power steering light then engine stalls (mazda3)

[JEDI]

i was driving to work when the radio kept flashing off/on.

then the power steering light appeared.
a min later i stopped at a red lite, and the engine stalled a few sec after a complete stop.

i did not hit any pot holes or anything like that.

what could be wrong? and how to (inexpensively) fix?

thx


edit:
2005mazda3, 100k miles
radio flashes off/on everytime i turned the steering wheel. ie: left/right turns, changing lanes.

after like the 7th time the radio flashed off/on, the powersteering light came in. it became somewhat harder to change to the left turn lane. then the car stalled shortly after i stopped at the light in the left turn lane.

edit2:
turned the car off. waited a couple of min, then re-started. worked fine for rest of day.

 

[Gibson486]

welcome to the club of mysterious mazda3 issues. I have been dealing with them ever since I bought mine. I have an 07 with 65K. Problem is, the dealer never wants to admit any issues, even the documented ones. Because of this, I am probably going to stay away from Mazda when I buy my next car.

Engine stalling is a documented issue. You car probably needs to be re flashed. If you are out of warranty, it is gonna cost at least $150 to have a dealer do it.

Mine stalls, but only once in a while during starting up, so it is not the same issue as yours. Dealer refuses to acknowledge problem. It has been happening since 35K and I have dumped around $250 trying to diagnose it. Now that my warranty is over, if it starts happening again, I am going to a local guy to look at it.

Power steering....did your steering become heavy? This is also a documented problem. Problem is having a dealer admit its a problem even though it documented every where and there is even a TSB for it.

 

[zoiks]

Yeah. Mazda really fucked me over on my Mazda6. There was hesitation and jerking when accelarating in 1st/2nd gear and there was a TSB out for it. The issue was with a bearing inside and I took my car over to the dealer to have it fixed under warranty. They kept my car and diagnosed it and told me that my clutch was worn out?? WTF? The car had 26k miles on it and I do know that I don't ride the clutch. My other car is a 240SX with 244k miles on the original clutch which still feels like new so I know that my driving habits don't really wear the clutch out.
I called the Mazda service hotline and they sided with the dealer. So I went to my own mechanic friend and had him look at it. As it turns out, the clutch was still brand new with almost no wear on it. The issue was still with the clutch bearing which I had him replace.
Mazda has lost me forever as a customer.

Oh and Mazda has done this to a lot of people. If you look in the forums, many have resorted taking Mazda to small claims court and they usually settle with you right away once that happens.

 

[Lotheron]

Yeah. Mazda really fucked me over on my Mazda6. There was hesitation and jerking when accelarating in 1st/2nd gear and there was a TSB out for it. The issue was with a bearing inside and I took my car over to the dealer to have it fixed under warranty. They kept my car and diagnosed it and told me that my clutch was worn out?? WTF? The car had 26k miles on it and I do know that I don't ride the clutch. My other car is a 240SX with 244k miles on the original clutch which still feels like new so I know that my driving habits don't really wear the clutch out.
I called the Mazda service hotline and they sided with the dealer. So I went to my own mechanic friend and had him look at it. As it turns out, the clutch was still brand new with almost no wear on it. The issue was still with the clutch bearing which I had him replace.
Mazda has lost me forever as a customer.

Oh and Mazda has done this to a lot of people. If you look in the forums, many have resorted taking Mazda to small claims court and they usually settle with you right away once that happens.

Mine has something similar to this. It's the clutch judder. My dealership refuses to fix it so I just live with it. It only happens when it's cold. It hasn't gotten any worse in 20K mies so whatever.

 

[JEDI]

2005mazda3, 100k miles
radio flashes off/on everytime i turned the steering wheel. ie: left/right turns, changing lanes.

after like the 7th time the radio flashed off/on, the powersteering light came in. it became somewhat harder to change to the left turn lane. then the car stalled shortly after i stopped at the light in the left turn lane.

