- Some Mazda owners claim their heated seats became hot enough to burn.
- One complaint says a front passenger seat scorched a jacket badly.
- Models named in the class action include the 6, CX-9, CX-30, and CX-50.
Several Mazda owners are alleging that the heated seats in their cars have burned them – literally, and the resulting class action lawsuit could cost the company north of $6662 million. Admittedly, it’s far too early to say if this is actually going to happen.
Five plaintiffs have signed on. One of them, Micah Prochaska, bought a used 2017 CX-9 in 2018 and says he discovered the seat heater’s enthusiasm in 2025, when the front passenger cushion got hot enough to scorch a jacket left on it and leave a sizable burn hole in the seat itself.
Read: Lawsuit Claims Mazda’s Heated Seats Are So Hot They’re Burning Drivers
Another plaintiff, California-resident Patrick Sandoval, claims he suffered “several burns on his legs and buttocks caused by the heat warmer.” He allegedly suffers from neuropathy, limiting the feeling in his lower extremities. The lawsuit even claims the toasty-hot heated seat “aggravated a prior spinal injury,” that Sandoval suffered.
Russell J. Quinn is also named in the lawsuit. He says nine years after purchasing his 2016 Mazda CX-9, he noticed smoke rising from the heated passenger seat. A dealer then reportedly charged $650 to disconnect the seat heating system to prevent any recurrence, CarComplaints says citing the lawsuit.
Hot Seats Strike Again
The lawsuit covers 2016-2017 CX-9, 2018 Mazda6, 2024 CX-30, 2023 CX-50, and 2023 CX-5 models, alleging that as many as 301,549 vehicles need to be repaired. Based on its estimates to repair these vehicles, the lawsuit claims that Mazda may need to pay upwards of $662,492,128.17.
Mazda has reportedly long known about issues with its heated seats, but has failed to warn owners about the dangers. Interestingly, this isn’t the first lawsuit of this kind to be filed against Mazda in the US.
In September 2024, the owner of a 2018 Mazda6 sued the automaker, claiming she suffered serious burns and scarring because of a defective seat heater.
