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Mazda CX-7 Transmission Questions

SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
in Mazda
Mazda CX-7 Transmission Problems
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  • callmerayzcallmerayz Member Posts: 11
    Just bought my CX7 $23,500 2wd-sport. I also own a Murano, and I can notice many simularitys.
    The big thing thus far that I am disapointed.
    1) Driving on the interstate 70mph through rolling hills the transmission jerks while trying to decide if it should change.
    2) I thought with all the turbo advances that turbo lag would not be noticeable, but it is. I'm told it will improve? I have 400 miles so far.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The engine is still green, and I'm sure the transmission's adaptive logic hasn't yet "learned" your driving style.

    -juice
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Juice, can you tell me more about "adaptive logic"? I didn't know the CX7 had it. How does it work and what does it do?

    Vince.
  • callmerayzcallmerayz Member Posts: 11
    I was hoping that was the case. Great SUV just a little slow. LOL.
    TUNING anyone. I want to buy a chip, and xenon lights.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Most modern trannies have that, I don't have information that is particular to the CX7, maybe someone else here does?

    -juice
  • ecubecub Member Posts: 2
    I called Mazda USA, they admited the problem and said that the folks in Japan were working on a fix. They asked me to take it and leave it at the nearest dealer and gave a loaner. It made me very worried that they wanted it off the road quickly and I got the feeling from them that it may be quite some time before a fix was ready. Then they started to talk about a finical settlement. WOW! :lemon:
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Good idea about establishing separate sub-fora, but I think you need to change the title of this forum: Mazda CX-7 Transmission Problems.

    People who are exploring the CX-7 and trying to gain useful information will immediately get the wrong idea that the CX-7 has major problems with the transmission, which is not the case.

    Perhaps retitle that forum to "Mazda CX-7 Transmission - General Discussions"?
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Well, since Edmunds reorganized these fora, guess I'll post my question again.

    Someone mentioned that the CX-7 has Adaptive Logic. I don't know what that is. Can someone explain how it works and it's advantages?

    Thanks, Vince.
  • wjbushsrwjbushsr Member Posts: 135
    Adaptive Logic transmissions are those that learn your driving habits, e.g. speeding up, sudden stops, long distance speeds and moderate speed. It has a sort of fuzzy logic capability to better tune the onboard computer on how to save gas and how to set the emmissions management.
    Driver-Type Recognition
    Environmental Recognition
    Driving-Situation Recognition

    All can be explained on this link: Adaptive Transmission Control
    It's extensive in the definition, but it answers tons of questions!
    Still not certain if the CX-7 has adaptive or not...
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    Based on the Mazda web pages...

    6-SPEED SPORT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

    Experience the best of both worlds -- the convenience of automatic and the authority of manual. In automatic mode, sensors and internal algorithms adapt shifting logic based on your driving style. The Sport AT shift gate allows quick manual shifting when you want to take a more active role in the CX-7's performance. In either mode, six forward ratios keep the engine in the sweet-spot on acceleration and deliver smooth and relaxed straight away cruising.
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Sweet! Very nice feature...like frosting on a cake! Just one more reason I'm glad to pick the CX7!

    Thanks for the explanations!

    Vince.
  • callmerayzcallmerayz Member Posts: 11
    My transmission cx-7 with 1000 miles now continues to jerk while on the interstate when traveling up hill. As soon as I go to manual then to 5th it stops. However it does seem like the power just isn't there to carry the suv over the hill? I am usually tring to milk every drop of fuel out of any car so I'm barely depressing the pedel. If I push further down even though I'm going at the speed I want to travel it will respond by it's self and drop down into 5th. To me I think the turbo is sleeping until I push down and the power it would provide to carry me the rest of the way over the hill is not available. Then it causes a surge in power, and a waste of fuel. I plan on going to the dealer asap. I hope a little fine tuning will help. Other than this problem the mazda is great.
  • honakerhonaker Member Posts: 74
    Is it above 2500 rpms when you're easing your way up the hill?
  • wjbushsrwjbushsr Member Posts: 135
    At 1000 miles, its still in the "learning stage"; set it on cruise the next time you're out and allow the auto transmission to adapt itself to your driving habits. Dropping a gear going uphill is what it does, this helps the engine from overworking itself. I wouldn't hit the dealership just yet, try the cruise control for a couple of trips and notice the tachometer when you're driving.

