A putative class action alleges that Mazda has failed to provide a statutorily compliant emissions warranty for the vehicles it distributes in California.
The lawsuit claims that in an effort to minimize its warranty exposure, Mazda limited the parts covered under its application of a California Emissions Warranty, and thus refuses to cover defective parts under the state warranty. In particular, the complaint claims, Mazda excluded combustion chamber cylinder heads from the scope of the emissions warranty, requiring thousands of class members to pay for repairs that should have been made free of charge under California’s 7-year or 70,000-mile emissions warranty.
The named plaintiff contends their 2018 Mazda CX-9 overheated in 2021, and ultimately was assessed as a cylinder head issue and the need for an engine replacement. The plaintiff’s extended service provider paid thousands, the plaintiff paid a $100 deductible, and Mazda contributed some money toward the repairs, but not under any Mazda warranty coverage. The plaintiff argues the entire cost of diagnosing and repairing the issue should have been covered and paid for by Mazda under the California Emissions Warranty instead.
The proposed classes are:
- All persons in the State of California who have been owners or lessees of Class Vehicles and whose cylinder heads are not covered for 7-years or 70,000-miles;
- All persons in the State of California who have been owners or lessees of Class Vehicles and who have paid for repairs and parts pertaining to defective cylinder heads which occurred outside of the Class Vehicle’s powertrain warranty period but prior to 7-years or 70,000-miles;
- All persons who have been owners or lessees of Class Vehicles in a State which, in the year their vehicle was distributed, had adopted the California Emissions Warranty and whose cylinder heads are not covered for 7-years or 70,000-miles; and
- All persons who have been owners or lessees of Class Vehicles in a State which, in the year their vehicle was distributed, had adopted the California Emissions Warranty and who have paid for repairs and parts pertaining to defective cylinder heads which occurred outside of the Class Vehicle’s powertrain warranty period but prior to 7 years or 70,000 miles.
The plaintiff alleges Mazda violated the California Business and Professions Code. The lawsuit seeks remedies including an order requiring Mazda to review its warranty books for all class vehicles and properly identify and warrant all “emissions-related parts” and to reimburse the plaintiff and class members for money wrongfully paid relating to repairs that should have been covered by Mazda under the California Emissions Warranty.
The case is Liyila Marinova v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc., et al., case number 8:22-cv-01453-FWS-JDE, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
