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Mazda MPV: Problems & Solutions

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    mpvowner3mpvowner3 Member Posts: 11
    Hey MPV Owners,
    I have LX 03 MPV. When I turn the Heat on, after time I get Rotten Egg Smell. Has anyone reported to Mazada dealers abt this problem. If so what is the solution for it.

    Thanks,
    mpvowner3
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    othercarnotvanothercarnotvan Member Posts: 2
    I just bought a new MPV ES and have 2 silly questions:

    1) It has the "self dimming mirror/compass" option and there was a sticker on the rearview mirror stating "Set the zone before removing this sticker." The owners manual does NOT mention this option at all. I figured out how to see/set the zone, it is set for zone "8" but I have no idea where that is. Im in Calif...is zone 8 correct?

    2) The thing does not have "homelink" (like my stolen Honda Odyssey did) so I have cut up a peice of foam and stuck it into that little box on the ceilinig console to try to stabilize my garage door opener control so the buttons poke ou the little window. The owners manual was NOT very helpful in how one should use this compartment. Did I do thig right? Anybody do anything else?

    Thanks for any anwers,

    P.S. If anybody is interested, we paid 24,395 plus T+L (26,395 - 2000rebate) for this gold ES in Southern Calif. The MSRP (incl. 4 seasons, power doors, 6CD changer, cassette, cargo net, fog lamps, wheel locks roof rack, bumper plate, and auto dimming mirror/compass) was 29,195.
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    bomangamibomangami Member Posts: 7
    Yes, you did the right thing. I also had homelink on my prior vehicle. We adjusted the foam in the 'garage door opener' panel to allow our remote garage door opener to poke out the hole. Works great...
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    halleyscomethalleyscomet Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 MPV with the Entertainment package and 45 minutes from the top of the mountian we were climbing for our family ski trip the vcr power died. We endured the rest of the ride up and entire ride home with no vcr. I have young girls who were miserable without Dora, and Dalmations. My father is Corporate Mazda and he made some calls and it was fixed promptly on my return, but it was a wire that had come loose in the back left panel where the main power source feeds. I also was upset at the way it handled the last hour of our trip, which was a complete white out and snow everywhere while driving very, very slowly up the mountain.
    Aside from that drama, I have enjoyed my MPV, the seat height is perfect, it drives wonderfully, corners are great, and the entertainment is wonderful. I am getting ready to sell this and get a new one with the dvd package and dual power sliding doors and better engine. I was tempted to go SUV but resisted and am sticking with the MPV and also getting an RX-8 as soon as they get here. I have to drive the van for practicle reasons, but my father say's the RX-8 is excellent all the way around.
    If any of you have the entertainment option, let me know if you had any problems when it would rain or snow with the dew light coming on your vcr, that happened to me a few times and was quite aggrivating. I am hoping the dvd will be much different since it isn't under that 3rd row seat.
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    big_guybig_guy Member Posts: 372
    My wife is the primary driver of our 2002 MPV and she has complained a bit about the handling in snowy conditions as well. From what I have read here and on other websites, it that the OEM rubber on the MPV isn't that great at handling the white stuff. A good set of dedicated snow tires has been reported to produce a vast improvement in handling when traveling on snow covered roads. I plan on getting a good set of snow tires for next winter (since I don't see too much more snow on the horizon for this year).
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    dapontdapont Member Posts: 21
    Approximately 5,400 Mazda MPV minivans, model years 2002 and 2003, equipped with front fog lights have a wiring harness that may separate from the housing. If this happens, the heat from the fog light could cause a fire.
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    audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    There is a recall coming soon for Fog lights on the MPV....not all units but a few snuck out of the factory with the fog lights installed less than perfectly. Those of you affected will be notified in the next 4 weeks or so...not a big deal and nothing to panic about.

    SUBJECT VEHICLES Model
     VIN Range
     Build Date Range
     
    2002 – 2003 MPV
     JM3LW28J*20 300020 － 334294

    JM3LW28J*30 334903 – 359396
     November 26, 2001 – January 21, 2003
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    once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    not keen enough here to interpret the numbering scheme. Ours is JM3LW28JX20317427 , it has the factory fogs. Probably arrived in Los Angeles about March or April 2002. Is it one of the recalls?