    But if you're not sure, seek peace of mind and call before you drop off the car for a good two hours of your time! ;)
  • callmerayzcallmerayz Member Posts: 11
    the computer should have had plenty of time by now. I have driven with the cruise on. the rpms are around there. I'll pay more attention next trip.
    I can say for sure that at 70 mph in manual 5th it does not jerk. It's ready to fly.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Some A/T transmissions have shift points different from your previous cars and you are probably still in the habit of how those A/Ts shifted expecting the changes at the wrong time, rpms, and speeds. So you may be unconciously letting up on the throttle right when the tranny is up-shifting or pressing the throttle when it is down-shifting. This can cause a decided jerking motion and noise.

    There are two elements at work here: you are getting use to the CX-7 and the CX-7 is getting use to your driving habits from older vehicles. :)

    Keep in mind that if somebody else drives your CX-7 for a couple days it is going to un-learn your way and learn the other person's habits.

    fowler3
  • roncoronco Member Posts: 6
    So, I test drove a CX-7 this weekend at a dealership after driving a FX35 and a Murano. I found the CX-7 to be fun overall, but obviously a more spartan and sporty design approach had been applied. The biggest thing I noticed was a seemingly weird power curve. Coming off stoplights, it seemed like there was about a full second in which it seemed like the car was barely moving at all, to the point of being almost uncomfortable, but THEN it would kick in and snap your head back. I found the driving at 20-80 mph to be total fun, but the start from stop experience made me pretty much write it off. Does that sound normal to anyone else?
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    That's typical of a turbo-charged engine. Once you get used to it and anticipate it, it'll become second nature to you. Even with the 1 sec delay it takes to kick in, I'm usually well of the pack coming out of a stoplight. There's more than ample acceleration for most any situation.

    Vince.
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    As VB mentioned the turbo is a new experience for many and it requires a little different driving habits than a traditional engine. Once you get the hang of the throttle response it will seem like second nature.
  • ecubecub Member Posts: 2
    :lemon: I have the same problem, the transmission starts to jerk as if there is not enough power from the engine, if I slightly give it more gas, it becomes worse. I took it back to the dealer who claimed there was nothing wrong, I did not give up and finally found out from the dealers service manager that there is a problem and Mazda is working on a soulition, he said that the program from the transmission needed to be updated but the update was over a month away. I suggest that if you are considering a purchase to wait a few monts if not a year for them to work all of the bugs out. My dealer was very elusive about the problem as if they knew it and did not want to admit it fearing they would loose future sales.
  • carlitos92carlitos92 Member Posts: 458
    It took me many months to get used to my old 1.8 turbo Jetta, although I think it was a little easier being a manual transmission... Basically, I would have to floor it off the line and then get OFF the gas when the engine hits the juice at 3500, or else "bad things" would happen to the tires... :blush: I assume we'll all get used to our CX-7's over time. Hang in there, guys.
  • jessterjesster Member Posts: 5
    Just broke 1000 miles on my GT AWD and it has included a couple portland to seattle round trips so plenty of highway to play with the tranny. 6th is certainly built for speed and fuel economy but doesn't have much hill climb. Its quick to downshift to 5 on almost any incline if you are below 2500 rpm (below ~70). I have found that if you just get a little running start and get your revs above 2500 it will take many lesser hills in 6. I find that manually keeping it in 6 below 2500 just sucks the mph off because its out of power and if your not willing to gun it a little and instead hover around 2500 the turbo kicks on and off leading to a jerking ride. By the way its pretty happy doing 90 in 6 up almost any hill.
  • callmerayzcallmerayz Member Posts: 11
    Hey, I have just over 5000 miles now. I am sure it is not because I am getting used to the turbo...LOL .
    I still love my Mazda except for the jerking at highway speeds that irratates the crap out of me, and my a/c shut down a couple of times. I still don't know why or what happened.
    It's good to know someone else is having the problem, (misery love company) and Mazda knows about it. I was on the road a lot recently and the only time I had a chance to visit a mazda dealer they had never heard of any problems nor were there any dealers/ factory messages yet.
    I hope they do in fact fix the problem if not I will get rid of it. Yes it's that bad. It would hurt either if Mazda somehow trys to make this right. I didn't want to buy a test vechicle. later
  • nmknmk Member Posts: 111
    Does anyone else seem to feel that in normal suburban and rural driving, the car remains in 5th gear too long?