 

[Gibson486]

2005mazda3, 100k miles
radio flashes off/on everytime i turned the steering wheel. ie: left/right turns, changing lanes.

after like the 7th time the radio flashed off/on, the powersteering light came in. it became somewhat harder to change to the left turn lane. then the car stalled shortly after i stopped at the light in the left turn lane.

sounds like the steering pump. Did you hear a grinding sound before it happened? If your radio was flickering on/off, though, it sounds like whatever is powering the steering pump is going.

 

[JEDI]

sounds like the steering pump. Did you hear a grinding sound before it happened? If your radio was flickering on/off, though, it sounds like whatever is powering the steering pump is going.

turned the car off. waited a couple of min, then re-started. worked fine for rest of day.
no power steering light, no radio flashing off/on, no stalling.

um.. isnt the battery/alternator powering the steering pump, as well as everything else?

 

[Gibson486]

turned the car off. waited a couple of min, then re-started. worked fine for rest of day.
no power steering light, no radio flashing off/on, no stalling.

um.. isnt the battery/alternator powering the steering pump, as well as everything else?

well...in the manual, it actually said if any of the above happens, you just turn off yoru car and restart it.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

My friend has a 2010 Mazda3 (I recommended to him) and he already hates it. Two tires were bubbling after like 2k miles and mazda corporate said tough, bridgestone replaced them without any fuss though. He said theres something funny with the power steering that makes it "unstable" at higher speeds (I haven't driven it).

Neither him nor his GF can't get more than 20 mpg combined either, shrug. I still kinda like it though, eventhough it looks like crap from the front.

 

[Gibson486]

My friend has a 2010 Mazda3 (I recommended to him) and he already hates it. Two tires were bubbling after like 2k miles and mazda corporate said tough, bridgestone replaced them without any fuss though. He said theres something funny with the power steering that makes it "unstable" at higher speeds (I haven't driven it).

Neither him nor his GF can't get more than 20 mpg combined either, shrug. I still kinda like it though, eventhough it looks like crap from the front.

They are not bad cars....and the tire thing is Bridgstone, not mazda, but still, Mazda should care.

What bothers me is the support. There dealers will not do anything until you give them money. I have never seen it before. When something really is wrong, they still go "tough, pay up." It's like Mazda instructed them to make it as hard as possible to get stuff done under warranty.

 

[ivan2]

My friend has a 2010 Mazda3 (I recommended to him) and he already hates it. Two tires were bubbling after like 2k miles and mazda corporate said tough, bridgestone replaced them without any fuss though. He said theres something funny with the power steering that makes it "unstable" at higher speeds (I haven't driven it).

Neither him nor his GF can't get more than 20 mpg combined either, shrug. I still kinda like it though, eventhough it looks like crap from the front.

the steering doesn't really make an effort to center itself, so any road condition that affects the steering, such as the gentle slope at the outside lanes, or braking on unevenly paved roads, will turn the car and that translates to the steering wheel. it doesn't turn the wheel harder the faster you go (thank god), but you need to be cautious so the wheel doesn't turn too much at high speed. it's a great feeling when im awake for more fun, but im sure i will rather lose some road feel and have it center better if im tired and just want to cruise down the highway lazily.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

They are not bad cars....and the tire thing is Bridgstone, not mazda, but still, Mazda should care.

What bothers me is the support. There dealers will not do anything until you give them money. I have never seen it before. When something really is wrong, they still go "tough, pay up." It's like Mazda instructed them to make it as hard as possible to get stuff done under warranty.

That pretty much sums up what he said. When he took it to the dealer they offered to replace both tires at something stupid like 180/tire. He said the car still had paper plates on it and the guy said (and I quote)

"How do I know you didnt just go do burnouts and doughnuts with this thing the second you drove it off the lot? Tires don't just fail, you have to abuse them for this to happen."

Thats fairly ridiculous.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

the steering doesn't really make an effort to center itself, so any road condition that affects the steering, such as the gentle slope at the outside lanes, or braking on unevenly paved roads, will turn the car and that translates to the steering wheel. it doesn't turn the wheel harder the faster you go (thank god), but you need to be cautious so the wheel doesn't turn too much at high speed. it's a great feeling when im awake for more fun, but im sure i will rather lose some road feel and have it center better if im tired and just want to cruise down the highway lazily.

