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Kiwi seniors accidentally lock themselves in Mazda3 for 13 hours, nearly die

It's an over-played trope that senior citizens are bad with technology. Its regular use as a comedic device, though, overshadows a more dire circumstance that comes when elderly citizens are paired with gizmos and gadgets they don't fully understand. A couple from New Zealand spent the night in their new, smart-key-equipped Mazda3 after thinking they'd locked themselves in, in what The Otago Daily Times called "a series of 'Murphy's Law' events." The two thought the car wouldn't function without the key fob, which had accidentally been left outside of the car, along with the owner's manual. That, along with the combination of stress, darkness and a lack of overall information about the car nearly killed Mollieanne and Brian Smith. After thinking they'd become trapped, the Smiths, 65 and 68, respectively, tried honking the horn to alert neighbors – it was Guy Fawkes Night, so the sound was drowned out by fireworks – and even took the Mazda's jack to a window in their attempt to escape. When they were discovered and freed 13 hours later, Mrs. Smith was unconscious and Mr. Smith was having trouble breathing, with emergency crews telling the couple another half hour in the car would have killed them. Mr. Smith later told The Otago Daily Times he was "very methodical," but couldn't figure out how to unlock the car. "Once I found out how simple it was to unlock it I kicked myself that I did not find the way out," the 68-year-old told The Times. "I had this mind-set that I did not have the transponder [so I could not get out]." Mazda New Zealand pointed out that is not the case. "It's not a design flaw with the car," Mazda New Zealand General Manager Glenn Harris told The Times. "What we have said to the [dealership] network is, with new technologies, don't forget to show customers how to use them in their entirety [and] how to override them. There is always a manual process to override them." Featured Gallery 2014 Mazda3 Hatchback View 9 Photos News Source: Otago Daily TimesImage Credit: Mazda Auto News Mazda Safety Hatchback Economy Cars mazda mazda3

Mazda recalling 190,000 CX-7s due to rusty ball joints

UPDATE: This post has been updated with additional information from Mazda. The Basics: Mazda is recalling 190,102 Mazda CX-7 crossovers built between February 14, 2006, to May 9, 2012 – model years 2007 through 2012. The Problem: Water can sneak in between the suspension ball joint fittings. If snow and road salt are common in your neck of the woods, the joints can corrode and separate from the lower control arms. That's bad if you enjoy steering your CX-7. According to Mazda, owners of affected models may notice a rattle from the front suspension due to the loose ball joint in the lower control arm fitting. Mazda describes separation of the ball joint and control arm as a "worst case" scenario "after extended operation in such condition." Injuries/Deaths: It's unknown if the rusting issue has led to any crashes, injuries, or deaths. Autoblog has a call into Mazda for additional details and will update this post with any new information. There have been no reports of accidents, injuries, or fatalities related to this recall. The Fix: Owners should report to their local Mazda service center, where techs will replace the both front lower control arms. Any work done is free of charge. If you own one: Mazda will perform some automotive triage with this recall, focusing on CX-7s that have had the longest exposure to salt and are most likely to suffer control arm separation first. Owners of 2007s and 2008s come first, followed by 2009 through 2011 models. Mazda will also focus on vehicles registered in states where snow and road salt are most common – Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C. If you live in a more temperate region or own a 2012 CX-7, Mazda will perform recall work as "parts are available." Owners can contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 for additional info. Recall notices should hit the mail around October 10th. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2011 Mazda CX-7: Review View 21 Photos News Source: NHTSAImage Credit: Copyright 2016 AOL Recalls Mazda Crossover mazda cx-7

Weekly Recap: Diesel scandal continues to fuel VW's woes

Volkswagen's woes continued this week when it was delisted from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and stripped of awards. Senators are also lining up to advocate for criminal and civil action against the automaker, and its consumer reputation is in tatters. Put simply, it's been another rough period for VW. Despite this, the company eked out a sales gain of less than one percent in September, though that was well behind the overall market's performance. Sister brand Audi, which sells a diesel A3, was less affected, posting a 16-percent gain in September. Revelations that Volkswagen rigged millions of diesel-powered cars around the world didn't surface until September 18, so the full sales impact of the ongoing scandal won't likely be felt until October. Meanwhile, VW's image continues to take a beating, and an AutoPacific survey found only one in 14 vehicle owners have a positive opinion of the company. Before the scandal broke, three-quarters of respondents had a positive view of VW. The survey also found 64 percent don't trust Volkswagen, though the same number believe other companies are or may also be using cheating devices to pass emissions tests. "The reputation of diesels has been severely damaged, at least for the short term," Ed Kim, AutoPacific's vice president of industry analysis, said in a statement. Despite the lingering malaise, experts believe VW will recover, just as Toyota and General Motors eventually emerged from their own high-profile controversies. "Consumers have proven through numerous recalls that they are resilient and quickly return to their buying habits," Kim said. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Mazda to reveal sports car concept in Tokyo Mazda will bring a curvy sports car concept to the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The automaker is being especially coy with the details, only releasing the dark teaser shot that you see to the right and a cryptic statement that suggests the concept "condense[s] Mazda's entire history of sports-car development into a single model." Immediately, speculation abounded this is an RX-7 and RX-8 successor, though Mazda didn't specify what engine the concept will have. Reportedly, the company is still working on rotary engines. Mazda will have a Cosmo Sport 110S on its stand in Tokyo, which pioneered rotary technology in 1967. Read into that what you will. The Rock pitches Ford service Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock, is the new frontman for Ford service.