Mazda Is Being Sued For $662 Million Over Heated Seats That Owners Claim Burnt Them

In a class-action complaint, Mazda is accused of having defective seat heaters in its Mazda6, CX-9, CX-30, CX-50, and CX-5 models that burn people when in use.

This case is being filed against the Japanese carmaker by five owners. Following the report, Car Complaints stated that the class action offers a “realistic estimate” of the cost of repairs, potentially requiring Mazda to pay at least $662,492,128.17 to fix 301,549 cars. That comes to almost $2,200 per car on average.

Another company that faced criticism for a comparable problem was Volkswagen. However, Mazda’s situation is distinct because it involves thousands of additional vehicles with seat heating.

Things are heating (a little too much)

Micah Prochaska, one of the plaintiffs, claimed that after seven years of driving a used 2017 Mazda CX-9, the seat heater overheated and scorched a jacket that was left on the seat, creating a sizeable hole in the fabric. During the journey home, smoke was also pouring from the seat. Sharmee Anderson, another plaintiff, claimed that she was scorched while using a 2023 Mazda CX-5’s seat heater, resulting in “a half-dollar-sized blister on her left leg”. The ensuing damage was categorised as a second-degree burn.

Sandoval, the same complainant, later sold the Mazda6 to buy a 2023 CX-50. But Sandoval already knew about the previous problem and saw that the CX-50 had the same problem as the Mazda6 he had recently sold. Lastly, a 2016 Mazda CX-9 belongs to Russell Quinn.

This plaintiff saw smoke emanating from the heated passenger seat nine years later. He claims that when he asked for a free repair, it was turned down because the car was already nine years old. Quinn was “outrageously charged” $650 to unplug the seat heating system rather than to fix the issue.

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