Mazda MPV: Problems & Solutions

bill124

I don't know what state you live in but in New York we have a lemon law that, the last time I looked, permits a dealer 3 tries to fix a defect that substantially impairs the value of your vehicle. If he fails in 3 times, he is to buy it back. Of course, there is almost always debate as to what "substantially impairs" the value of a vehicle -- I think there is a strong case to be made that shaking and vibrating does substantially impair the value and, moreover, makes the vehicle unsafe. I guess my point is look at your state lemon law and see what your recourse is. I would certainly tell your dealer that if he doesn't resolve the defect, you will pursue any available remedies under your state lemon law. If it were NY, I'd tell the dealer he has 2 more chances left to fix the defect and if he can't, let him know he'll be buying it back from you at the price you paid.

If you must go to court/arbitration, it would be important to label this a "defect" and cite the other examples on this bulletin board. Get the vin and mfgr. dates. In situations like this, there truly is strength in numbers. Keep me posted.

I have a second front wheel drive car and was doing 90 this weekend without any shaking.

gfung

I have a silver ES and bumper paint peeling is certaintly not a good feeling. Many posts ago I mentioned that my rear bumper was badly wounded exposing the black bumper. Touching paint did help ... but not much. The silver touch up paint is a bit on the light side and the scratches are still noticeable.

I've been away for quite a while due to the birth of your second tax exemption (2nd girl). I was pleasently surprised to see the number of new members on these forums, not to mention all the reading just to catch up.

Just went over 1000 miles on the odometer. No problems thus far. Only a slight left lean when driving. Will post my gas mileage next time.

meera

Thanks! I was thinking about that yesterday actually. Thelemonlaw.com is a great website. It's 4 repair tries out here. It's at the other dealer in town today. If they don't figure it out we're going to contact Mazda. I'll keep everyone updated.

julyar

I can't believe the dealer giving you that line about vibration at high speeds. What a crock! I have had ours at 80-85 with no vibration at all (no HP officers here right?). The other day I even revved it up getting on the freeway, more our of curiousity that anything else, and no vibration or pulling even at 5500 rpm, a little bit engine noise with good reason, and good pickup too. I hope your van gets fixed up right. Good luck!

mr7

Well it looks as though I'm the unfortunate one who has had the first major problems with the MPV. After sitting in traffic, the van stalled and died on us. It could not be restarted and needed to be towed. Aside from pulling to the left (which the dealer told us was the result of a crooked steering wheel that they "fixed" and then needed to fix again), we've had no prior problems and have loved the van. It is an LX w/5000 miles on it. We're still not sure what the problem is, but will keep you posted!

mattk17

I seem to recall someone else mentioning a stalling problem some time back. Can't remember exactly what they found but it seemed it was a simple replacement of some electronic component. Maybe someone else remembers exectly what it was?

gordobr

I have a 2000MPV ES with about 600 miles on it. Today it would not shift out of park. I called mazda service and they had me short circuit a safety control in the steering column that lets you shift when the car is not started. I was able to get the car to the dealer so I do not know what the problem is yet. He originally thought that there was a problem with the brake lights which would short circuit the shift mechanism but the brake lights were working. Any ideas. Thanks

ricecooker405

hi my name is felix i had recendly bought a mazda mpv lx. i'm really love it. but the left side door has problems open ing it. you need to use all of your power to open it. i try everything (from oiling it to greasing it). i well be very thankful if anyone could help me.

felix

meera

We're going to take it for a real highway trip next month, but a quick drive at 75-85 mph had no side to side movement of the steering wheel. I can also tell the difference driving around town at slower speeds. This dealer had it two days. They looked everything over (rims, tires, suspension) and sent it to the alignment shop the first day. Alignment shop told them it was fine. When he test drove it he didn't agree and sent it back to them the next day. They did a 'high speed spin balance' I believe it was called. The other dealer never sent it to an alignment shop and obviously didn't have the right equipment for the type of alignment it needed. I am going to complain to Mazda about them. Thanks for all your support everyone!

meera

You should head straight to the dealer and make them fix it. Something is probably defective. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

ricecooker405

thank you should go do that

mattk17

We also have an lx and the left sliding door was harder to open than the right one when we bought it. It broke in after a few weeks and now opens as easily as the right side. Our kids have no problem opening/closing the sliding doors by themselves and we love our van.