    John
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    tccmn1tccmn1 Member Posts: 278
    Mine was assembled in Dec.02, but I think the fogs were installed port side because there is a tech sheet along with an installation manual that came with the MPV. Some notations signify -MAYBE installed in Japan, but it appears to be at Portland OR. entry where they were installed...is that possible? Anyway, I assume we will find out thru notification...I think mine would land in that range.
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    sr_srikanthsr_srikanth Member Posts: 41
    Hi All,

    It has been a while here for me. I have a 2000 MPV and love it so far. This seems to be the first major trouble I am going to face. LAst two days we observed suddenly when downshifting, there will be a jerk and then after that it will not go beyond the third gear at all. I have to completely stop it and then slowly raise the speed so that it will go thorugh to the fourth gear. This does not happen all the time but when this happens it is very consistent. Has any one faced this before. I am concerned when I bring it to the dealership and if I cannot reproduce the problem becuase I have already 48500 miles and only 1500 more togo.

    Thanks in adavance.
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    tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    Yeah, beat the dealers over the head regarding this problem NOW!!! I would be willing to bet that there will be no problem reproducing it. Otherwise,you will need a rebuilt tranny. I had the same problem plus slipping on my 93 Mitsy(155K). I have a good mechanic that I trust (not dealer) and I asked him about a repair job. He said that the majority of shops do not have the tools and expertise to "repair" trannies. Personnally I don't trust the national tranny repair chains. I have heard to many "gotcha" stories about them. So I had a rebuilt tranny with a two year warrenty installed. Works great, it cost $3000.00 out the door. The tranny was about 1800 the rest was tax and labor.I had the boots changed while they were at it, saves labor later on. We have to have a second car and repairing our older car was the cheapest way to go.
    Good Luck....
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    maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    you have two outstanding recalls on your MPV. One for the fog-lights mentioned above and the other for the certification label update. Make an appointment with your dealer and they should be able to fix you up.

    Of course, you should have received a letter from Mazda on the label and the fog light letter is probably in the mail.
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    once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    I should give you my ss number too maybe you can tell me how soon I can retire :) . I chuckled at the label issue, it seemed like a good waste of two hours time to take the MPV in. Wifey and I don't get concerned about label misprints, but we will get the fogs addressed.

    Thanks, John
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    geckokeepergeckokeeper Member Posts: 4
    Hello,
     Has anyone had problem with there Mazda dealer not being able to get a part? I have a 2000 MPV LX with 35,000 miles. I took it to the dealer for a burning smell and a whining noise they told me that the alternator is bad. They told me that they can not get the part this was 3/28 Friday that they would have the part Monday, here I am Wednesday and they are not really sure when they can get a alternator. I do have a rental car that is covered but still they should have parts.
    Paul
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    maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    I think they are on back-order right now. Enjoy your rental. :-)
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    alexv1nalexv1n Member Posts: 248
    Hmm, it seems that the alternators on 2000 MPVs do go bad. Mine went out as well, but was replaced the same day. I guess my dealer just had them in stock.
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    stevedslstevedsl Member Posts: 1
    This doesn't seem to jive well with most of the posts but problems are what I need to hear about.
    Judging from the posts and the activity in the MPV section of the Mazda message lists there are a lot of very enthusiastic MPV owners. Seeing 2500+ posts about problems was not encouraging though. Because of the enthusiasm I thought maybe some of you were second time MPV owners
    and could share a little wisdom about older models. My wife and I (third kid on the way)found a 93 Mazda 6 cylinder 3.0 4wd MPV w/76000 miles on it. Yeah there was a slightly weird story behind the mileage but the title check seems to bear it out. No major accidents. Looks real good. Even has a nice post factory stereo. Sport package? Don't think so but didn't check thoroughly. Having a mechanic look at it tomorrow and am instructing him to focus on the tranny. I'm curious if there's any wisdom here on the older models. I haven't seen any comment from people with older than 98 models. Is that a bad sign? I'd love to hear what you guys think. It may be the deciding factor in the purchasae. Thanks in advance!

    Steve
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    lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    I just purchased a 2003 MPV and I love it!!! On week 2 with it and not an issue to be had. The dealer told us to make a list if there were any problems and they would take care of it. This is the first time I have purchased a car new and haven't had to start a problems list. Yahoooo! It's an LX with moon roof, 6 CD changer, auto. sliders, traction control, wheel locks and it has the running boards that enhance the appearance. We purchased it on the S Plan for $100 under dealer invoice.

