Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Mazda5 Owners: Problems & Solutions
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Anyone from CA got their cars back yet? Have you guys heard about this new NOV. 15 date?
I guess I am somewhat behind in that line since I was going to pick it up on 9/17th, and they held on to it because it is recalled (I paid them though :-(, in order to get the mazda3 rental)
The business manager says all cars are probably going to be done by first week of november. Then again, what the hell does he know?
I wonder how Mazda is sending out the parts, are they feeding all dealers piece meal? rather than shipping parts to one dealer at a time, do they throw darts at a board to see who gets the next 2 kits? :-)
As to the handling of the recall. As far as I could see, Mazda did not follow a single advice they teach people in the MBA programm. Very poor managements from mazda USA, bad management at the dealership makes is double dissapointment.
Also, stop comparing Mazda to Ford. Ford has very bad reputation. Try to run it against Honda. I had owned 4 of them with 2 minor recalls and you should see how they handled it. It should be in the book.
Mazda could make my life and life of others very easy by creating a dedicated WEB page for Mazda5 recall, by giving each owner a tracking number, which they could run against some trucking system and see, when to receive a car.
And finaly, Mazda was not supposed to follow the American obesity way and drop a 2.3 engine in place of 2.0 car was desined for without changing a muffler. Last month I drove a 2.0 in D-land and it felt even faster then ours 2.3.
By the way, Europian complain about clicking noise in the swing door area....Another possible recall....for...bad welds?...
This is all very specific. I'm not compalining, I'm advicing.
I still don't understand why this is taking so long and why some of us could be waiting up to a month longer than other existing customers, and could still be waiting longer than some dealership's lot vehicles.
I'm not mad at my dealership, but I am frustrated by Mazda. I don't expect life to be fair, but this is ridiculous.
Besides, I'm sick of driving this 6. It arrived with globs of jelly all over the interior. The brakes squeal. It was dirty as all heck. The steering and suspension are terribly loose. Enterprise told me "well, not our responsibility, it must have been overlooked. Too bad. We'll give you up to TEN dollars to pay for detailing." I called Mazda after that and they convinced Enterprise to come and get the car and get it detailed. At least Mazda thought the globs of jelly were gross. (I'm suspicious of this car. It has an expired "village of" sticker on the windshield even.) I want my car back. I miss my 5. My dogs miss my 5.
I hope so. I really really do.
I knew they had other things on their plate. Holidays always cause disruptions in production, as people tend to think about things other than work. Probably a bunch of killer parties this weekend.
According to the work order, the recall was for a main silencer replacement, they replaced the Helmut (whatever that is) and there was a silencer kit and two heat insulating kits. Labor states they installed the recall parts and reflashed the PCM.
No noticeable change from what I remember of the car some 6 weeks ago I dropped it off Sept 16..
Yesterday my dealer received parts for 6 of 7 vehicles sold and was getting them back to their owners today. The ticket indicates a main silencer replacement, a heat insulator, and reprogramming of the powertrain control module.
Now I am just looking forward to getting that $500 check.
I love this car-a great companion to my Protege5!
Too late as dealers are closed on week-end (that's in Montreal, Canada). Will be really curious to see (next Monday or Tuesday) if the car rides as nice as the memory I got from it some weeks ago... I guess that the reflashed PCM is probably the more impacting change, if any.
Anyway, I'm somewhat glad that you did not notice any change in the car behavior!
Whether it's for buyers remorse or fear of future problems or some other reason, some of you have decided to take Mazda to task on this and that is certainly your prerogative. I'm not trying to change your minds, just trying to explain why I (and I assume others) might be questioning all of these lemon law actions. I can't see how anybody will actually come out even, let alone ahead, when all is said and done. At any rate, here are some of my thoughts on some of the issues that have been brought up regarding this recall.
I think Mazda did a standup job by being proactive when they heard about a potential problem. With this being a new model, there were probably thousands of things they needed to look at to identify the cause of the three reported fires. Mazda decided to play it safe and recall all of the vehicles until the cause of the problem and a fix could be found.