bfelt1

Hi-

I wanted to add my experiences with the shaking/vibration that other people mentioned. I have an ES, 3000 miles. I recently (in the last 1000 miles?) noticed a persistent shaking/vibration SOMETIMES, between 40-70 mph. I thought it was the road surface, but on a roundtrip I found that the problem went away on the way home . . . I took it in to the Mazda dealer. They pointed out two slightly bent right side rims (on the inside edges). We have not hit anything, and the car had 12 miles on it when new- so I'm not clear this is the problem. They said the front seemed out of balance when they spun it, and recommended buying new rims. I am presently asking the dealer I bought it from to look at it and consider replacing the rims, as I am sure my wife and I did not damage them. However, this may not even be the real cause of the shaking. It isn't always there, and only appeared in the last month.

On other topics, I do not have the left-ward pull that others mentioned. I do have a chunk of paint out of my bumper ( I slide a box out) and was surprised at how easily the paint scuffed off.

Please let me know if anyone is able to get the vibration fixed . . . it is annoying whenever it appears!

thanks,
gnobber@utm.net

meera

The van was shaking today at 70 mph (yes, I was speeding on the freeway). So later I took it out on the highway where 75 is legal and sure enough the side to side moving steering wheel is back! It's not as bad as before, but I'm sure it will only get worse since it was gone after the spin balance last week. I think something must be wrong with the van for it to go out of balance again so quickly. I'm going to call Mazda tomorrow to discuss it because it has been in the shop three times for the same thing and it's still not fixed.

Bfelt- I can't believe they are saying you need to buy rims! If anything, they should be covered under warrenty. Another poster on the cruisers club has had the dealer replace his rims trying to fix the vibrating and it didn't work. What is the date of manufacture on your van? I'm trying to find a link between all the shaking vans. Mine is 7/99.

bfelt1

Meera-

my date of manufacture is 9/99.

The dealer showed me two flat spots on the inner edge (approx. 1/8" depression off of full round, flat spot was maybe 3" long)and claimed there had been impact. We definitely didn't hit anything. Curiously, the tire rubber in the area didn't show any markings- how could a rim get whacked if the tire didn't also show damage? Is the metallurgy such that the wheels are soft and tend to deflect?

lovethehonda

I am not a van owner. I am a Honda Accord owner trying to decide which van to buy. I just wanted to throw this out there for the person with the pulling-to-the-left problem. I purchased brand-new tires for my car last fall and immediately noticed it was pulling to one side. I thought it was my imagination. After all, my alignment seemed perfect before I got the tires (so I didn't think it could be that) and these were NEW tires. Finally, after putting up with it for awhile, I scheduled an alignement with the dealership. They told me that before I had that done, I should go back to the place I bought the tires and tell them about it. I took it back to the place I bought the tires. They rotated the front tires, I drove it, and it pulled the OTHER way, so they gave me two new front tires. They said that sometimes there's a defect in the tire that can cause pulling. The problem was immediately cured with the new tires. Thought this might be worth mentioning.

jeprox

Normally, when you replace tires - you should have your wheels aligned. Why? Coz' your old alignment were set for another brand of tires or size. Even if the brand is the same with the new tires, you still need to get it aligned coz' your tread are now thicker.

This is the normal practice when you install new tires. Don't assume that your alignment was ok before and with the new tires, it will be ok as well.

modiecast

I've been in the automotive business for 20 years and never heard of it being standard practice to do an alignment every time you get new tires. If that were the case, maybe you should do it every time you rotate the tires. Are you sure you don't work for an alignment shop or something? True, many times tires wear unevenly due to poor alignement and if you are replacing tires because of uneven wear it is advisable to get an alignment at the same time, but, if a car is properly aligned and you put the same size (not manufacturer) of tires on the car, no alignement should be required. Maybe a slick mechanic told you this line to get more $$$$ from you.

blondemom1

Just a thought. Instead of the manufacture date being the link, maybe the size and brand of tire on your van is the link. There could possibly have been a slightly defective batch. I have 16" Dunlops, and have had no pulling or shaking.

