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Mazda MPV: Problems & Solutions

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  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    It's hard for me to give you an accurate answer without actually seeing things...
    Generally they must take everything apart to determin if anything has been damaged. Visual inspections can sometimes miss things... As you can see the bumper area is filled with alot of stuff...a reputable bodyshop should be able to take care of you. Does your mazda dealer have a body shop??
  • owr084owr084 Member Posts: 46
    Just took it in to the dealer's body shop for an estimate. Initial estimate is to just plastic weld/heat the bumper to remove the scratches and then paint it again. Approximately $450. They won't know about the bumper until the cover is removed. But, it is unlikely to be damaged since the impact was only 2 or 3 mph.

    I guess I'm dating myself when I say that I remember when a real bumper was made out of heavy steel and had a chrome finish... That Mazda bumper is something else...

    RBB
  • alces_alcesalces_alces Member Posts: 1
    I just got my new 2002 MPV one week ago today. And already I had the flashing O/D light. When I tried to press the button to see if that might reset it, I pushed the shifter in place unexpectedly, and the light stopped. I post this to further validate the assertion that the automatic shifter does not seem to have a precise enough feel to it, and to pose the question: Why does the circumstantial evidence above indicate that it happens more often when the van is new?
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    After you are aware of that quirk, you tend not to do it again.
  • caw103caw103 Member Posts: 63
    I myself am not used to a shifter behind the wheel and tend to pull the stalk towards me as well as down. I've gotten the blinking light and noticed the car is in drive but the stalk is not in the indent. Blinking goes away when I move the shifter towards the dash into the indent.
  • syz_seattlesyz_seattle Member Posts: 3
    (Moving this thread from "MPV 2000+" to "MPV Problems" ......)

    My new 2002 MPV (just bought in September) had a complete transmission failure last weekend while driving on an uphill road. The dealer told me that the transmission needs to be replaced. The van only has 600 miles on the clock! I hope this doesn't represent the overall quality of Mazda MPVs. Has any one here experienced a transmission failure in a new MPV?
  • billmckinleybillmckinley Member Posts: 167
    Over the last three years of the model run, since the 2000 year, there have been one or two stories of serious transmission problems. For the most part, though, the story of this generation MPV has been its reliability. And that goes for the transmission, as well. Some of the early models have over 50, 000 miles now, with no sign of tansmission trouble.
    But I sure sympathize with you. Losing your transmission at 600 miles is a total bummer. But take heart. Once a new one is in, it should be good for the life of the car.

    RJ
  • q86q86 Member Posts: 1
    We've had our 2002 MVP for 3 months and are now experiencing a lot of hesitation in 1st gear and some jerking. What happened to the zoom-zoom of month #1? We did take it on a vacation where we drove it up and down many mountains, but that shouldn't make a difference in a brand new van! We have an appointment at the dealer, what should we expect - what could the problem be?
  • billmckinleybillmckinley Member Posts: 167
    If you find out what is wrong, please let me know. My 2001 is doing the same thing, and it's driving me nuts. I was thinking of trading on an 02 or 03 next spring, just to get the 5-speed and get rid of the hesitation and jerking, but if yours is doing it, that depresses me.

    RJ
  • tccmn1tccmn1 Member Posts: 278
    Oh-Oh...this is the first of this problem I've heard on the MPV. It's been pretty clean so far.
    I am also looking at buying an 03 LX and getting the extended warranty thru Mazda since I keep my cars for 7 years or so. Please keep us informed about this issue. I owned a DC for 7 years and Chrysler stood behind replacing that tranny once at 90K miles...so I would hope Mazda would do the same. Good luck and keep posting on results.
  • javadocjavadoc Member Posts: 1,167
    This is a total stab in the dark, but it may be a programming function w/the tranny. I believe the tranmsission is an adaptive type, so maybe it's just confused on what you want. I agree tho, contact your dealer to figure it out.
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    The Trans control module has had some issues with a tiny number of units. Mazda has a new flash kit to reprogram the module with trannies that are acting up. It's not really a tranny problem but a programming problem that shows up as a tranny issue.
    This is by no way a major problem and does not affect alot of MPV's. Just great heads up behalf of mazda's engineering department.
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    Tom,

    Your profile states your shopping for a 02 Highlander?
    Where did the 03 LX come into play? Just an old profile? That must be it, right?

