SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - Several U.S. customers are suing Mazda, alleging certain of its vehicles contain a design defect with the clutch.
Megan Humphrey, Iris Gonzalez, Charles Bunch, Anne Stom, David Woodward, Greg Thomason, Lisa Massey and Dan Carney, individually and for all others similarly situated, filed a class action lawsuit April 20 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Mazda Motor Corporation and Mazda Motor of America Inc., alleging breach of express and implied warranties and violations of consumer protection statutes in California, Texas, Florida, Maryland, Washington, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
The suit alleges model year 2010-15 Mazda 3 vehicles with 5- or 6-speed manual transmissions contain defective clutch release levers, bearings and pins.
The defect causes premature wear to the vehicle's manual transmission and related components, ultimately resulting in premature clutch system or transmission failure, the lawsuit states.
The defect also poses a significant safety risk to vehicle operators and passengers, the complaint says.
The plaintiffs and others in the class seek a jury trial, damages, interests, injunctive and declaratory relief, attorney fees and costs. They are represented by attorneys Richard D. McCune, David C. Wright, Joseph G. Sauder, and Matthew D. Schelkopf of McCune Wright in Redlands, California and Berwyn, Pennsylvania, and Bryan Clobes, Kelly L. Tucker and Daniel Herrera of Cafferty Clobes Meriweather & Sprengel in Philadelphia and Chicago.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Case number 4:16-CV-02087-KAW