Poll 2.5T Coolant Leak/Engine Replacement

Who is having coolant leak issues and have had their engines replaced?

  • Yes

    Votes: 46 39.0%
  • No

    Votes: 72 61.0%

  • Total voters
    118
CJ and Adam, perhaps you should contact Mazda corporate Japan direct and tell them your story. The sad truth is that in the US, Americans don't give a crap about service or loyalty to consumers. Its all about the dollar. In Japan, they have a much different philosophy and attitude and they absolutely do care on a whole other level. It is Americans running ruining their brand and reputation. You should also email this to Scotty K and i'm sure he will make a youtube video and include it on his channel for all to be aware of. That should get the attention of the manufacturer and public. He has over 5 million subscribers and has actually had other people with ridiculous vehicle problems receive resolution direct from the manufacturer in Japan after he aired their issue. He also livestreams Q & A on certain days too if you follow him. I know some people think he is a whack job but in this instance, it might be your ace card. Manufacturers shudder at the bad press he gives them when he airs issues from customers that should never happen. You never know.
YES and NO.

Japanese companies believe in long term company sustainability to include responsible financially astute CEO salaries, product quality & reliability, etc.

However when it comes to the bottom line, lawsuits, self-policing themselves, etc., they behave the same as any other American company, Germany company or any other company. That's why we need rules and regulations.
Remember Toyota and the gas pedals, acceleration induced car wrecks and deaths ?Luckily, I owned a quality Toyota when they were quality and well before these death traps were sold.
And then the heads of the Japanese firms did everything they could to hide the problems thus avoid costly repairs and embarrassing. Only once under investigation, did they even start to admit there might be a problem while their lawyers still fought tooth and nail against any death lawsuits. Whenever anyone wants to get rid of a rule , or regulation, or dissolve an agency, I scratch my head in disbelief. People and companies simply can not self govern themselves.

I agree on the bad press... Once headlines get started and start to accumulate then they try to shut the bad press down, even if it means they spend $$ to finally fix the problems. But only when the bad press starts to snowball and affect the customer perception and/or bottom line. Tchman's idea to contact Scotty is a great idea and hopefully it gets some results for you.

Just remember...companies and their leaders are only interested in survival and the almighty dollar/yen, etc. They will
circle the wagon and do everything possible to protect that and avoid paying $$. Sometimes they deny repairs while under warranty but especially once the warranty is expired..
 
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I wrote a lengthy email to the Mazda USA execs and customer experience to show disappointment along with a link to this thread. Got a standard BS response from the customer service rep.
 
If I were unhappy with the way I was treated by any company/manufacturer, I would probably write a letter, and based on the response, I would consider posting both the letter and the response to as many social media outlets as I could. I would also try contacting local and national news outlets to see if any of them would be willing to hear my story. Both of these actions require some effort, but at least there is little to no money that needs to be spent, and there is a lot of exposure/awareness that could be generated.

Some of you guys have received exceptionally terrible service from Mazda dealerships and Mazda Corporate, and it's so disappointing to hear about people being treated this way. I really hope that you guys are able to reach some sort of satisfactory resolution soon, so that you can put this experience behind you and move forward.
 
Update: Dealership called me back. They have not heard anything from Mazda, so they weren't aware of any additional information they could give me. Did let me know they recommended approval based on my car being about 2k out of warranty (and within the time warranty) and it being a known issue. I guess Mazda wasn't convinced. The dealership did give me a discount when they did the repair.

I will say Mazda Corporate did offer me a $150 coupon toward future service at one point during the many conversations. I laughed and said no thanks.

The dealership was responsive. They sent all the info they had. They called me to update me when parts were ordered and during the process. They gave me a loaner car. They were kind and helpful. The corporate office has been the problem. I assume they are playing their cards close to the vest because they are in class action litigation over some other defective parts.
 
Update: Dealership called me back. They have not heard anything from Mazda, so they weren't aware of any additional information they could give me. Did let me know they recommended approval based on my car being about 2k out of warranty (and within the time warranty) and it being a known issue. I guess Mazda wasn't convinced. The dealership did give me a discount when they did the repair.

I will say Mazda Corporate did offer me a $150 coupon toward future service at one point during the many conversations. I laughed and said no thanks.