superbondo

Blondemom1, when is yours manufactured? Does anyone have the 16" tires and still have the pulling?
Modiecast, do you agree if it may be the tires to blame?
My plain vanilla LX with 15" non-alloy wheel date of manufacture is 9/99 and I also have the left pulling problem. I havn't noticed any shaking problem yet but havn't really paid attention to it either. I must say the pulling is pretty annoying as I don't like to steer at an angle to make it go straight. From a previous post someone mentioned he tested drove the 9/99 with the pulling problem and the 10/99 without it. Someone also mentioned Mazda has no fix for it yet. Why? I expect Mazda should come up with a fix since the ones they make later don't have the problem. But when I called the dealership the service manager said he did not know about the pulling problem.

julyar

I have, oops I mean my wife has, an ES with the 16" dunlops, manufactured 8/99. We have had no pulling or shaking of any sort. As far as alignment, I don't think you have to do it everytime you replace your tires, but you do have to balance the tires. I put one some new tires on my old car and it caused pulling to one side, and found out that there was possibly a bad tread in the tire itself, so tires by themselves can cause pulling. It is easy to test that, because when I put the front tires in the back and the back ones in the front, the pulling went away, a few thousand miles later I rotated again with the supposedly bad tires in the front, this time it did not pull, so maybe the tread that was causing the pull was worn out by then. I don't know if this all makes sense, but I just thought I would share what little I have experienced.

blondemom1

My van was manufactured in 7/99. You gave the size of your tires but not the manufacturer. Are they Dunlops or the Yoko-somethings?

vanfan2

I have an ES with 16" Dunlops and have the vibration problem also. The spin balance helped, but I'm beginning to think it's the tires.

branty

I have had my ES with 16" Dunlops since November and the van is as solid as a rock at any speed - no vibration, pulling, etc. (manuf. 09/99).

I went through 3 sets of tires on my previous MPV and NEVER had an alignment done in the 10 years I had the van. There was never any pulling or uneven wear. Alignments every time you get new tires sounds like a line to me.

modiecast

It sounds like the pulling problem may be a defective tire problem. Rotating them may help. On the vibration, I think that it could be a bent rim, bad rim (defective) or very out of balance tires. Nothing else really makes sense in a new car since there should be no worn parts. Unless something is loose or misaligned from manufacturing. Even so, that's unlikely. Good luck with it.

modiecast

It sounds like the pulling problem may be a defective tire problem. Rotating them may help. On the vibration, I think that it could be a bent rim, bad rim (defective) or very out of balance tires. Nothing else really makes sense in a new car since there should be no worn parts. Unless something is loose or misaligned from manufacturing. Even so, that's unlikely. Good luck with it.

bfelt1

I just talked to the service manager at the dealership today. He indicated some knowledge of the MPV vibration problem. Apparently some Dunlop tires have a "lateral runout" problem (would this be oscillation left and right as the tire spins?). This was from tread that was applied unevenly. At any rate, he apparently checked this on my van, and it was not there (although I do have Dunlops). He did do a rebalance. So far (after 1 day) the shaking has not come back . . .

drrocket

My '00 MPV ES (born 8/99) had a left-pulling problem since Day 1. Rotating the tires (16" Dunlops) cleared up most, if not all, of the pulling, but it has since recurred, though not as severely. The alignment has been checked 3 times, once by the dealership and twice by a contract specialty shop.

The brake pads and rotors have been replaced by the dealership in an attempt to eliminate the pulling, but to no avail. The contract specialty shop decided it was NOT a tire problem because switching the tires around [to opposite sides?] did not alter the van's behavior. They ultimately decided the '00 MPV is just extremely sensitive to road crown. I don't buy that entirely because I can be on a highway sloped to the right, yet my MPV will still tend to drift to the left if I let go of the steering wheel.

I thought the 16" Dunlop tires were suspect, however, I also experienced the drifting left while using a '00 MPV LX dealership loaner, and it had 15" Yokohamas. Interestingly, everyone with the pulling problem reports it as being to the left; I don't recall anyone reporting a chronic pulling to the right.