    I manually shift to 6th above 38 mph because I think that lowering the rpms by 200 revs over the long run will save just a mite of gas. Not that I am frugal, but as long as I cannot drive above 55 mph in a severely policed area, why use the oomph that a lower gear will provide.

    Any remarks are welcome.

    Thanks,

    NMK
  • cx7rediccx7redic Member Posts: 18
    Having dealt with dealership service for quite a while, how do you approach them on fixing gearing or shift points if they claim they don't know about it. The impression i get from reading online is that the consumer knows much more than the guy at the service desk. Im not sure if that is good or bad. It may be bad because through the normal course of driving, the cars habits may just be the cars habits and we tend to freak out and have anxiety over the tranny? lol Or its good because we are much more informed. Is the tranny a real issue on the CX-7 that Mazda is working on or is that just a nice comfort the consumer statement to make us think Mazda is working on the car? I switched from driving an Accord V6 2 door and I will be honest and say the MAzda engine does not feel at this point as smooth and or as solid as the Honda engine in terms of shifting/jerks/ etc. But this is my 1st turbo, and i would def say the learning curve is up there in a CX-7 interms of using the gas pedal, dealing with turbo lag, and learning how to use the throttle in tune with engine response.
  • barmstrbarmstr Member Posts: 4
    In the morning when it is cool out, when first starting the CX-7, the idle is at 2000 rpm and will not go down until the car is put into gear with a nice thump. Dealer says this is normal. I find this hard to believe that you put a car into gear at 2000 rpm. The morning initial start is the only time this happens. Is any one else having this happen?
  • carlitos92carlitos92 Member Posts: 458
    It is normal for the car to rev higher on cold mornings; this the the EFI system's way of warming up the engine. (If you're old enough, think back to the days of manual or automatic carburetor chokes).

    My CX-7 only does it for a few minutes, during which time I'm usually trying to defog the windows, change CDs, get buckled in, etc. Shifting into gear at 2000 rpm is your choice, but nothing to worry about - that's what a torque converter is supposed to handle, and once a day during the winter certainly isn't going to kill it.

    -c92
  • cx7rediccx7redic Member Posts: 18
    This is not uncommon and or a problem whatsoever. Its your engine warming itself up. You shouldnt drop it into gear until the tach gets closer to 1k. This shouldnt be foreign to you, all cars do this if they are cold and have to warm up.

    I let my 7 idle for about a min or 2 till the tach levels as 1.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I always just put my cars in gear and creep out of the neighborhood figuring that it's better to warm all the systems up gradually by driving it gently instead of taking off with a warm engine and cold tranny, etc. Excessive idling is bad for the engine and exhaust system too (link).
  • rjb1980rjb1980 Member Posts: 1
    This is my first turbo so I'm not familiar with idling the car before turning it off. Is this a real concern? Do I always need to be concerned about this or just after interstate driving or heavy acceleration?
  • sfe5sfe5 Member Posts: 1
    I have 800 miles on my CX-7 and the jerking transmission at highway speeds in nearly constant. Have never felt anything like this on any car, new or used. Extremely irritating. I believe I will also call Mazda USA.
  • vbbuiltvbbuilt Member Posts: 498
    Recommend you visit your Mazda dealer and take your service tech for a ride and demonstrate the problem.

