Mazda5 Owners: Problems & Solutions

rcinmd

If you are referring to an "increase" in the rate of acceleration in that rpm range, most likely what you are sensing is that 3000 rpm or thereabouts is the engine speed at which the 2.3 "comes on the cam", or takes off, as it were. In my Tribute, which is set up for a bit more torque than when installed in the 5, that is the point at which the fun begins. Up till that rpm range, the engine is a bit soft or weak.

bfyerxa

I notice the same thing. It seems that when its cold the various timing stuff does not react properly until about 3000rpm when it snaps into shape. What I find annoying is that its quite sluggish at lower rpms while cold. Its fine after warming up for a couple of minutes. As long as it does not get worse we will just live with it.

nolanova

Several folks have reported an uneven response on the M5(it accelerates...almost stalls...finally picks up...sometimes with a 'clunk') in cold temperatures. I'm seriously considering buying an M5 to replace my current vehicle, which has the same problem (but in hot temps), so I'd like to know if this is more widespread than just a few cases, and if anyone has gotten a firm diagnosis/solution for it. :confuse: Thanks.

pixelizer

This problem appeared as soon as I got my car back from the warranty work.

This makes me think it's a computer problem.

bfyerxa

I hope it is just a software issue, i.e., weird/bad calibration at colder temps. My fear is that it is something in the variable intake/valve system that gets "gummy" in the cold and will get worse with time. A software problem will not get worse and can be fixed much more easily. I wonder if it is an engine mapping that has not been fully tested, i.e., the engine is tuned for more torque/less hp that what goes into the MZ3. I can live with it as is, but if it gets worse then I'll start to get worried.

mondiqui

Now that you mention it...I would say the car feels like that all the time (cold or hot); I just did not think it was important.

My guess is that this is the way the car has been built but I will mention it to the dealer on my first oil change for sure.

peacepunk

I've also noticed the M5 runs a little rough for the first few minutes when it's cold. But I've usually found most of my vehicles to have this problem to some degree. Being as impatient as I am, I usually don't let the engine warm. I just crank 'er up and go. On the occasion I've started the car and had to wait for my kids to get their butts ("hurry up, we're gonna be late for school!!") to the car I've found the extra few minutes of warm up takes care of the problem.

06mazda5

I recently purchased a touring edition with the pearl paint for my wife and she absolutely loves it. My only complaint with the 5 so far is the lack of armrest on the passenger seat. Is there any aftermarket solution to this problem?

vinnyfast

Funny you should mention that, because before I had my recall, I had a bad feeling about the computer being updated. Sure enough, when I got it back, that's when the problems started. I've gone back to the dealer a couple of times because of it, (great dealer, and great service advisor!), and based on my suggestion, they deleted all the updates to the computer, including the one for the recall. Well, almost immediately I noticed a difference, and the car hasn't had that sudden jerky incident once. I KNOW it was the software!!

hifive

The dealer FINALLY has my parts for the recall in. I have been driving around without the fix since September. Evidently they didn't think my car was worth fixing, they gave the parts designated for my car to someone whose car was sitting on the lot.

HiFive :mad:

frank4cars

I think the same thing would have hapened to me if I hadn't called a day or two after I saw everybody post that theirs were fixed. When I did get through, they told me they might have an extra kit lying around. :mad: I was like, you made me sign a pseudo waiver and asked me to be careful, told me you'd call as soon as the parts were in, and I HAD TO CALL YOU? And you were thinking about GIVING MY KIT AWAY TO SOMEBODY ELSE? I'm just happy to have it back. Still running fine and I'm lovin' every minute of it.

hifive

Yeah, very frustrating. Nothing bad happened, but wouldn't you think they would want us daredevils who were still driving the car to be the first ones fixed? Defies logic!

On another note, someone stopped me in a parking lot to ooh and ahh over my car. I didn't mention the recall, but I showed them all the features like a salesman, LOL. I should get a commission check! I do love my Five, would not trade it, except I would like a little better traction on the snow and ice. There was a very fine layer of snow on my driveway last night, and I had no traction at all.