My dealership's service department does not know what else to try. Mazda's tech line has not acknowledged that the problem exists, let alone post a solution for it. If enough '00 MPV owners report this idiosyncrasy maybe Mazda's technical department (design engineers?) will figure out the root cause and issue a tech note about it.

meera

I agree with drrocket, if everyone here calls Mazda about vibrating or pulling to the left (my van seems to do both on ocassion!) maybe they'll notice a trend. I've called them and they just told me to take it back to the dealer who has access to the Mazda engineers if they can't solve the problem on their own. I haven't returned to the dealer again since the problem reappeared. It is not as bad as before, but it's definitely still there. I have 15 inch Dunlops with alloy wheels. Two dealers have said the tread is fine. I think there must be something odd that makes the van go out of alignment/balance or whatever so quickly. It was fine for a little over a week after the spin balance. I guess I'll call the dealer Monday. I'll mention "lateral runout", thanks for the tip.

Vanfan2, you said the spin balance helped, but you're beginning to think it's the tires- has your van started vibrating again?

Also, another poster on the cruisers with the vibrating problem has had the tires and rims all replaced and it still does it! Last I heard they still hadn't fixed his either.

mr7

Got my MPV back from the shop. It had stalled on the highway. Turns out it was a faulty ignition coil. Quick repair, but a major pain in the neck. My MPV is also pulling to the left. Like others, I've brought it to the dealer and they could find nothing wrong; although the first time they said that the steering wheel was installed crooked and they supposedly straightened it. It's still a problem though- the alignment is fine. Any solutions??

rrbhokies

Haven't posted in a while...

I reported several months ago about the pulling and vibration problem.

They did an alignment and the pulling seemed to stop, but it has since returned, although not too bad.

However, the vibration is absolutely terrible. At highway speeds above 65mph, the steering wheel shakes so badly, that after about 15 minutes, my fingers go numb. I kid you not!!!!!

The Mazda dealership will not help me because they say that they are not allowed to take the van above 65mph on the highway. The problem doesn't happen until closer to 70. They said it's a legal issue, since the speed limit is only 65mph (although most go about 80 around here!). Therefore, they will not help me.

For reference, my manufacture date is 7/99, I have an LX with the touring package which means 16" Dunlops on Alloy Wheels.

Based on all the responses so far, It seems that 7/99 and 8/99 have responded more often than anyone else about having this problem.

Could it be that there is a problem with a specific batch of tires or with a batch of rims???

I haven't rotated the tires, so I don't know what if anything that would do. What if I was to switch front to back tires???

Any thoughts as to what my next move should be? What is Mazda's number that I can call to complain?

pd10

I DON'T have the shaking/vibration/pulling problems on my LX w/touring pkg. (16"Dunlops w/alloys). But, since it looks like you guys are trying to find a "link"...just thought I'd tell you my manufacture date is 6/99.

Hope you find a solution to your problem soon!
You would think that unresolved vibration problems, as INTENSE as RRB describes, would qualify your vehicle for lemon law coverage. Sounds dangerous to me. Keep hounding Mazda!

crissman

My van also has a 6/99 manufacture date, Dunlops, 16 in. wheels, and no shaking or pulling.

nyclife

Hello,
This might sound like a dumb question but since things are always changing I'll ask anyway.. What's the best way to break in my new MPV? The old (not that Old) conventional wisdom said "Don't go over 55 mph for atleast 600 miles..." Any mechanic types have suggestions?

cmuniz

I have an ES manufactured on 8/99 with the 16" alloy wheels and Dunlop tires. Have experienced NO vibration or pulling to the left. Have driven it up to 80mph at times with no problem. Sounds like a tire to me. I understand these tires are relatively new in the market and may still be subject to some manufacturing problem. I may be mistaken, but tires are usually warranted by the tire manufacturer so a Dunlop dealer may be able to help - he may even be willing to drive the van over 65 mph to test the problem. Sounds to me like the dealer is trying to avoid getting involved. On another note, we have over 8,000 miles on the van and are getting consistently over 20 mph on mixed driving.

adamhut

I read an account in a different Mazda MPV discussion group relating to vibration and pulling (pulling mainly), in which tire pressure was a cause. The tire pressure is seemingly set to 51 psi (!!!) at the factory, and many dealers are not adjusting to proper pressure (about 35 psi, I suspect) before selling the vehicle. Anyway, FYI there are at least two people who claim their pulling problem disappeared when the tire pressure was properly set.

anonymous

Anyone of you out there having vibration noises comin' out of the second-row, right seat (guess that's where it comes from...) ?

Silver (...I guess...) Driver

crissman

I had similar noises from that direction that turned to be the shield around the spare tire vibrating. A little hand bending seemed to cure it.

gagp

Thanks Crissman but it definitively comes from that middle-row, right seat, since I had to remove it last night to go get a large wardrobe and, guess what ? No more noise...

