— Mazda class action lawsuit says vehicles from 2017 to present are “defective” because drivers may be confused by the “depress the brake pedal to start the vehicle” instruction on the display.
It is claimed that when the vehicle is in accessory mode or ignition mode instead of engine-on mode, Mazda drivers are confused because the engine is not running.
The driver was also allegedly not told “how to properly switch the vehicle from ignition mode to engine start mode”.
The Mazda class action lawsuit includes:
“Any person or entity that purchases or leases a Class Vehicle in the United States (including its territories and the District of Columbia).”
The vehicles are “Mazda-branded vehicles from 2017 to present.”
Mazda Class Action Lawsuit – Plaintiff
The Mazda class action lawsuit was filed by Pennsylvania plaintiff Joshua Meltzer, who purchased a brand new 2024 Mazda CX-50 in May 2024. The plaintiff alleges that he told his daughter how to use the car, but about two weeks later, his daughter attempted to drive the Mazda CX-50.
The class action lawsuit does not mention his daughter’s age.
According to the lawsuit:
“She pressed the ‘Stop-Start’ button. The display then prompted her to ‘Apply brake to start vehicle.’ She then applied the brake and shifted the vehicle from Park to Drive. The vehicle immediately began to roll backwards. She attempted to control the vehicle, including applying the brakes, but the power brakes and power steering did not respond.”
The plaintiff claimed his daughter was unable to “control the vehicle and, fearing for her life, she jumped out of the driver’s door.”
The Mazda rolled until it went over the curb and struck a neighbor’s tree, the lawsuit said. The Mazda CX-50 has not been repaired, but the plaintiff said he had to pay for repairs to the neighbor’s yard.
The class-action lawsuit filed by Mazda, seeking more than $5 million in damages, alleges the CX-50 was towed to a dealership, where it was inspected by the dealership and Mazda, which determined the vehicle was not faulty and was performing as expected.
“Specifically, the dealership’s service manager told plaintiff that the accident occurred because the driver shifted the vehicle into drive while it was in accessory mode, which made it ‘impossible’ to stop the car. Furthermore, the service manager herself disclosed that she had experienced the same situation the first time she used a Mazda vehicle with a push-button start feature.” — Mazda Class Action Lawsuit
The focus of the Mazda class action lawsuit appears to be that drivers may mistakenly believe that the vehicle is in engine-on mode and shift the vehicle from park to drive or reverse when in fact the vehicle is in ignition-on mode.
According to the Mazda class action lawsuit:
“Shifting the vehicle out of Park while the engine is in Ignition On mode but not in Engine On mode will unlock the wheels, allowing the vehicle to potentially roll, resulting in a crash. Because the engine is not started, the vehicle cannot provide power to the engine, transmission or power steering, and the driver cannot control a rolling vehicle by braking, steering or other means.”
Mazda has allegedly passed the cost of the repairs on to customers because it would not pay to fix the alleged defects.
As repeated in every auto class action lawsuit in America: “If Mazda had disclosed the defect, Plaintiffs and Class Members would not have purchased their vehicles or would have paid less.”
Mazda customers are allegedly paying too much for vehicles because the vehicles have depreciated in value.
The Mazda class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Joshua Meltzer v. Mazda Motor Corporation of America, et al..
The plaintiffs are represented by Berger Montague PC.
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