All three fires occured within the first 100 miles of operation, telling me that these drivers were just learning about their new vehicles and hadn't read the manual or had the features explained to them adequately. Although the programming on the transmission did not disallow this kind of prolongued high RPM driving, it's hard for me to imagine a company being able to anticipate such driver abuse. Manual transmissions do not seem to have any such safeguards. What some see as a design flaw or something Mazda overlooked, appears to me to be an attempt to give drivers what many enthusiasts were demanding; true manual control of the automatic transmission when needed.
The information we received on this board was a lot faster than the postal service but Mazda did send notices even before the official NHTSA recall. Once the remedy was identified Mazda sent another notice identifying a date that parts would ship. A third letter was sent promising an additional $500 in compensation for the trouble this has caused owners.
Some people have already received their retrofitted 5s back from the dealer. Most others will probably be fixed in the next couple of weeks. Others (mine included) were either never turned in or were picked up weeks ago when the problem had been identified as driver error causing an excessive heat buildup. True, those who decided to leave their vehicles at the shop the whole time were justified in protecting themselves against a potentially deadly fire, but Mazda didn't take the vehicle away. There was no mechanical problem that was keeping the 5s from running and being driven. It's not as if Mazda had tried to fix the problem and failed and the vehicle had to be returned to attempt another fix. My belief about the lemon law is that it is there to give the dealer a reasonable amount of tries (or time) to fix a problem. This was a complex diagnosis and fix for an all-new model and it therefore required a lot of time to implement.
Mazda authorized loaners for all affected owners. They provided dealers with the authorization to have other Mazda models available as loaners (however poorly some individual dealers handled this). Complaining about the loaners seems a bit disingenuous at best. The loaners might not have been Mazda 5s, but Mazda encouraged dealers to provide whatever vehicle the customer felt met their needs best. Those complaining about poor mileage in their MPVs could have chosen a 3 or 6 instead. Those who complained about the lack of space in their 3s could have gone for the MPV. What vehicle would you have purchased had the 5 not been available? Would that have met all of your needs the way the 5 did? I know a lot of dealerships that don't provide ANY service loaners when a car is in for service.
For those who are complaining about being without the car they were making payments on (or who had paid for in full already), any car that goes into the shop has the same problem. Would you be justified in demanding a week's worth of payments back? A day's? An hour's? I understand that we had just purchased a new car, were generally excited about it, and it was now taken away from us, but while we were making payments on our 5 we weren't putting any miles on it and we were driving loaners for free.
From what I've seen here about a dozen people have decided to cut their losses and attempt a lemon law buyback from Mazda. That's a fairly small percentage of the 5 owners here and I am guessing for Mazda5 owners overall it will be a similarly small percentage. I don't know if those vehicles will be ineligible for future resale or if they will have to have some documentation attached before they are sold again, but it appears that a savvy buyer could get a REAL bargain on a vehicle that should be perfectly safe once the exhaust is fixed.
For those that have chosen to file a lemon law action, I truly wish you the best. I think I'm just a little sad to see so many people "giving up on" such a fun and exciting, and truly unique automobile. For those that are keeping their 5s, let's hope the fixes are finished soon and that no other problems pop up any time soon. Peace.
Under the circumstances, I feel Mazda has handled the situation quite satisfactory given their no win situation. If it means that I'm inconvenienced for a month or so, I can live with it - better to err on the side of caution than to do nothing.
Let's face it the vehicle is unique, that's why we purchased it...we wanted the handling, utility and gas mileage of a smaller vehicle while not sacrificing passenger space and comfort (and we did not want to be seen driving a mini van)- we got all this a price that is extremely competitive...Believe me, after driving a $28,000 Pontiac rental for a month I was more than happy to be reunited with the Mazda.
I understand the frustration concerning the long wait and lemon law proceedings, but at present there's not a vehicle in this price range that can top the Mazda - anyone that's been driving a rental for the last month will surely agree.