    Just wanted to share my good news!
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    tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    Congrats!!
    We are still waiting for ours. Supposed to be in next week. We ordered in Feb. I read where the factory is running at max capacity. Delivery times are getting longer...
    TJ
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    lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    What are you having your MPV equipped with that you had to order it? Just curious. When we went to buy ours we walked into the showroom on a Saturday afternoon at 2:30, picked out the one we wanted, test drove it and left there at 5 p.m. with the car! They cleaned it for us and gave us a voucher for a free detailing. It was nice dealing under the S Plan. No hassel at all! What color did you choose? Ours is the grey which looks more like silver. We even got the towing package on it. I also love the stares we get. There aren't many MPV's around our town so people sure do look especially when my kids put down the rear windows! :)
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    tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    We got the four seasons package, tow package, rear ac, auto mirror. The dealer couldn't find a four seasons anywhere in the state.
    We need the heavy duty cooling that comes with the four seasons pack here in the desert. Plus we got the coastal blue. Hard color to find...
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    geckokeepergeckokeeper Member Posts: 4
    Well they finally got the Alternator in for my 2000 MPV. It only took 19 days to get the part! Im glad it was under warranty, as the rental van cost over $700.00.
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    lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    It's interesting the difference a location can make. If you were to purchase an MPV in CT you could pick your car off the lot. The place where we bought ours had quite a few Coastal Blue MPV's with the 4 season package. I don't think I would go without the 4 season pckg. no matter where I lived. We want a sail boat so the 3000 lb. towing capacity will come in handy. Let us know when you get it and what you think! :) Good Luck!
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    kevriakevria Member Posts: 14
    We just bought one over the weekend with the 4-seasons package (my wife got the Emerald Mica) but there were plenty of MPV's to choose from from around the state.
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    tracy26tracy26 Member Posts: 26
    Hi. Wondering if you can explain how buying with the S-plan works? I saw an ad recently that said the dealer was selling the MVP at S-plan minus the $2000 rebate. Do you have to go through the internet/fleet manager to get this price or can a salesperson on the floor at the dealership also sell with the S plan discount?
         Also, is S-plan below invoice?
       We're looking at Siennas, but test drove an MPV today and we liked the smaller size, sporty feel. What is the general consensus (if such a thing exists) on MVP's reliability?
               Thanks for the help -Tracy
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    prlamzprlamz Member Posts: 78
    The S-plan is offered to the employees of organizations that do a lot of business with Ford. Ask your employer. The price, for an MPV will be a bit under invoice; it's a different number for each Ford (and associated makes) vehicles.
    As far as reliability, none better. The MPV is actually built in Japan and it shows. Compared to the Sienna, the old one is nice and dull; the new one as many plusses but will cost you way, way more than the MPV. Also, since the 2004 Sienna is totally new, watch out for the bugs. The same would apply to the new Nissan Quest. So far, with 24K on our 2002 MPV, the only complaint was a defective sensor on the transmission that caused the engine light to go on.
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    lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    tracy26 is correct on the S-Plan. I got my MPV for $100 under dealer invoice. Plus we took the $2000 cash back. We got a really good deal on a very loaded EX. Power sliding doors, moon roof, GFX package, 4 season package etc. $22,000 and change out the door. MSRP was just under $28,000. We were eligable for the S-Plan through my husbands company.

    I really liked the '04 Sienna but just didn't want to pay such a high price. The MPV has answered all of our needs (we have 2 kids) and we really like driving it.
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    zcanuck8zcanuck8 Member Posts: 2
    Hey mkassar2,

    I would like to know if you have solved your 'vibration/shimmering on the steering wheel' problem.

    We recently purchased a 2002 MPV and we also have this steering wheel vibration problem.
    We picked it up on a Thursday, and first thing on the following Monday, I called the dealership to book an appointment to have them fix this problem.
    Since then, it has been to the dealership five times to resolve this problem. No solution yet!