    Mark. ; )
  • daddioof4daddioof4 Member Posts: 50
    I just got a postcard in the mail from the dealer that does my service on the MPV. It is a notice to "Reprogram transmission computer". It is a form postcard and the word recall is scratched out. I am not having any problems with the van. Does anyone know what this is about? We have a 2000 MPV, purchased the Saturday after Thanksgiving 00. In 22 months we have put on 49,000 trouble free miles. Have also achieved 26-27mpg on vacations. Have 4 kids and a dog and room and power is sufficient. My wife drives it mostly, did notice that first drive of the day, when pulling out, it seems as though the accelerator is almost stuck and there is a lag from when you step on it until it starts to move and then it takes off. Then I stop at the end of the street. Start to go again and it is more fluid. Not a big problem, brother in-law says the same thing happens with his brand new accord. I am thinking wifiepoo spilled a coke on the mechanism and it takes a couple of pushes to loosen up the gunk. Any thoughts?
  • crissmancrissman Member Posts: 145
    I've noticed recently the same problem with the go pedal(2000 MPV, 48,000). Haven't tried anything other than a quick spray of ole WD. No improvement. I hope to give it a closer look this weekend. Been trying to remember to pump the pedal a few times before startup. It does seem to be nothing more than a lubrication issue.
  • tccmn1tccmn1 Member Posts: 278
    Yep, I forgot about that old profile...thanks.
    I'm looking at the 03 now...time flies by and I dragged my feet on making the plunge.
  • pawniepawnie Member Posts: 11
    I can't take it any more. I have 37,000 on my 2000 EX. It seems within the last 6 months I get a serious hesitation starting out in the morning and the transmission between 1st and 2nd jerks us to death. I am scheduling an appointment with the local dealer to see if they can resolve these issues. I see from previous post, I am not the only one experiencing these problems. However, I can't continue to drive a vehicle like this. The wife and kids love the van, I used to.
  • raprietoraprieto Member Posts: 2
    Smell
    I was using Shell silver since I got the van for three months and the exhaust smell so bad that I started to search for news group for my Mazda MPV ES 2002 to see if anybody has the same problem and if there is a recall on this so I found this... so I read something here to try other brand so I tried Sunoco and the smell was gone right away...
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    Why did you wait this long to see your dealer? From the appearance you are still in warranty.
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    Thanks for the testimony. We have been looking for something this concrete for a while...it is nice to see that the bad rap the MPV was getting from the few with a problem is not related to bad converters.

    Now, if as consumers, we could find out what is in the gas that we need to avoid, we wouldn't have to spend our time trying umpteen different brands... any ideas from others?
  • billmckinleybillmckinley Member Posts: 167
    Sorry guys, Sunoco's not the entire answer. I too changed to Sunoco a while back and thought it got rid of the smell. Wrong. It's back again, piquant as ever! (I love the smell of H2SO4 in the morning!) Oh well, back to the old drawing board. Please pass the clothespin.

    R (Ol' Stinkyvan) J.
  • maltbmaltb Member Posts: 3,572
    formulations can vary by region so what's smelly for the goose may not be for the gander.
  • alexv1nalexv1n Member Posts: 248
    I hope you don't drink H2SO4 in the morning :) However the smell comes from H2S.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    Hi all,

    Our 2000 LX has recently developed an intermittent humming/buzzing sound from the the front somewhere. It only happens in the morning (cold start)and then doesn't reappear for the rest of the day.

    At first I thought it might have something to do with the front windshield defroster being turned on (thought it might be the compressor) - but that theory didn't pan out as it happened yesterday with the defroster off.

    Anyone have any ideas? I'm making an appointment with the dealer, but would like something more to say than, "It's making a strange sound from the front."

    Thanks!!

    Mike
  • alexv1nalexv1n Member Posts: 248
    Mike,

    I think I have a smiliar noise in our 00 LX. It also happens in the morning and I seem to narrowed it down to the power steering pump. It seems to happen after I start turning the steering wheel and then continues for 5-10 seconds. However I'm not 100% positive that it is the source. It seems to happen more frequently when I turn AND apply brakes slightly. But as you said, it only happens during the first several minutes after the car is started in the morning and quite difficult to reproduce reliably.

    If you want more info on my kind of problem, you can find it in my posting here

    Please let me know what the dealer tells you if anything...
  • crissmancrissman Member Posts: 145
    Our 2000 LX with 49,000 miles also has resumed making this noise. I first noticed it last winter, but did nothing about it as it ceased when the vehicle or the weather warmed up. Just noticed it again while starting out a couple days ago on a 45-50 degree morning. It does seem to be related to the steering pump. Curious, but I'll probably let it slide until it moans constantly.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    For the swift replies. I'll check the level in the power steering pump and definitely mention it to a dealer.

