What Are My Options? Mazda Fault: Bonnet Latch Caused an Accident

charlottee96 on 12/01/2021 - 11:19

Hey, I recently had a car accident, involving no one else. I was doing 80kmh on a main road, and my bonnet just randomly flew up and smashed into my windscreen. Apart from slightly aging me, and getting the shock of a lifetime, I'm all good.

I drive a Mazda 2, 2008 model. The bonnet was secure and locked in at the time of driving. I haven't opened the bonnet in months. It got towed away to be assessed this morning. The damage is the whole bonnet, and hinges, and obviously the windscreen.

A fair few people have said it could be latch fault, and to take it to Mazda. But I'm not sure how to do that, or if I should do that.

Any suggestions? What would you do?

Thanks in advance!

Automotive

Comments

  • EightImmortals on 12/01/2021 - 11:24
    +46

    Mate it's a 13 year old car, I suggest you file it in the 'stuff happens' basket, pay for the repairs and move on. Though contact your insurance company so they have full disclosure in case they try to rip you off somewhere down the track.

  • tsunamisurfer on 12/01/2021 - 11:24
    +17

    I don't like your chances of Mazda admitting liability if that's where you are heading.

    • perhaps on 12/01/2021 - 11:27
      +9

      Especially on a 12+ year latch

  • dasher86 on 12/01/2021 - 11:27
    +7

    you're not sure how to take the car into Mazda?
    Assuming you drive it in.

    • perhaps on 12/01/2021 - 11:29
      +6

      OP- "yeah, I'm here to get it fixed under warranty"

      Dealer- "ma'am the warranty expired 9 years ago"

      OP- "….."

      • dasher86 on 12/01/2021 - 11:38

        i never said anything about warranty of if she should do it.

        • perhaps on 12/01/2021 - 11:51

          I was just referring to your comment about how they'd take the car into mazda :/

  • Ywhna on 12/01/2021 - 11:29
    +4

    You can call Mazda and roll the dice on trying to get compensation, but I had issues with my brand new Mazda 3 and trying to get anything from Mazda Australia was like drawing blood from a stone. As mentioned earlier, with a 13 year old car its likely just going to be dismissed with a "its old, things break on old cars"

    • jimbobaus on 12/01/2021 - 11:39
      +5

      Agreed
      I bought a brand new Mazda 3, took it for a service and my mechanic found a hairline crack in the brake light lens (less than 6m old)
      This was clearly a manufacturing fault
      rang mazda aus… call dealer
      Called dealer…. Call mazda
      Called mazda… call dealer.
      etc etc etc

      Sent legal letter to Mazda… next day they supplied and fitted new brake light lens.

    • DreadPirateRoberts on 12/01/2021 - 12:38
      +2

      My girlfriend's new Mazda 2 (4 years old now) has had two shocks fail, both rear seatbelts fail (how? Rare anyone is in the back) and the AC compressor go twice. Apart from the shocks, everything else has been replaced by Mazda for free after some badgering of Head Office. Absolutely nutty stuff to go wrong on a car she's had from brand new.

      • Basicbupa on 13/01/2021 - 07:51

        Oh hey

      • Basicbupa on 13/01/2021 - 07:51
        +2

        Thank you for telling my story ❤️

    • ausbuysell12 on 12/01/2021 - 15:32

      Unsure how things are progressing with this but Mazda is disputing the fact saying their customer service is amongst the best in the market.

      https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/mazda-in-court-for-all…

      https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/accc-v-mazda-a…

  • highon2str on 12/01/2021 - 11:38
    +9

    That's pretty scary stuff! Thank goodness you made it here to tell the tale…

    I know you mentioned that you haven't opened the bonnet in months. Does anyone else drive the car? When did you last get it serviced and has it always been at the same workshop?

    You mentioned it's being assessed at the moment. Wait for the assessors to get back to you with the result - this is a strange, rare occurrence as bonnets are secured by both a primary and secondary latch mechanism. For the bonnet to flip up due to wind would require failure of both the latches. The panel shop/assessor should be able to check this and advise you if this was the case.