HiFive :surprise:

rdrr

My Mazda 3 Sedan windows are tinted 35% all around, not windshield of course and it still doesn't help to cool the car with it's weak A/C. I think with the MZ3 it's the big black dash. I can feel the heat radiate off it and the A/C vents with its COOL air mixing with the hot and only having the hot air beating the COOL air. With an all black interior that I have they should have made a kick [non-permissible content removed] A/C unit. :mad:

rdrr

I had the same problem with my 05 Mazda 3. The blades would not clean properly for a new car. Very streaky, missed areas. There is a Mazda fix for the MZ3. Had my arms and blades changed under a TSB. Much better now.

rdrr

Not an owner of the MZ5 but have been following this thread since it started. I am sure a lot of you are sick of the subject. Just a thought. Mazda's said the reason for the fires was some drivers were driving in the manual mode in 2nd at a high speed for a long time. Well my Mazda 3 also has the same automatic with the manual mode and I believe the Mazda6. So it appears some Mazda 5 owners do not know how to drive with the automatic. Have not heard owners of the Mazda 3 and 6 cars going up in smoke if they were driving in manual mode in second at 60MPH. Is it the Mazda 3 and 6 owners know how to drive a Mazda automatic and the Mazda 5 owners don't......hummm don't think so. So why aren't the Mazda 3 and 6 recalled. To me it appears this is more of a engineering flaw and not driver error as Mazda has claimed. Come on driving in 2nd at 60MPH, the engine would be screaming and when you let your foot off the gas you would go through the windshield. Someone can't come up with a more believeable cause.
Don't get me wrong I do like my Mazda 3 and have to hand it to Mazda for the recall but I think I will be trading my 3 in after the 3 year warranty is up but will decide for sure when the time comes.

05 Sedan,GT,GFX,Automatic.

yugoboy

As of December 23, i am the proud owner of an M5 Stellar Silver auto (even though i swear it turn's to a hewish green in the nighttime).

Thanks for all the input, made the decision so much easier, I cant even believe i was considering a honda civic instead of the M5. I am the envy of all my friends and family they are amazed by the practicality of the vehicle but yet how sporty and compact it is at the same time.

No problems' to report 500km's in(knock on wood), even if this baby turned into a lemon(which it will not) i would buy another one in a heart beat.

The factory manual supplied for the M5 is a wealth of knowledge, i advise owner's when they have a chance to read it, would alleviate alot of the questions on the board.

jeff39

As posted earlier, A/C comes on whenever Auto is selected with the climate control. There doesn't seem to be a way to have the A/C off and still keep the climate control functioning on automatic. The manual is less than illuminating. Of course I don't want the compressor running all the time, especially during cold winter weather.
Does anyone have more information about what's going on? IS the compressor really running all the time, or is the light just on?
Also a related question... the manual mentions the A/C econo mode. I can see no indication that my vehicle has it.
Thanks for any help!

bobw3

You may have to wait until the outside temp is below 32F and then see if the A/C actually comes on at all. I don't have a Mazda5, but in my Freestyle the A/C also comes on when I put it in Auto mode, but when the outside temp is below 32F then the A/C doesn't come on in Auto mode. Also, in my Freestyle, even if the Auto mode I can press the A/C button to turn it on/off and it remains in the Auto mode.

jagphantomblue

Does anyone know how to delete the orange balloons? Not sure how they got there in the first place.

c3po

In the manual it states that the AC will not turn on below 0 degree. I pop open the hood, and I don't hear the AC compressor on. I can recall during the summer when the AC was on, it was louder under the hood. That AC light is very misleading.

c3po

Just wondering has anybody got their $500 cheque yet in the mail, that Mazda promise us. In Canada.

mondiqui

I live in Calgary and got my cheque like a month ago.