    Made an appointment for Thursday, Oct 31st (BOO!) with a new Mazda dealer very close to home. They claim (in their ads) to be THE LARGEST EXCLUSIVE MAZDA DEALER IN THE COUNTRY! with THE LARGEST EXCLUSIVE MAZDA SERVICE CENTER.

    Called to make an appointment, got the service manager's voice mail, left a message and within 10 minutes he called back.

    I'm crossing my fingers.

    Mike
  • billmckinleybillmckinley Member Posts: 167
    Do you suppose confusing H2SO4 and H2S is one of the things that accounted for my D- in Chemistry class in college? It sure accounted for my taking up Liberal Arts for my degrees.

    ;>

    RJ

    PS I don't drink H2SO4, but there are a lot of mornings when I feel I could spit it at my students.
  • dszkldszkl Member Posts: 6
    I looked through the old messages, but this forum is so large, I didnt see much about this problem. My van has a horrible sulfer smell. The dealer keeps saying keep driving it and change gas station and it will go away. Now, I am at 3,000 miles and the smell wont go away. First, could this be a sign of engine problems? And, if the dealer says there is nothing they can do, what do I do? Thanks for any help, David
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    There are, unfortunately, too many posts about the smell. Some people report success switching brands of gas; others get help from the dealer.

    If you click on Advanced Search in the left sidebar and then search for "smell" in the message body text in the current discussion (i.e., this one), you'll get a bunch of hits that you can browse.

    good luck!

    Steve, Host
  • canielcaniel Member Posts: 28
    Our 2000 lx made this strange buzzing/humming noise also. The dealer was familiar with what it was and they did replace a part. Unfortunately, for this purpose, we have moved on to a 2002 lx and I can't for the life of me recall what the part was. Hopefully your dealer will know what it is and they'll replace it under warranty - as they did for us. I don't even have the records anymore, so I can't even check. If you continue to be unable to figure it out, let me know and I'll contact my dealer and see if I can reconstruct the information by looking into their archives about work done on our 2000. Best wishes.
  • raprietoraprieto Member Posts: 2
    #2137 Bobaran Aug 06, 2002 (01:24 pm)

    Can you tell us what brand of gas did you use so for some of us can try so we can find out which gas is better for the 2002 MPV.
    For me I was using Shell silver on Mazda MPV ES 2002 with 6,000+km it smelled bad and switch to Sunoco smell went away. let's put some more detail so we can find a fix so far 2 weeks since change still no bad smell. Thanks to all

    Last Posting #2269 of 2283 Smell by raprieto Oct 21, 2002 (09:58 pm)
  • mazda_guymazda_guy Member Posts: 183
    I think this is a problem with MPV and not with the gas. On my ES 02 I was having the same problem with bad smell like other owners. Initially, (first 600 miles) was really bad. Then it went away. Now, I made almost 10,000 miles and I used all kind of gas in US and Canada. Sunoco seems to be the best. But, nevertheless, from time to time I can get a sniff of HS2 but never inside the van anymore. I have to emphasize that I use the same gas on my 2001, Acura TL. I used the same gas on 1999 VW Passat and I have never experienced H2S wonderful scent. Mazda engineers should design their cars so they run fine on most fuels not just selected ones.

    Overall the van is excellent. Superior handling, comfort, and performance. Only problem so far I have had is leaking fog light - replaced under warranty.

    MB

  • bsvollerbsvoller Member Posts: 528
    I wonder if the answer to this mystery doesn't lie in the emissions system - and the solution Mazda took with the Ford Duratec to reach their power goals and still make the emission standards. (As I understand it, Mazda modified the intake and exhaust systems to make more power sooner than Ford's version does.)

    It does seem odd that so many folks have this problem, and that very few have encountered it on previously owned vehicles.

    It's clearly an intermittent problem for most, once the initial break period is over. This leads me to wonder if specific environmental factors (air temp, humidity, air pressure, driving style at the moment, what-do-I-know...), in conjuction with certain gasoline/additive mixtures don't combine to produce noticeably higher amounts of H2S, at least momentarily.

    Is H2S one of the compounds targeted by emissions standards ? Could this be considered a temporary breakdown of the emissions system ? Or is it actually a "desirable" result from the standpoint of emissions (i.e. the H2S is produced when something worse gets broken down) ?

    -brianV
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    Thanks for responding.

    I have an appointment with a dealer (not the one I purchased from, a new Mazda dealer much closer to home) this Thursday. If you can remember anything before then, please post.

    Right now I'm going in saying it's a humming noise coming from the front usually occurring within 10 minutes after a cold morning start.

    I hope they can find it the first time.

    I'm also due for an oil change and have a free oil change coupon for the same dealership, but I'm not going to ask them to change the oil. Just want them to concentrate on the noise.