  • holdenmg on 12/01/2021 - 11:42
    +3

    You can run your VIN into https://www.mazda.com.au/recalls/
    and see if Mazda had any known issues on the Mazda2.

    I couldn't find any about the Bonnet Latch.

    Is it possible the Bonnet Release Cable broke?

    • apsilon on 12/01/2021 - 12:02
      +5

      Is it possible the Bonnet Release Cable broke?

      Broken cable won't open the latch, in fact it'll prevent it from being able to open. Latch is held closed by a spring, the cable pulls against the spring to open.

      Could latch be at fault? Sure, it's 13 years old. Has the car ever been in an accident? More likely something was bent or not adjusted correctly following a repair than a 13 year old simple mechanism developing a fault on it's own were as I mentioned above, failure results in closure, not opening.

  • Hithere on 12/01/2021 - 11:46

    A fair few people have said it could be latch fault

    Probably is, if it's got a cable type opener you can adjust it, but when all's said and done it's a 12+ year old car. Expect things to wear out and break.

  • picklewizard on 12/01/2021 - 11:49
    +1

    Bonnet Latch Caused an Accident

    I recently had a car accident, involving no one else

    Apart from slightly aging me, and getting the shock of a lifetime, I'm all good.

    So… there was no accident?

    • abb on 12/01/2021 - 14:00
      +1

      The bonnet opened unexpectedly (dare I say, accidentally), breaking the windscreen and bonnet. Sounds like an accident to me. Unless you made it happen deliberately with a spell, pickle wizard?

      • andresampras on 12/01/2021 - 14:15

        sounds like the work of pickle rick

      • picklewizard on 12/01/2021 - 14:47
        +2

        That's mechanical failure leading to damage. It's not an accident. Is a flat tyre an accident? A failed alternator? A blown head gasket?

        • abb on 12/01/2021 - 16:06

          It was probably accidentally left unlatched. Probably.
          If both latches failed, then ok, I see your point.

          • picklewizard on 12/01/2021 - 16:45
            +3

            @abb: Nah, bonnets have a two-stage latch. If you pop the bonnet while in the car doing 110 on the Hume your bonnet might rattle but it's not gonna fly open.

            That's why you always need to find the dicky latch thing when you open a bonnet and if you try to open a bonnet on an unfamiliar car it's like doing a Rubik's cube!

  • godofpizza on 12/01/2021 - 11:57
    +8

    is the bonnet latch in the same place as the petrol lid opener? you may have opened it by mistake.

  • John Kimble on 12/01/2021 - 12:01
    +4

    The bonnet was secure and locked in at the time of driving.

    How do you know this for sure? This is not something I personally check each time before I drive away…

    • godofpizza on 12/01/2021 - 12:04
      +1

      same argument a co-worker said that their engine oil cap had come loose and disappeared. There's no way that the engine cap will come off even if the car had rolled in a crash it still likely to be attached to the car.

  • horice on 12/01/2021 - 12:11
    +4

    Sounds sus
    You have the locking mechanism + the Safety latch

  • bobbified on 12/01/2021 - 12:14
    +4

    It is really up to the vehicle owner to regularly check and maintain a vehicle. As the vehicle ages, parts of the car will start to fail. Parts will wear, nuts and bolts may become loose or the engine might start to fail, etc. It's hard to emphasise the importance of maintenance to non-car people until something like this happens. In other words, it is your responsibility. It's really lucky that this incident didn't result in any injuries.

    I don't think there's much you can really do about it other than putting it down to experience and learning for the future.

    • jason101 on 12/01/2021 - 12:31
      +3

      When was the last time you checked the bolts on your bonnet latch?

      • bobbified on 12/01/2021 - 13:11
        +4

        Every week or two when I use the car and also just before a long drive, one of the things I do is open up the bonnet, check the oils and fluids and I look for anything that looks out of place. When I close the bonnet, I wiggle it around for a second to make sure it's tight and actually locked in. ie, push it down, hear it lock and then try to lift it open again. Of course, that's in addition to checking the tyre pressures etc too.

        One of the things I also do when I leave my apartment parking spot is I turn around and look at the ground to see if there's been oil or fluid leaks.

        It's not difficult and it's a good habit to get into.

        • jason101 on 12/01/2021 - 17:11
          +1

          No argument here, but I think you're in the minority. I'm thinking most car owners don't check their bonnet latch between 26-52 times per year.

          • bobbified on 12/01/2021 - 17:21

            @jason101:

            I'm thinking most car owners don't check their bonnet latch between 26-52 times per year.

            It just forms a "natural" part of the oil/fluids check. When you close your boot lid after shopping or something, do you try to lift again to make sure if doesn't open? (or is it just me? lol)

  • Porker on 12/01/2021 - 12:30
    +1

    Any kids or others that may have been playing in the car and unknowingly released the bonnet latch?

  • MS Paint on 12/01/2021 - 13:06
    +1

    What Are My Options?

    Pay for the repairs and move on.

  • Seraphin7 on 12/01/2021 - 13:10
    +4

    The bonnet was secure and locked in at the time of driving.

    Narrator: The bonnet was not secure and locked in at the time of driving.

  • Bargain Blesser on 12/01/2021 - 13:26
    +2

    The real question here….do you have life insurance and does the beneficiary have access to your vehicle?, suggest checking brake lines before driving any car in future.

  • brad1-8tsi on 12/01/2021 - 13:36

    So the main latch and the secondary latch didn't do their job?

    I have a 2007 model car and if a similar thing happened to me I'd put down to bad luck and get the car repaired

  • Bid Sniper on 12/01/2021 - 14:06

    "The bonnet was secure and locked in at the time of driving. I haven't opened the bonnet in months."

    These contradict.

    other possibility someone hit the front of your car damaging the hood and latch mechanism.

    • skillet on 13/01/2021 - 09:36

      This is most likely.

  • Cheeper on 12/01/2021 - 16:23
    +1

    There is a provision written in some Oz consumer law where a product must be safe to use but there is a limit on that of 10 years from the date of purchase.
    This is the condition that so many people had their dash replaced in Camrys a few years back. The safety of the car was affected by the reflection of the melting dash on the screen and the chemical odours it produced.
    As for a bonnet catch on a 12y/o car… I would say you are on your own unless you have comprehensive insurance but the excess may take a fair bite out of any benefit that may deliver.
    Get a bonnet from the wreckers and get it painted and a new windscreen and move on.

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 13/01/2021 - 07:59
    +1

    Sue Mazda. You could get millions because of fear of harm.

  • OzHunterNSW on 13/01/2021 - 10:46

    Let me tell you exactly what happen.

    Your un-maintained 2008 vehicle has not seen any attention for many years. You notice the bonnet latch is getting a tad hard to pull, but what the heck, she'll be right.

    So over the years of neglect, in the weather, your latch has become stiff and started to gather a patina of rust and gunk.

    In your last close of the bonnet, possibly a wimpy drop and an equally wimpy push on the bonnet, had in fact NOT FULLY CLOSED/ SECURED the latch. The repeated act of closing bonnet in this manner is easily observed by those of astuteness and intellect. i.e. the insurer.

    The bonnet flying up was an accident just waiting to happen bc of YOUR NEGLIGENCE.

    You could have possibly killed some other poor road user bc of YOUR NEGLIGENCE.

    Don't start blaming the car. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to maintain your vehicle.

  • SuperMick on 13/01/2021 - 15:23

    This happened to us a few years ago, with a Ford. I had reported to the dealer that the bonnet catch was faulty, about 3 times, they checked and said that it was fine. At the next service I had it checked again, and again they said it was OK. It still wasn't right, but I decided to live with it, about a month later driving onto the freeway at about 80 kms an hour, the bonnet flew up, hit the top of the car, bent over the roof, smashed the windscreen and smashed down again. It was a terrifying experience. It was towed away, back to the dealer. He said that there was nothing wrong with the lock and it was all my fault, and hard luck he would do no more. Well we argued back and forth, but he wouldn't budge. My wife decided to write to the CEO of Ford in Melbourne (I think, that's where he was), she sent copies of our complaints, service records, the lot. He wrote back saying that Ford would fix it, and gave us the name of their panel beater, who did a great job. The panel beater also found a fault with the bonnet hinges, that the dealer had missed.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join