yzerman19

I spoke with Mazda Canada about this on Thursday. Their response was since we didn't take delivery of our vehicle before September 16 (uh, we ordered said vehicle on Aug 13, did not receive vehicle until Nov 22), we did not qualify for the $500. My response to them was, we couldn't get the vehicle earlier because it was uh...RECALLED and thus, we were affected by the recall. They don't seem to agree and I am now playing phone tag with Phil from Mazda Canada. Along with the fact that we can't use our vehicle as a family car because the sliding doors won't lock/close, we are not amused but nobody seems to care about thi. :mad:

c3po

That is not acceptable! I ordered my Mazda5 on Aug 29, which is later than you. But I did did not receive the vehicle until Nov 4. I used their rental car since Sept 24.
However, I got a letter from Mazda Canada, stating in 4-6 weeks I will be expecting $500 cheque in the mail. Still waiting. I will call them first thing Monday morning. Did you get a letter from Mazda. I heard numerous problems about the door not locking from you and others. I better get a rope or bungee cord on stand-by. This is a serious safety issue. Did anybody wash their vehicle prior to the problem.

yzerman19

That is very interesting. Thanks for the info.

No we did not receive a letter telling us we qualify for the $500 and I have a sneaking suspicion its because they've erased from their database when we actually ordered the car. Too bad I have a deposit receipt which states Aug 13... We too also took advantage of the rental car in the interim while waiting. Funny how we qualified for that but not for the money...

As for the locking door problem, it occured for us within 24 hours of having the vehicle. We took it in, it happened again and yes, after they washed it. At first it was only the passenger side but then the driver's side refused to close too so we consider it a serious safety issue as we have two young children. I'm not sure why they don't consider it a safety issue and really, although I know car doors often freeze, they tend not to open rather than the other way around.

broncos730

Has anybody ever tried to remove the annoying loud seat belt buzzer? Any idea where it's located or how to remove it?

jaman_ca

If you were making payments (or paid cash) on a car you did not have in your posession due to the recall, then you deserve the $500. If on the other hand you simply put a deposit down and had free car rental then I don't think you should get the $500.

The two cases are very different.

c3po

I don't think you could even have gotten a free car rental, just by putting a deposit down. It must have been a hefty deposit. Anyways, I agree simply putting a deposit does not qualify for the $500.

yzerman19

This quote applies to us I believe as we were somewhat affected waiting three months for our car.

>Mazda will be giving $500 cash to customers affected by >the recall and resetting the start date of their >warranties to December 1st, 2005

Oh well, nobody from Mazda Canada has bothered to get back to us anyways. That's great customer service :mad:

jaman_ca

This quote applies to us I believe as we were somewhat affected waiting three months for our car.

>Mazda will be giving $500 cash to customers affected by >the recall and resetting the start date of their >warranties to December 1st, 2005

So I assume that you only made a deposit on the car?

c3po

My dealer told me that I had to pay in full and complete all the paper work, (license and ownership of the vehicle) inorder to qualify for the rental car and if your vehicle was affected by the recall then you qualify for the $500.

qddave

I have a question. What exactly do you expect Mazda to do? When you call Mazda Customer Service, you're likely talking to a high school graduate who probably knows absolutely nothing, design-wise, about cars. His or her job is to answer the phone and record a complaint, direct you to another department, etc. It's not like they have a direct link to the engineering centers in Japan. You're expecting somehting fromt hem that is wayyyy out of the scope of their job. Of course they're going to send you to the dealer, they're not going to send you to Joe's Muffler Shop.

Futhermore, the dealers will not fix an issue they have not seen or know nothing about. Again, you expect the dealer to know everything the engineers and designers know. Do you honestly expect the dealer to know all of the various ways the sliding door latch can fail, what causes the latch to fail, and then know all the ways to fix it. Again, outside of the scope of their job. Their job is to fix issues for which solutions have already been developed, from Mazda Engineering. If a new problem arises, they're going to wait until Mazda tells them how to fix it. I'm not saying a dealer won't go out of his way to troubleshoot, but I bet if something were to go wrong from a non-approved fix, the dealer would have to pay out of his pocket to make the issue right. Mazda would not reimburse them.