    Mike
  • gampagampa Member Posts: 78
    I wonder if the sulfer smell has to do with the catalytic converter... several years ago... in the 70's... when Chevrolet came out with the Chevette... I once drove in a car that had the same, similiar smell... I am curious if this could be the problem?

    Gampa.
  • tbonertboner Member Posts: 402
    I realized why it might not bother me.

    I drink copious quantities of Barium Sulfate for my semi-annual CT scans.

    My emissions might not be pleasing in an olfactory fashion for a few hours after these scans.

    TB
    King of TMI
  • canielcaniel Member Posts: 28
    Regarding the "humming/buzzing" noise that occurs intermittenly when engine is cold and most often while braking - I called the dealer to find out what part it was they replaced for us. It is called the "idle air control valve." It was a very simple fix and war repaired under warranty. I don't have any idea of its cost, for those out of warranty. Good luck!
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    Thanks for the tip, and just in time. Dropping the MPV off tonight. Will post as soon as I know what is going on.

    Thanks,

    Mike
  • bean3422bean3422 Member Posts: 183
    Funny thing...I always and only use Amoco gas for all my vehicles. (Just an anal-retentive thing.) For the first 5000 miles, my 02 MPV never had the sulphur smell until I took a long trip. I tried to get Amoco gas at every stop, but I had to stop at an exit that did not have Amoco. I put Texico gas in there, and dang it all, within 20 minutes we started smelling the sulphur smell. I kicked myself for not trying to make it to the next exit. It was really bad for that tank of gas, but even though I went back to Amoco, and only put that in there, I still get a whiff of it every now and then.

    I don't know if my story will help, but if you ever find a gas that works, don't switch. I will never regret buying the MPV...all of it's virtues far outshine the smell. But I thought I had avoided the Sulphur curse...
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    bean,

    I've been the same way with a certain fuel my entire driving life. I feel better after your post.

    Mark. ; )
  • mazda_guymazda_guy Member Posts: 183
    Bean, I also use Amoco and it works for me. In fact, BP (merged with Amoco) claims that its gas has the lowest content of sulfur on US market. I haven't tried BP yet but they building gas station just a mile from me. As soon as they open up I will give a try to BP. Nevertheless, IMHO it is Mazda's problem not the gas problem.

    MB
  • tango_28tango_28 Member Posts: 35
    I had that strange noise in my 2000 lx too, I had it fix recently. It turn out to IAC bypass valve int the ABS module. It started happening when the weather got cold.
  • bill124bill124 Member Posts: 246
    This is really bizarre. I have a 2000 LX also with about 28,000 miles and the noise just started this week (live on Long Island, N.Y.). My wife and I were like what the heck is that! Is there a TSB to point to or do I go in with copies of the postings by Tango 28 and Caniel?
    Any info. would be appreciated.

    Also, anyone thinking of buying an extended warranty for these babies? I am and would appreciate any thoughts. While I can't point to anything huge, there have been a number of these annoying little defects.
  • alexv1nalexv1n Member Posts: 248
    There is no TSB on the problem yet, but there is a "repair information notice" that should help your dealer identify the problem: http://www.mpvclub.com/index.php?action=showprb;PrbID=4


    HTH

  • bill124bill124 Member Posts: 246
    Alexv1n,

    Thank you very much. This will be useful.

    As a 2000 owner, do you have a view on the extended warranty? I'm up in February.

    Bill
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    Here in CT. we have not seen any MPV with the smell issue.....those of you with the problem, where are you located??

    Rich
  • sidiggiesidiggie Member Posts: 19
    I'm sorry audia8q but I live in Connecticut and my 2002 has the sulfur stench. I had some posts on the topic in May and June but the smell seemed to fade with the hot weather in July. Now with the return of cold weather the stench is back with a vengeance! Cold wet weather is the worst. If I had known about this would never have bought the MPV. The smell has ruined my faith and confidence in Mazda.
  • auerbachauerbach Member Posts: 110
    Took our MPV into the dealer yesterday. They confirmed it was the idle air control valve. They had to order the part. Will be picking up the van today.
    Hopefully that was the problem and we are done.

    Thanks to all!

    Mike
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    We just have not seen any, what dealers have u been to?? From what I've seen from Mazda it's more to blame on the 60-70 different versions of gasoline sold all over the country. Here in CT, during the winter months we get a heavy dose of MTBE in the gas. Which has turned out to be an enviromental disatster...This was shoved down our throats in the name of cleaner gasoline and junk science. This addative has cause some performance issues with a few different makes.
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