VERY annoying ! Will have it fixed at the dealer.

My dad, who has a 1996 Ford Windstar (with 210 HP) drove it for the first time last night and found it quite powerful... He was REALLY surprised when I told him that this marvelous van had "only" 170 HP !

BTW, when I went at the gas station yesterday, someone aboard an Odyssey looked at my marvelous MPV pointing. Probably saying to the driver: "Look at that marvelous van ! Too bad we didn't even give it a try..."

Silver (The Marvelous) Driver

todd48

What would it take to turn this stock Duratec 2.5L engine into an SVT engine anyway? Can it be done and if so, where would I have it done and what would it cost?

tboner1965

The primary differences in the standard duratec and the SVT duratec are:

1) Compression Ratio, so you would need different pistons (10.25:1 v 9.7:1 for the standard) I don't know what this would cost

2) Different camshafts, about $1350 for parts alone. I think the individual cams are over $450 times four.

3) Different flywheel (you might live without this one.

4) Extrude Hone intake manifold. It looks like you could go with the upper only, ($140) as the lower manifold looks pretty smooth already.

5) Different throttle body. I think 66mm vs the stock 60mm. Although, I believe I've read that the later model duratec's use the larger 66mm version.

Probably not worth the cost, just find a totaled SVT (hit from behind, and buy the engine.)

Cheers,

TB

tboner1965

todd48

I meant to post #96 in Performance Enhancements! That really sounds like a lot--I had no idea it would involve so much. Thanks anyway!

otish

I have a beautiful red ES and yesterday I noticed that my driver side mirror was way 'out of whack' and would not adjust back into place. It just keeps making a clicking sound when I tried to adjust it - like it is stuck. I sure haven't messed with it and don't see any marks from someone else messing with it. I will have it looked at when I take it in for the emissions recall.

By the way, I have noticed no vibration or pulling to the left problems. I believe my van has a 9/99 manufacture date.

tboner1965

The mirror body is a "break away" design, so the whole mirror housing may be moved off it's normal position. You can fold the mirror all the way in towards the window. There is a detent that is engaged when the mirror is in the normal position.

I'd try that before bringing it up with the dealer.

kondo

I just read the posts in the topic MPV Models before 2000. I got a little nervous when I saw all the tranny probs listed.

Does anyone know if the 2000 MPV is the same tranny as older models? Like the 93's or the late 80's.

Does anyone that has read those posts have any comments about any of those complaints.

Being a new owner I almost wish I did not read all those posts.... but I would really like to hear Mazda has redesigned the tranny since those models.

chet7

The first generation MPV ('89 through '98) was a rear-drive vehicle, so the automatic transmission in the 2000 front-drive MPV is necessarily a very different design.

Mine is one of the posts you refer to. The tranny in my '89 MPV failed after 88K easy miles, at a cost of $2000. Mazda gave me the corporate shrug when I expressed my sincere disappointment. That's the bad news.

The good news is that, aside from that one black eye, our MPV has otherwise been a very good vehicle and we still really like it. It currently has 113K miles, has developed a few rattles and quirks now, but still runs and looks great. The integrity of the body and interior has been excellent.

My point is, I would not have any qualms about buying a new MPV, and would be no more concerned about the tranny in the new MPV than I would be about the tranny in any other new vehicle.

We bought a 2000 Odyssey last fall because our top priority was size--leg room and cargo room (we've outgrown our MPV). But, if the 2000 MPV had been as big as the 2000 Odyssey, I'm sure we'd have two MPVs in our garage now.

otish

Right after I posted about my driver's side mirror we figured out that it was exactly as described in post #102: the body had been moved and was not totally engaged. It works just fine now! I was in a hurry when I first noticed the problem and didn't check it out thoroughly, sorry guys!

kondo

Thanks so much for your quick response. Your explanation helps a lot!!!

zoew

We just picked up our new silver ES on May 6. The car was manufactured in Jan. 00. Is the bumper o.k.? The dealer didn't say anything about needing to bring the mpv back to get the bumper reinforced or anything. Should I just assume that it was done? Is there any way I can check by looking under the bumper or something? Would it be listed on some paperwork from the dealer if it was done?