This is only my opinion. I personally do not expect the dealer to know every in and out about every detail of every car. The best thing to do is work with the dealer to properly troubleshoot the issue. See if you can establish a pattern of when it happens. Only on cold days? What temperatures? Was it sitting in the sun? How much time passed between when the door worked and didn't? Maybe even go as far as taking a few notes about the weather and or what conditions the door experinced between working and not. Did you go to the carwash? Try recreating the problem at home. If the door is working fine and there's a few cold days coming up, try spraying water on the door, in the area of the latch. Maybe try spraying at a certain angle, if that doen't work try another angle. All this info can help the dealer and possibly create a more trusting relationship. I assume its very frustrating when a customer brings in a vehicle with an issue and the dealer cannot recreate the issue and tell the customer, "look, we can't fix what we can't see."

isda65

Hi,

Has anybody had any problems with their rain-sensing wipers going crazy all at once (fast wipe mode) when it is not even raining hard? I've noticed this happening several times now. Temp at those times were about 6-9 deg C. When this happens I had to turn it off and back again.

bob_welsh

Nope never happened to me. Rain sensors work great for rain. Poorly for Quebec winter conditions. When the middle of the winshield is defrosting and water is formed, the rain sensor can't pick it up, so I have to manually start it. Or when the dirty water (calcium, salt) fumes go on the windshield it won't start wipping. I wish it had a manual intermittent button.

Bob

isda65

Except for these occasions when this happened I'm quite happy with it. I just have a suspicion that the device can't handle cold weather as in the 6C downwards temperature. I don't have enough data to support it but I have noticed (or I could be imagining it or maybe the weather conditions may have changed) that warming/heating the windshield seems to make it return to normal. At any rate, I agree with you. With this problem, I kinda miss the manual intermittent mode.

isda65

Except for these occasions when this happened I'm quite happy with it. I just have a suspicion that the device can't handle cold weather as in the 6C downwards temperature. I don't have enough data to support it but I have noticed (or I could be imagining it or maybe the weather conditions may have changed) that warming/heating the windshield seems to make it return to normal. At any rate, I agree with you. With this problem, I kinda miss the manual intermittent mode.

isda65

Except for these occasions when this happened I'm quite happy with it. I just have a suspicion that the device can't handle cold weather as in the 6C downwards temperature. I don't have enough data to support it but I have noticed (or I could be imagining it or maybe the weather conditions may have changed) that warming/heating the windshield seems to make it return to normal. At any rate, I agree with you. With this problem, I kinda miss the manual intermittent mode.

isda65

Except for these occasions when this happened I'm quite happy with it. I just have a suspicion that the device can't handle cold weather as in the 6C downwards temperature. I don't have enough data to support it but I have noticed (or I could be imagining it or maybe the weather conditions may have changed) that warming/heating the windshield seems to make it return to normal. At any rate, I agree with you. With this problem, I kinda miss the manual intermittent mode.

coachdny

anyone have any problem with the second row seat belt (driver side or pass.) locking up? Whenever my daughter releases the seat belt and then goes to buckle up, it locks and its a real pain to get it to work...any help is appreciatied....thanks.

de4golf

If you decide to not let a Mazda dealer change your oil. Might be a good idea to buy an oil filter wrench for your favorite oil change technician to use. The owners manual for 5 suggests you have dealer change oil filter. I have found costs of wrench from about $2 to $25 without shipping costs included. The 5 has an oil filter that in inside a plastic/composite housing. If a technician uses anything other than a cup type wrench the housing could become stressed. Local dealer indicated that Jiffy Lube cracked the housing on a customer's car that ended up destroying an engine as the oil was lost through the crack. Most dealerships do not sell the tool, as they buy a complete set. Rosenthal in Arlington, Va sells one for about $ 10 to shipping. Wal Mart may have them under the Valvoline name for about $3. Make sure the size is 76mm with 14 flutes. Also be aware that a lower cowling needs to be removed or lowered in order to reach the filter. There are a couple of plastic connectors that look a little frail in the front, so be careful. There are about 7 bolts to remove if the cowling is taken down.

de4golf

Found the correct oil filter cap for about $5 at Advance auto Parts. Shouldn't have any problems now.

mazda5lover

Hi, I went to fill up my Windshield Washer fluid today. I noticed that the power steering reservoir is on LOW. I may be wrong, but isn't this supposed to not need a filling again until 30 to 40 thousand miles?