    First visit, they balanced the tires. No improvement.
    Next visit, they had a good look at the steel rims and noticed that the back right rim was bent, so they ordered a new rim.
    Next visit they replaced the one rim. Made a bit of a difference, but still vibration persists.
    Next visit, the service manager took it for a test drive with us and his conclusion was that it was the tires (Dunlops SP40's).
    They told us we should go to a Dunlop distributor to have them replace the tires. Ya right!
    After a few phone calls including one to Dunlop Canada, I called the dealership back and 'suggested' that they should take care of taking it to a Dunlop dealer.

    Next visit was so that the dealer could take it to a Dunlop dealer. They had as much success as us with Dunlop dealers. They did take wheels and tires from a new MPV and tried them on ours. Problem was still present according to the service manager. They did NOT however drive this new MPV before the switch to confirm that the problem was present on the new vehicle, so can't say for sure if the problem is with the wheels/tires.
    They did rotate the tires front to back though, which changed the vibration problem.
    The vibration is now present starting at 70-80 km/hr and up.

    Next visit (next week), the dealership will supply us with a loaner vehicle (wonder how long they plan to keep our MPV?). The dealership phoned Mazda Canada and was told that they needed to put these wheels/tires on a special 'road load' machine at a Ford dealership nearby. I suspect that this is a Hunter GSP9700.

    In searching the Internet, I am finding quite a few sites where MPV owners are complaining about similar steering wheel vibration problems, including www.apa.ca.
    The Automobile Protection Association (APA) is doing an MPV study, specifically regarding 2000-2002 MAZDA MPV – Steel wheels.

    Don't know if it's the wheels, the tires, both together or something else. We just want it fixed!

    Did you find out more about that Dealer Note that points out a flaw in the Dunlop tires that cause a shake/vibration at slow speeds?
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    acedriveracedriver Member Posts: 131
    Sorry to hear your problems. But, when you took the vehicle for a test-drive on Thursday (when you picked up the MPV), didn't you notice the vibration ?
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    zcanuck8zcanuck8 Member Posts: 2
    Hi acedriver,

    When I picked it up, I didn't take it for a test drive. That was a mistake! When I drove it home, I didn't go on the highway, so I didn't notice the vibration. I noticed it the next day. My wife drove it on the weekend and she also noticed it.
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    tracy26tracy26 Member Posts: 26
    Sounds like a great price. Your mesage says you paid "$22,000 and change out the door. MSRP was just under $28,000" for an Ex with many options.
          I assume the 22K price was before options??

       Concgrats on your new car.
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    javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    Please elaborate on your purchase if you could. $22k is a very low price, and it piques my interest!

    /J
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    lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    We purchased our MPV under the S-Plan. The S-Plan allowed us to buy our MPV for under dealer invoice. The MSRP on ours was $27,085. The dealer invoice was $24,819 and we paid $24,803. We took the $2,000 cash back and I got $1800 for my trade. When all was said and done we financed just over $22,000. Hope this makes sense. Our MPV is an LX, GFX package, 4 Season pckg., Moon roof, auto sliding doors, roof rack, 6 cd changer. The only thing it doesn't have is the leather seats and the 17" alloy wheels.
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    javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    Ah, thanks... that makes alot more sense, b/c I thought you had an ES, and I was going to have to take you with me to the dealer during negotiations if you walked out w/an ES for $22k. My calculations had an ES (w/4Seasons, roof, pwr doors, GFX, changer, Security, rear spoiler, rear step plate) hitting me for $27,296 invoice, so $27k, less the $2000 rebate giving me $25k, less any equity in my current van.
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    lsinclsinc Member Posts: 270
    LOL! I could see it now! :) We did look at an ES that had all of the same equipment as our LX. The ES had the leather seats and the fog lights and the 17" wheels. It was $29 something. My kids begged me not to get leather seats and frankly having a dog and mixing that with leather seats didn't appeal too much. But that's just me.
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    tracy26tracy26 Member Posts: 26
    Hi. Does anyone have any idea whether the 2K rebates on the 2003 MPV expire for good at the end of April, or if are they like to extend into May and beyond???

       We're leaving town for a week and I'm worried the rebates won't be there when we get back. Since I'm not eager to make a hasty decision or to let car-buying intrude on our vacation, I'd sure like to postpone this purchase till May. Any advice? -Tracy
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    kevriakevria Member Posts: 14
    I wasn't able to purchase ours using the S-Plan but the MPV LX we bought had an MSRP of slightly over $25500 and we paid $21,999 for it...
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    dick_jamesdick_james Member Posts: 2
    My 2002 Mazda MPV LX was bought in last May. Up to now, I have had 3 times of the Sign of Engine being on, no flashing. Actually, I fill #90 or #89 no-lead gas, and after filling, I used to close the gas tank cap tightly after I heard a bunch of click sound.