First, Mazda did screw up, when it placed a defective vehicle on the market. The “tiptronik”(i.e.Auto-manual) is not the source of the problem. The problem is very poor adaptation of the car to the American market and to the only 4 cyl engine certified for the USA:2.3 liter. The rest of the world is happy with 2.0 and the muffler and heat shield are carried over from that engine, that is why they did not issue a recall on Euro 5s.
Second, Mazda screw up the second time, when they promised to fix all the vehicles by the end of the October. It is now more then 45 days past due.
Just imagine you being late 45 days for your Mazda 5 payment and how “happy” they will be to wait another a COPLE OF WHEEKS TO get your payment. How long will they wait to call a REPO company??? This is the same thing. I did not drive my car for 45 days now, and I want Mazda to be very careful with dates they promise, and pay, when then can not keep their word.
I’m not filing a Lemon for now, but very upset and disappointed with Mazda USA management. I thought Mazda would be able to show the best example to Ford company of how to develop and market new cars. I was wrong. It is Ford, with their poor quality and reputation, who drags Mazda into a pile of junk. Volvo is on the same page. Their cars are getting terrible since Ford bought Volvo...
Thanks for reading
opinion oh never mind. :lemon:
I agree with you, I bought the car for dependable family transportation. I traded in a Nissan Pickup because I did not like having to come home and change vehicles whenever I need to pick up both of my teenagers. I usually hold on to vehicles 10 years or more and expect to do this with my Mazda5.
As to your smelly 6 that seems like a dealer issue. I looked at the 6 wagon and decided there were issues with the 6 cylinder motor I did not like and passed on it. I also felt it was too high priced for the vehicle. I wanted a mini van but they are not "mini" anymore. My dealer is a Toyota/Mazda Dealer, at first they offered a Mazda 3 or Camry, I explained I needed more space they offered a MPV or a Sienna, I liked the Sienna better and drove it for 6 weeks. Also according to posts in this forum, after the problem was determined, people were getting their cars back to drive while waiting, if they chose to do so.
I have been driving Asian imports for over 30 years and this is my first recall on an import. My 1992 Jeep Wrangler, has had 5 or 6 recalls (Wiring harness, starter, muffler, fuel tank). So this is no big deal, protecting the operator against themselves. When you purchase a vehicle in the first year of production, there is a risk of recall, this is my first Mazda and while it is unfortunate that it happened, this sometimes happens with new vehicles. I just could not find anything else with smaller size, fuel efficiency and cost that competes with the Mazda 5. No, I did not work on the computer system for Mazda, however I did help implement production line system upgrades at Honda in Ohio a few years back.
I understand people see things through different viewpoints. Lemon laws exist for those who have unresolvable issues. I believe that anyone, who has gone through this recall, has the right to envolk the Lemon Laws according to their state laws. And encourage them to do so if they chose. I personally do not think it is warrented in my case, but if you or any one else does by all means go for it. My local dealer had 6 - Mazda5s in for recall and one person used Florida Lemon Law. All have been repaired and returned, I do not understand the two kits per week that has been mentioned but that is anther issue. I talked with the Mazda sales manager periodically to keep up to date (he was more helpful than the service manager). He understood it was the persons right and even helped them fill out the paperwork. I think they ended up buying a Scion xB from him.
This is what warranties are for. To correct the inevitable, unavoidable and you can count on 'em defects that any product made by humans and their robot friends produce.
An automaker's highest (and most realistic) goal is to stand behind their products, not promise perfection.
If you are looking for perfection you will be eternally disappointed with any car you buy I'm afraid.
If we go by when the official recall letter arrived, some vehicles were already fixed and many apparently, will be fixed within a couple of weeks. Still not a day, but not a few months. Since the original notices were sent by Mazda, some people chose to bring their 5s in. Choosing to err on the side of caution, feeling the potential fire was too big a risk to take with their safety, but you had the option of going and getting your 5 at any time.
As for the car sitting outside during this process, that is exactly why I went and got mine back after a couple of weeks. And many owners don't have garages or even carports to protect their vehicles from the weather, so the dealer lot isn't necessarily worse. Of course this is a bit of an illusion as the vehicles had already sat outside the Mazda factory, had been transported across the ocean, had sat in a distribution lot, and had sat on the dealer lot for up to two months.