    Vince.
  • cx7rediccx7redic Member Posts: 18
    I believe the reason is for the turbo fan to run to cool itself. I think its only a necessity after driving for an extended period of time.
  • tbear1130tbear1130 Member Posts: 7
    I too HAD the same problem. There is a bulletin on this and my dealership did a reprogram on transmission control module. The first time it still wasn't quite right. I took it back today and they checked it out again and did another reprogram. This time it worked. The tech at my dealership was very open and even had the service manager do a search for any bulletins. He did find it and communicated with me the whole time I was waiting.
  • vx23hokievx23hokie Member Posts: 10
    I have the same problem - very noticable and annoying. I plan to take the car to the dealership. Would you share with me what dealership you took your car to so if my dealership is difficult I can have them contact yours to discuss how to fix it? Thanks.
  • tbear1130tbear1130 Member Posts: 7
    Heritage Mazda in Owings Mills Maryland.
  • dynamic1dynamic1 Member Posts: 1
    same thing with mine, GT CX-7 AWD. planning on taking it in to the dealer. engine hesitates as soon as it shifts into 5th and/or 6th and stays rough at what seems like all cruising speeds between say 45mph and 65mph.
  • msmith30msmith30 Member Posts: 3
    I just had a problem with my CX-7 transmission sticking in 3rd gear. The engine light and AT light came on the friday before Christmas. I had to wait until the Tuesday after Christmas to take the car to the dealership. At that time the AT light was off but engine light remained on. The dealership said that they had to reprogram the control module. The following day of driving, the car was stuck in 3rd gear again so I took it straight to the dealership while the AT light was on. After checking the car out, they said they had to replace the control module and now the car is running OK. I just want to pass this info along so you are aware of what needs to be done to fix the problem. I will say that the service at the dealership in Brandon, Florida was great and every time provided a loaner car with no question asked. That's service.
  • coolbowlingcoolbowling Member Posts: 3
    My CX-7 makes a 'klunk noise' when the gear shifts from 1st to 2nd. You can also feel it on the gas pedal. It's louder and more noticeable on the pedal after it's been parked for a while but it always happens even after driving it if you turn the engine off and turn it back on. My dealership tried flushing the transmission and resetting the computer to no avail. They're out of answers and is setting up an appt for me to see the regional technical specialist for the west coast. Does anybody have a similar problem?
  • zoom49zoom49 Member Posts: 76
    If this just happens only on the first shift, (after shifting out of park) Then it is most likely the ABS system
    testing itself. That is the only time I have heard a similar noise.
  • coolbowlingcoolbowling Member Posts: 3
    I have driven a lot of other cars with ABS and other similar features as the CX-7 without the 'klunk noise.' It's extremely annoying and I hope Mazda can come up with some kind of fix for it. And if it doesn't happen in every CX-7, it can't be normal.
  • zoom49zoom49 Member Posts: 76
    So does the Klunk noise happen on most 1 -2 upshifts or only on the first shift after the transmission is shifted out of park? This klunk noise is also on my RX-8 with manual transmission and is due to an ABS test.
  • coolbowlingcoolbowling Member Posts: 3
    the klunk noise happens only during gear shift from 1st to 2nd. no noise is made when it's shifted out of park. a regional specialist check it on 2/16/07 and i'll let you know what he says. thanks.
  • saledsaled Member Posts: 1
    i just bought a mazda cx-7 and i love it :) but after about 3 weeks of driving it i would notice when im on the highway it would out of nowhere start to jerk it felt like it was struggling. and also today when i was driving on the highway my car shifted from 6th gear to 5th and stay at 5th and then go back to 6th. is this comman in a new car? :confuse:
  • zoom49zoom49 Member Posts: 76
    There has been a new electronic program out for a few months that can reprogram the transmission to reduce shudder when driving on the highway. Tell your dealer about your concerns on your first service visit. Should be an easy fix.
  • kkearneykkearney Member Posts: 4
    Hi. I just bought an '07 CX-7 Grand Touring AWD with 13k miles on it. Accelerating to 3000 RPM in 3rd gear there is a brief shudder that is felt in the steering wheel. It then disappears when the dropping into 4th. Anyone else feel the same thing? What are your thoughts about potential cause? BTW I drive the car pretty calmly. Thanks
  • canadiancx7canadiancx7 Member Posts: 1
    Hey there....I am from Canada and I bought a CX-7 in December. Had the exact same problem has you did, only they had absolutely NO IDEA what caused it. Been to the dealer 5 times and lost my car several weeks even months. They changed the PCM module, did not fix it, they changed a flow inhibitor did not fix it, the changed the knock sensor, did not fix it. Now it is still at the dealer, apparently they fixed it, some loose connection on the PCM but I have lost total faith in my vehicle. Did they fix yours? If so, please let me know what they did. Thanks...besided that...I love my car.
  • farupnorthfarupnorth Member Posts: 3
    Sounds like I had the same problem. It started with some sort of stutter upon acceleration, then later it developed into something that made the AT & CEL light come on. Soon thereafter, the car would only be in third if it was in drive. (I could shift to reverse & park, but when I tried to get it back in drive, it would go into third.) That earned it a tow to the dealer.

