Man Sues Mazda For $5 Million Because “Depress Brake To Start” Is Way Too Confusing

Pennsylvania resident Joshua Meltzer bought a brand new Mazda CX-50 in May of this year, but things quickly took a turn after his daughter got into an accident with the car. Now, he’s suing Mazda, claiming a glaring defect. And what is this major safety flaw, you ask?

Apparently, the instruction to “Depress Brake to Start Vehicle” is just too vague. Meltzer believes it doesn’t provide enough clarity, so he’s hoping others will join his class-action crusade against this automotive menace.

Read: VW Swapped The Taos’ DSG For An Auto Because US Drivers Thought It Felt Broken

The incident with his unnamed daughter happened about two weeks after the purchase. Despite receiving what is described as ‘fatherly advice’ on how to operate the vehicle, it seems she misunderstood—or outright ignored—the instructions. Whether it was a case of simple confusion or a comedy of errors, it’s safe to say the blame is being pointed anywhere but home.

The incident breakdown

Here’s a key part of the lawsuit: “She pressed the Stop-Start button. The display then informed her ‘Depress Brake to Start Vehicle.’ She then depressed the brake and shifted the vehicle out of Park and into Drive. The vehicle immediately began to roll backwards. She attempted to control the vehicle, including pressing the brakes, but both the power brakes and power steering were unresponsive.”

What did she do then? She exited the car and let it roll into a tree. For sure that’s all Mazda’s fault, right? Note that the suit specifically calls out the “power brakes and power steering”. That seems to indicate that the normal brakes and steering were functioning but not in their power-assisted mode.

User error or manufacturer fault?

Was she simply too weak to press the brake all the way to the floor without power assist? Was she incapable of turning the steering wheel without power assistance? Did she ignore the fact that she never heard the engine start? We likely won’t find out, but the dealer and Mazda North America say that the vehicle worked as intended. That seems to check out anecdotally as Mazda’s aren’t rolling away on every corner of America.

The plaintiff wants Mazda to use better communication in the vehicle to tell the customer when the vehicle is in accessory mode, ignition mode, and when it’s on. The lawsuit applies to all Mazda models with push-button start made after 2017. Strangely, when driving the CX-50 I didn’t experience anything like what Meltzer accuses Mazda of.

Interestingly, the lawsuit alleges that the service manager at the dealership said that in accessory mode, the setting that the daughter put the car into, made it “impossible” to stop. That sounds like a (probably former) service employee trying to soften the blow that comes when a mistake happens to a driver. 

Who’s really to blame here?

Is this just a case of a father embarrassed by his daughter’s failure to control a car? Maybe the case will sort that out. We’ll keep an eye on it as it develops. What doesn’t seem to be up for debate is that the brakes worked, the daughter didn’t hit them hard enough, and she also wasn’t aware enough to recognize that the engine didn’t turn on. Is that really Mazda’s fault in your eyes? Let us know what you think in the comments.