I have a new 2008 Mazda3 2.3L, maybe only 11,500 miles on it, and the power steering failed. They say I need a new ps pump, but that part is on back order. The car is practically new I don't understand how this can happen. Is anyone else having a problem like this? It's been almost a couple weeks now without my car. I don't think this is right, do you think I should ask them about paying half my car payment for this month? Or is that not really possible.

 

Withholding due payments is a breach of contract on your part; it's not a smart move.

If being without transport for the duration of the delay is a serious impediment to getting to work, medical appointments etc., you can demand a courtesy vehicle, have the dealer supply you with a loaner, or whatever.
Reasonableness is the key; if you have the slightest suspicion of being "jerked around", make sure you have a written record of all offers and counteroffers, and check your local consumer protection laws.
If you're not happy with the dealer, contact Mazda head office, but let him know beforehand you are going to do it.
You didn't say how long the delay is, but given the number of Mazda 3s around, I would say anything more than 3 working days unreasonable.
Be polite, be informed, be firm.

 

I won't call and ask about that then, but I did call the Corporate Offices and asked them if they knew of anything that was going on with this situation, and possibly when the pump could be shipped, but they said they have no idea. The guy at the dealer has no idea when the part will be shipped either seeing how its on back order. I've been without my car now for 10 days and still nothing.

 

OLDENG,

I did call the main corporate office today about the car, they said the power steering pump should be in towards the end of may/early june, so they said they are going to compensate me for my car payment for this month.

 

Are you having the car serviced at the same dealership where the purchase was made? If that is the case, the dealer should have offered your a loaner for a warranty repair like this one.

 

Yes I did bring it back to the same dealership where I purchased it. They did give me a loaner car. I also did call the main corporate office to let them know the situation about all of this and how unhappy I was, and they offered to compensate me for my payment for this month when I get my car back.

 

Sounds as if you finally got what you were entitled to right from the get-go.
It still seems odd that the delay in getting a replacement pump is so long. You should ask for a copy of the service report too, because the pump failure could have been secondary to some other gremlin in the power steering system which might or might not raise its ugly head again in the future. That way you have your best chance of having any future steering problems covered at no cost, even if your warranty period had technically expired.
Another thing worth doing is to see if you can find a Mazda corp. or Mazda forum site where technical service bulletins (TSB's), recall notices, etc. are systematically posted.

 

I forgot to mention I did ask them about why it is taking so long, the woman on the phone told me some of the suppliers are going out of business, and they are in the process of getting new suppliers. Not sure if I should believe 100% that is the cause of the delay, but who knows...

 

i'm having the same problem w/my mazda 3. the dealership has had my car since april 17th, and they just called today to say that the parts are still on backorder and it will be at least 3 more weeks before i can get my car back. if i do get it back at that point, i will have been w/out it for almost 6 weeks.

i have a question, and maybe someone(s) here can offer some advice: a week prior to the power steering failing in my car, i took it in for an oil change on 4/11/09. they told me the power steering fluid was black and needed to be flushed. i paid $170.00 for them to flush it, and then 6 days later the power steering failed.

am i within my rights to ask the dealership to refund me the money i paid on having the power steering fluid flushed? i mean, if was black due to a faulty part i do not think i should be responsible for paying for the service. but perhaps i'm wrong? i've tried bringing this up twice now while on the phone when they call to update me, and they keep insisting that the power steering flush just routine maintenance and has nothing to do with the problem that now has kept my car from me for weeks.

 

Check your owners manual maintenance section. If it calls for power steering flush at around the mileage your car was at, then it was routine maintenance. I highly doubt that you will find this is the case. It MAY be called for at 60,000 but not 12,000. IF e flui was black and needed replacement that early it was a defective pump/rack etc. They should give you your money back for selling an un necessary service and failure to diagnose the problem correctly.