    The Mazda service doubt the cap is not tightly closed. But, I know every time, I closed tightly after filling. For last two times, they just deleted the signal of the Engine Sign. I think maybe something should be replaced. I don't know this time what further check I should ask Mazda Service to do? Anybody here has similar experience? or Anybody here has any idea about this problem? I will appreciate your input.

    Dick_James
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    mazda6sammazda6sam Member Posts: 20
    Dick...

    My engine light came on yesterday and it hasn't gone off yet. I filled the gas tank up and am waiting for it to reset. any luck?

    thanks,
    Sam
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    tccmn1tccmn1 Member Posts: 278
    When I ORDERED my LX, (which took nearly 4 months to get by late Feb.) I thought I was getting the top of the line in that it was the 6cd in dash with cassette, etc. I found out that there is a SUPER Stereo system that adds the subwoofer in the rear plus the added speakers that I did NOT get. So I paid an extra $450 but needed to spend another $350 for the complete deal...which I missed! The unit still sounds fine, but I was a little miffed since the sales people misses this during our writing up. I guess this tuner COMES with the ES. So you get, 17" wheels, leather, power seat, AND the SUPER TUNER w/added speakers,etc. in the ES as the difference of $3.5K higher on the ES.
    I still love this baby though!
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    prlamzprlamz Member Posts: 78
    This happened to us. The dealer ran diagnostics and replaced a sensor in the transmission. During that time, the engine was running very hot.
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    tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    I got an email from Mazda Corp. stating that the rebates end on April 30. There are no plans to extend it at this time but the option is open...

    My car was due May 1. I rushed down to the dealer and paid for the car in April and got the 2000 buck rebate.... Check with your dealer he may work with you...
    Good Luck
    TJ
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The manufacturers rarely tip their hand about upcoming incentives - don't want to scare away buyers ready to buy "today" I guess. It makes it hard for us to keep current with them.

    The market seems as competive as ever, so I'm guessing they will have something to draw buyers in. Usual disclaimers :-)

    Steve, Host
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    tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    Yep, that is true. The May rebate if there is one might be a better deal. But, a bird in hand is worth more than a bunch in the bush....
    TJ
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    tbonertboner Member Posts: 402
    when our biggest MPV problems are whether the rebates will continue into the next month.

    TB
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    That incentives will remain about the same:

    audia8q "Mazda MPV 2000+" Apr 29, 2003 8:50pm

    Of course, the real incentive for Mazda is to focus on desirable product.

    Steve, Host
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    tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    The Mazda web site is a great place to get information regarding your new MPV.
    http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayHomepage.action?

    Create an account for yourself.
    My MPV was due in May 1. It didn't show up and the dealer could not find it. I got on the web site sent an email with the VIN# and asked "Where is it". They promptly answered back that it was at the Oxnard Ca port facility having the hitch installed.
    It seems that when a car goes into the Port installation facility that there is an automatic 2 week delay. So the web site is an excellent way to get answers. When I told the dealer where my car was he was shocked and wanted to know how I got the information... I enjoyed that moment...
    TJ
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    lselmeklselmek Member Posts: 3
    I'm thinking about buying a MPV and test drove an ES yesterday. When we pulled over to change drivers we smelled a horrible sulphur smell. I also noticed the many threads on this subject, but didn't see a resolution. Does this problem go away? Hesitant to buy now.
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    tomj5tomj5 Member Posts: 209
    They only thing I have heard is to change gas brands. There seems to be regional issues as well due to the wacko enviros insisting on weird gas blends...
    I did not notice it on the demo I drove. My car will be in soon and then I will know one way or the other....
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    steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    1. What is reformulated gasoline?

    It is cleaner gasoline that will protect your health by reducing harmful vehicle emissions of ozone (smog)- forming compounds and air toxics. Reformulated gasoline produces 15-17% less pollution than conventional gasoline.

    Sounds pretty wacko to me.....

    To find out if your state requires reformulated gas (not to be confused with "winter" gas), here's a link.

    Steve, Host
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