN THE BATTERY. THIS CONTACT CAUSED A SHORT CIRCUIT AND FIRE IN THE TRUNK THAT COULD HAVE DESTROYED THE CAR WHILE ALSO CAUSING A DANGEROUS ACCIDENT (BECAUSE THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF WHEN THE BATTERY IS SHORTED). THE INCIDENT WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET. MAZDA CORPORATION SHOULD MAKE THESE TRAYS AVAILABLE AGAIN BECAUSE MANY NB (2ND GENERATION) OWNERS COULD FIND THEMSELVES IN THIS SAME SITUATION. EVENTUALLY, FATALITIES COULD BE EXPECTED. I HAVE MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CONVINCE MAZDA TO MAKE THESE TRAYS AVAILABLE, BUT THEY REFUSE TO DO SO, WITHOUT PROVIDING JUSTIFICATION.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10877104
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown