Mazda Faces $662 Million Class Action Over Heated Seats That Allegedly Burned DriversA feature designed to keep you warm on a cold morning has landed Mazda in federal court. Five owners have filed a class action lawsuit contending that the seat heaters in certain Mazda vehicles are defective and can burn occupants.The models named in the complaint span the Mazda6, CX-9, CX-30, CX-50, and CX-5.The filing includes a “reasonable estimate” of what a full repair campaign would cost, landing at $662,492,128.17 to fix roughly 301,549 vehicles, around $2,200 per car. That figure is the plaintiffs’ projection, not a settlement or judgment, but it gives a sense of the scale they’re arguing.What the Plaintiffs Are ClaimingThe accounts across the five plaintiffs range from property damage to serious physical injury.AdvertisementAdvertisementIllinois plaintiff Micah Prochaska bought a used 2017 CX-9 in 2018, and seven years on, the seat heater allegedly burned a jacket left on the passenger seat, left a large hole through the cushion, and produced visible smoke while he was driving home.Minnesota plaintiff Russell Quinn’s 2016 CX-9 started emitting smoke from the heated passenger seat more than nine years after purchase. He asked Mazda to cover the repair but was denied given the vehicle‘s age, then paid a dealer $650 to simply disconnect the seat heater system.The injury claims are more serious.California plaintiff Sharmee Anderson says the seat heater in her 2023 CX-5 left a half-dollar-sized blister on her left leg, later diagnosed and treated as a second-degree burn.AdvertisementAdvertisementPatrick Sandoval, a California resident who purchased a new 2018 Mazda6, activated the seat warmer in 2020 but, due to neuropathy, was initially unable to detect how hot it had become.By the time he did, he had burns on his legs and buttocks, and the filing claims the heat aggravated a prior spinal injury.Sandoval then sold the Mazda6 and bought a 2023 CX-50, hoping the problem was model-specific.Upon activating the heater in the new car, he found the seat was, per the complaint, “insanely hot,” leaving him unable to use the feature as designed.Georgia plaintiff Tina Rogers, meanwhile, owns a 2024 CX-30 and reports a similar burn to her leg.What Mazda Is Being Asked to DoThe plaintiffs assert that Mazda manufactured, marketed, and sold vehicles with seat warmers capable of causing both injury and fire.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe lawsuit also alleges Mazda was aware of the heated seat issue but did not adequately warn customers of the risk.On that front, Mazda had not publicly responded to the lawsuit at the time of publication.The plaintiffs argue the alleged defect creates not only physical danger but economic harm, as the safety risk makes the affected vehicles worth less than owners paid for them.This is not the first time the issue has surfaced in court.A separate lawsuit filed in September 2024 by a plaintiff in the Superior Court of California alleged she “suffered serious burns and scarring” from the seat warmer in her 2018 Mazda6.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe current case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. For owners of the affected models who regularly use heated seats, it’s worth keeping an eye on how Mazda responds – particularly given that at least one plaintiff found the same alleged problem waiting for him in a brand-new replacement vehicle.
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