Hmm my GTI was kinda like that but it doesnt waver like he said it did. I think maybe hes mistaking the PS problem for tire tramlining since all our freeways in this part of OC are mostly channeled concrete (I hate this)

 

[punjabiplaya]

how is he struggling to get 20 mpg, I'm getting ~25 25%city/75% highway and I drive like a lunatic (2010 MS3). My mom is getting ~24 90% city (auto 2010 mazda3)

 

[amdhunter]

Belt problem?

 

[Excelsior]

Wait..why does Mazda get so much love when this thread has so much grief?

 

[LordMorpheus]

Man, so much hate for Mazda.

Guess I'll steer clear.

 

[punjabiplaya]

I love mine. 16k since August!

 

[exdeath]

Belt problem?

Nope, Mazda 3 is an electric pump powering a hydraulic assist.

 

[exdeath]

Did you have anything else on to notice if it was more than just the radio flickering? When it happens again, turn your fan on high and turn your lights on, anything else you can see or hear, and note if it's universal power loss and not limited to the radio. That would indicate either bad connection/relay to main power, or something shorting or drawing more current than it's supposed to.

Something like an electric power steering pump (since the PS light lit up) would pull a lot of current if it wasn't working correctly (activating and pushing against the system when there is no demand), and would cause flickering devices and loss of engine power. Think about what the starter does to your radio and lights, and then apply that to a large high pressure pump motor staying on with the resistance of full load while the wheel isn't being turned.

Just a guess. Didn't you post before about something going on with your power steering?

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Don't get me right, if I didnt get my TDI and Mazda didnt make the 3 look like ass I would have gotten one of those instead.

 

[foghorn67]

Yep. WAS interested in the new 3's...until I saw them. Smiles only belong on PSA jets.
Now I am kind of glad I didn't get ANY 3. All of the 3 owners I know have some sort of issue. If it's reliable, it gets crap mileage, 2.0 or 2.3. Manual or Auto. The only guy I know that can get mileage into the high twenties has all sorts of issues.

Pho: Did that "unstable" steering problem occur with the new Bridgestones?

I replaced my tires with Bridgestones a long ways back. If I inflate the tires to sidewall...I kid...to 33psi. (it's on the door jab), it gets darty on the freeway. They have been doing this since it was new.
Now that the tread is finally getting to where I need to think about new tires, I can't wait to replace them.
I'm thinking Michelen's or Goodyear. Goodyear is pricey, but those were the OEM tires. The Bridgestone's I have are noiser, have less traction dry or wet, and are harsh.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Yep. WAS interested in the new 3's...until I saw them. Smiles only belong on PSA jets.
Now I am kind of glad I didn't get ANY 3. All of the 3 owners I know have some sort of issue. If it's reliable, it gets crap mileage, 2.0 or 2.3. Manual or Auto. The only guy I know that can get mileage into the high twenties has all sorts of issues.

Pho: Did that "unstable" steering problem occur with the new Bridgestones?

I replaced my tires with Bridgestones a long ways back. If I inflate the tires to sidewall...I kid...to 33psi. (it's on the door jab), it gets darty on the freeway. They have been doing this since it was new.
Now that the tread is finally getting to where I need to think about new tires, I can't wait to replace them.
I'm thinking Michelen's or Goodyear. Goodyear is pricey, but those were the OEM tires. The Bridgestone's I have are noiser, have less traction dry or wet, and are harsh.

Supposedly its exactly the same, except the bubbles arent making thudding noises anymore. I actually asked if i could take a spin in it and I did. It definitely feels like theres something screwy, almost like its calibrated way way way way too sensitively. Like the slightest twitch of the wheel moves the wheels. Maybe its supposed to be this way? I can understand why but it really gets fatiguing on long highway drives.

 

[Gibson486]

Wait..why does Mazda get so much love when this thread has so much grief?

It's a great car when it works right....

that and Mazda 3 fans are like Oasis fans.

 

[ivan2]

guess what there's a recall on them pumps, i think u just got the fix for free.