Any help/info/recommendations greatly appreciated.

David in Boston, MA

qddave

Actually, the power steering fluid should never need to be refilled. It's a closed system. There's two reasons why the level was low:

1. There's a leak somewhere in the system and you're losing fluid.

or

2. You checked the level when the fluid was cold (not at normal operating temp.) Like transmission fluid, power steering fluid will expand when heated. This is the most likely scenario.

Dave

mazda5lover

Thanks Dave for the info. I actually took it in to Mazda Dealer today. They found that it was a little low but they claim it could have come like that from the dealer. They did not find any leaks. They topped it off and let me go on my way.
Funny thing. I had taken it in for an OIL change twice before and they claimed to have checked it. Never filled it I guess.

David in Boston. :shades:

eagle14

I've had my Mazda5 Touring AT since late December. A rattle has developed that seems to be coming from the rear center of the dashboard. I can't tell if it's actually coming from inside the dash or from the other side of the firewall. It's most noticable at low speeds with light acceleration. Has anybody else experienced this, and if so, is there a fix? I saw a similar problem mentioned in the recent USA Today review of the Mazda5. Like me, the reviewer was unable to figure out exactly where the rattle was coming from. Thanks.

7red7

I had a buzzing kind of rattle eminating from the dashboard of my Mazda 5 as well while driving, and I could barely hear it unless the radio was completely turned off or at a really low volume...

Previously owning a Scion xB I'm used to cars rattling and making all sorts of buzzing noises, but not from my new car dammit!!!

The easiest thing to do is to place your hand over certain areas on the dash to find when the pressure makes the noise stop...It sounds crazy, but it will really help you isolate the area where the sound is coming from (especially if the sound is a buzzing sound from the dash)...

In my case, I found that the buzzing was coming from the dashboard/radio console light adjustment stick that is mounted next to the trip reset stick on the Oodometer...The sound I was hearing sounded like it was coming from the center of the dash...It's actually the plastic from the adjustment stick vibrating against the odometer's plastic shield it's resting on...I brought it into the local Mazda dealership here yesterday and they tightened the part and ended my buzzing...

Hope this helps you out

DAN in NorCal

jeff39

5 weeks ago I was unfortunately in a side impact accident with my mazda5. The good news is that noone was hurt. The Explorer that hit us did a lot of damage, but the passenger compartment remained basically intact.
The bad news is that I've now been waiting 5 weeks for the headliner/airbag assembly. I heard today that it is backordered again, until at least May 1st!
Has anyone else had similar frustration? My dealer says that he's tried all avenues.
Any ideas??
Thanks!

7red7

For those experiencing the hesitation when driving their cars I wanted to ask if you are the only driver or are there mulitple drivers of the vehicle??? The reason I ask is because with variable valve timing, the engine will adapt and respond to the way in which it is operated by the driver...

So say for example if your wife, brother, mother, etc drives it to work on a daily basis and you then get into it for a ride to the store and notice the hesitation in the acceleration - It could have to do with the fact that the computer hasn't adapted to to your way of operating the vehicle yet...Our engines are just like the new Toyota engines in that they incorporate a smart drive by wire system in automatic transmission engines for better response and performance...This system is also designed with the intention of adding a longer life to your engine...

After a period of 15 miles/minutes of constant driving the vehicle should return to the way you're accustomed to it operating and the problem will fix itself...

nifty56

Does the M5 have climate control? U.S models.

wuster

On the touring it comes with automatic climate controls. On the sport, it's the normal three knobs.