Finally, you have persisted in describing this as a defect that Mazda overlooked or in saying that Mazda sold you a vehicle that wasn't properly engineered. I don't know that I will ever be able to convince you otherwise (and I don't even know why I'm bothering to try after you called me an idiot ), but this was a flaw that wasn't discovered until a couple of individuals drove their vehicles in an exceptional and understandably unpredictable way in my mind. Again I can only refer to the fact that manual transmission cars have been sold for decades without requiring any safeguards against sustained high-RPM operation.
Responding to my earlier post you said : "I can not stand the manual mode in this automobile but my wife has to drive an automatic so I was stuck. I also know that it can get knocked out of auto into the manual mode very easy and if you haven't noticed it, the engine will race and it will get hot. Poor design yes. Why put this type of transmission in vehicle in the first place? People either buy manual or auto transmisions I guess it's a fad. The Mazda 5 is not a race car it is a family car it is not fast it is a 4 cylinder economical automobile. That is why I bought it. No other reason. It doesn't zoom zoom its a van! It's a soccer Mom's van that gets good gas mileage. That is it, no more no less."
Manual shifting automatics have been on the market for years and they represent the best of both worlds for many drivers. This same transmission has been in use on other Mazdas for years and has not resulted in any similar problems. If it is knocked into manual mode, most owners would probably notice that the car wasn't upshifting when necessary and would probably slow down or stop when they heard the engine racing. Three people apparently didn't notice and continued on driving this way. That is driver ignorance or abuse, not a design flaw.
I don't see this transmission as a performance oriented option but as a vehicle control feature. On grades or when traction is an issue, gear selection may be desirable. Some people like yourself see this vehicle as a minivan and think this transmission is out of place (I assume you don't understand why a stick would be offered at all then). For myself, and I assume others, this is not a minivan and that's what makes it unique. I see it as the biggest economy wagon I can buy. I like the sporty handling (thanks in part to high-performance, low-profile 17 inch tires) and the brisk acceleration this vehicle offers compared to the performance I would have had if I had gone with a minivan or SUV. Like it or not, it does zoom-zoom compared to most vehicles out there that even come close to being competition for the 5.
Anyways, I want to repeat that I'm truly sorry you are having such a painful experience with your 5. I wish you the best in getting your money back. Everybody has different reactions to people and events. I just felt I needed to clarify some of the points from your last resonse and try to explain why your hostility towards Mazda and other townhall members seems out of place. This will be the last thing I say about the issue. E-mail me if you want to discuss it further.
I want Mazda to read this forum and understand true values and run like a German Trains-On TIME up to a second. No stupid excuses, no meaningless dates they could not keep.
I have heard some people in FL are getting their 5s back. Here, in Ohio, not a single vehicle was released. I call 20 dealers from Indiana border to Pa Border and no one has a single kit.
I assume FL and TX get their kits first or our government will try to find some Arms of Mass Destruction in Japan. They are scared of Bush boys .What about swing State? We were also red.
Cheers
By the way, Mazda has to be driven gently for the first 600 miles for a break-in. No high revs, no constant speed for long time, no fires....Why not to put a lower RPM limiter for an Auto Tranny for the first 600 miles? This would have taken care of the recall problem. 3 fires happened in the break-in period, when their cars were supposed to be used gently. Why not to read a manual??? Why not to explain it at the dealership about a break-in...?
I assume they know about a break-in at the dealership and will not screw my engine, especially at 150 miles I have on it.
First of all, I'm a he, not a she
I still haven't resolved this. In the meantime, I've done 2 things:
(1) My insurance company is fixing the car. I've been informed by some reliable sources that having my insurance company fix the car doesn't preclude any future legal settlement. So at least this way the car'll get fixed and I'll have something to drive, and I can still pursue other means of getting reimbursed for my losses.
(2) I've also contacted the State of New Jersey's Division of Banking and Insurance Consumer Protection division, and they're reviewing the dealer's insurance claim. Hopefully the agency will decide that the dealer's insurance company needs to pay up *keeping my fingers crossed*
Steve