2007 Mazda CX-7
Complaints about this year name compressor far more often than the model's other years — 27% of them, about 41× the usual rate of 0.6%.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 528 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 153 |
| Involving a crash | 7 |
| Involving a fire | 30 |
| Recalls | 5 |
| EPA combined | 18.5 mpg |
What the complaints were about
- compressor — 29.9% of this year's complaints, against 6.8% across the model's other years (4.4×). Owners wrote it as: compressor, locked, compressor locked, rubber.
- timing — 30.1% of this year's complaints, against 9.2% across the model's other years (3.3×). Owners wrote it as: timing, chain, timing chain, vvt.
- belt — 18.8% of this year's complaints, against 2.5% across the model's other years (7.4×). Owners wrote it as: belt, seized, stopped working, pulley.
Words owners used for the same problem are counted together, so a fault written four different ways is measured once. Grouped by which complaints they appear in, not by a list anyone wrote in advance.
Also unusual this year
- engine — 41% of complaints, 3× usual
- belt — 14% of complaints, 36× usual
- timing chain — 19% of complaints, 12× usual
What owners wrote
WHILE DRIVING 80 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING, THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR LOCKED UP AND STOPPED THE ENGINE, WHICH CAUSED THE SERPENTINE BELT TO SHRED AND THE BATTERY CABLE TO MEL…
MONTHS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGES FLICKERED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE TIMING CHAIN BELT AND THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY. THE DEALER PROVIDED NO INVOICE OF THE REPAIRS. MO…
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
Recalls for this year
- 19V782000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 17V429000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 17V457000 AIR BAGS Fixed free of charge.
- 16V593000 SUSPENSION Fixed free of charge.
- 09E011000 EQUIPMENT Fixed free of charge.
How this was worked out
Every year of the Mazda CX-7 was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2007 Mazda CX-7? What happened to yours?
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