    They replaced the TCM and reflashed the TCU. It seems to be running perfectly now.
  • exlabdriverexlabdriver Member Posts: 2
    New member here. I thought that I'd pass on my experiences with my Canadian CX7 GT AWD, bought in Jan 07 with a build date of 10/06 - now with about 9900KMs on the clock.

    My dealer has done the Lag Below 2500RPM Reflash, P2006 CEL IMRC Replacement, Stuttering in Cruise Reflash and I still have the so called Transmission Clunk on the first forward departure of the day - normally at the 1 to 2 shift.

    Evidently, the clunk is normal as described in Mazda Canada Bulletin 06-07 issued 12/06 - Clunk Noise From Brake Pedal When Accelerating From A Stop. The copy that they provided for me states that - The clunk noise is most likely to occur after a night soak. This is a normal operating noise of the ABS. It happens when the vehicle reaches approx 10KMH/6.2MPH when the pump motor in the DSC Hyd Unit starts operating and malfunction diagnosis is performed. Do not attempt any repairs.

    Being the skeptic that I am, I tried it out the next morning with the trans in Auto Mode. Sure enough it clunked at the 1 to 2 shift. The next day I tried in Manual Mode where the trans did not shift; however, it clunked at exactly 10KMH. Therefore, I now believe that Mazda is correct here. The concern that I have now is that it did not happen when the car was new but it has started occurring over the past 2000KMs and seems to be getting louder. I fear problems with this component down the road.

    The stuttering in cruise is interesting. In 6 Gear in Auto Mode at 110Km/70MPH at about 2200RPM, the trans seems to shift out of lockup mode under the slightest load such as a minor incline in the road. RPM increases to 2500 or so & will hold there until the road levels out again. If the same scenario is encountered in Manual Mode, lockup is held much longer but after a while the engine seems to start lugging (stuttering) and finally it will come out of lockup, increases to 2900RPM then slowly decreases to 2500RPM until it the road levels out. I did a 2 hour return test run today in no wind, on a quiet divided highway with many gentle hills. I estimate that in 6 Gear in Auto Mode, the trans was NOT in lockup approx 60-70% of the time whereas in Manual Mode it was NOT in lockup about 20-30%, albeit with some stuttering.

    Not being in lockup while cruising seems to me to be negatively impacting hwy fuel economy. Furthermore, I suspect that the continual shifting in and out of lockup in Auto Mode might be detrimental to the longevity of the transmission.

    My 2 cents worth.
  • exlabdriverexlabdriver Member Posts: 2
    Just for fun, I tried driving in Reverse after a night soak. Sure enough, I got the clunk from the ABS self test at about 10KPH/6MPH while going backwards.

    In my CX7, it defintely is NOT a transmission shifting problem.
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