Rear Suspension Problem

[Qwest905]

My 2007 Mazda 3 has only 30000k and i think the back strut or something is broken - i keep hearing banging or knocking every time i go over a small bump or rough road. Does the regular warranty cover this (i'm pretty sure its the rear strut)? How could this even happen...my car is only a year and a half old and i didn't go through any monstrous potholes.

[Donutz]

Yeah, age of your car has no impact on the fact that you can blow a strut at any time; bad luck I guess.

Some things that come to mind that I would check; oil / wet spots around your struts; your end links; your wheels are tight.

Are you stock or do you have suspension mods?

[Qwest905]

Thanks for the tips, everything is stock. I am more concerned about this being covered under warranty - I asked mazda but they would only say it "depends" and will charge me $100 to find out for sure. Any idea if something like this should be covered?

[Donutz]

Is your car still under warranty?

[Qwest905]

yes, i'm still under the 3 year bumper to bumper standard warranty

[Donutz]

I would argue against any dealership charges to look into your problem. Let us know how it goes.

[Qwest905]

It was the strut....surprisingly mazda didn't give me the run around this time - they had it fixed under warranty and had it ready to go in 40 minutes. And they washed my car, too!

[eman124]

would it be covered if there are suspension mods (lowering)

[eman124]

ooo.. when u have a broken rear strut.. do you have both rear ones? or is it ok to just change the broken one??

[eman124]

typo*

i meant do you have both rear ones at the same time (as a pair)
or if you can just replace the broken one?

thanks

[Donutz]

You are always at risk of voiding your warranty when you mod your car. So, short answer; it is possible (very possible) that if you have lowered your car and blown a strut that you will have to pay out of pocket to have your struts fixed. This said, if you are rolling on mazdaspeed accessory suspension parts you may be in a position to argue your case for warranty coverage. Be aware that in this scenario, if the dealership didn't do the install they can always blame the mechanic for incorrectly installing your suspension.

It is a good idea to change both struts at the same time. You can replace both fronts or both rears as a pair, but you shouldn't change the left or right sides. I hope that makes sense!