The dealership was responsive. They sent all the info they had. They called me to update me when parts were ordered and during the process. They gave me a loaner car. They were kind and helpful. The corporate office has been the problem. I assume they are playing their cards close to the vest because they are in class action litigation over some other defective parts.

I emailed the ceo Jeff and a few other execs and a senior customer rep responded to me on behalf of Jeff. I think you can try emailing them and see if they can escalate your issue to higher up.
 
If I were unhappy with the way I was treated by any company/manufacturer, I would probably write a letter, and based on the response, I would consider posting both the letter and the response to as many social media outlets as I could. I would also try contacting local and national news outlets to see if any of them would be willing to hear my story. Both of these actions require some effort, but at least there is little to no money that needs to be spent, and there is a lot of exposure/awareness that could be generated.

Some of you guys have received exceptionally terrible service from Mazda dealerships and Mazda Corporate, and it's so disappointing to hear about people being treated this way. I really hope that you guys are able to reach some sort of satisfactory resolution soon, so that you can put this experience behind you and move forward.
Absolutely, unequivocally, 100 percent that should be done. I'd also look into forming a class action. Then they will have to be accountable ( but admit no wrongdoing lol)
 
So same issue here, I have a 2017 Mazda CX-9 with about 61K and 5 years old, when I took it to dealer for routine oil change. Service rep came back and said they found it without any coolant. Found it strange since I never got a message or light saying the engine was overheating. I asked if it was the radiator leak or water pump and right off the bat he said they think its the engine head gasket and to fix is close to $4500 or may need to replace the engine at about $7K. I could not believe it escalated that quickly. He said I was out of warranty so nothing was covered but as others have mentioned on this I would never have expected it to be anything close to it being an engine leak especially with only 61K. I called Mazda USA and told them of the situation and they basically said the dealer would have to give them information to see if they can help with a goodwill repair. Dealer has had the car for about 3 days and says they sent the diagnoses info to Mazda. I will say that thanks to those who put the TSB out on the forums, I was able to send that to the service rep and let him know its a common issue (I am sure he already knew this since right off the bat he went straight to the engine head probable cause). So right now not sure what is going to happen but needless to say this a big bummer and will never buy another Mazda again after going through this. I had a 2006 Mazda 3 that I loved and had no issues with. So this has thrown me off and left a bad taste with Mazda and it could get worse based on what they tell me if they will cover the repair or not. Something minor say water pump or hose that blew fine...ok I get that but engine issues that are attributed to a design flaw...no way...I feel Mazda should be responsible for that even if I am 1K over the warranty. And I'm willing to share in the cost but not the figures they are throwing out. I hate to see that there are so many others experiencing the same issue but I will say everyone who has posted has helped me navigate this problem even though not sure what the result will be. Thanks to all and hoping for the best.
 
So same issue here, I have a 2017 Mazda CX-9 with about 61K and 5 years old, when I took it to dealer for routine oil change. Service rep came back and said they found it without any coolant. Found it strange since I never got a message or light saying the engine was overheating. I asked if it was the radiator leak or water pump and right off the bat he said they think its the engine head gasket and to fix is close to $4500 or may need to replace the engine at about $7K. I could not believe it escalated that quickly. He said I was out of warranty so nothing was covered but as others have mentioned on this I would never have expected it to be anything close to it being an engine leak especially with only 61K. I called Mazda USA and told them of the situation and they basically said the dealer would have to give them information to see if they can help with a goodwill repair. Dealer has had the car for about 3 days and says they sent the diagnoses info to Mazda. I will say that thanks to those who put the TSB out on the forums, I was able to send that to the service rep and let him know its a common issue (I am sure he already knew this since right off the bat he went straight to the engine head probable cause). So right now not sure what is going to happen but needless to say this a big bummer and will never buy another Mazda again after going through this. I had a 2006 Mazda 3 that I loved and had no issues with. So this has thrown me off and left a bad taste with Mazda and it could get worse based on what they tell me if they will cover the repair or not. Something minor say water pump or hose that blew fine...ok I get that but engine issues that are attributed to a design flaw...no way...I feel Mazda should be responsible for that even if I am 1K over the warranty. And I'm willing to share in the cost but not the figures they are throwing out. I hate to see that there are so many others experiencing the same issue but I will say everyone who has posted has helped me navigate this problem even though not sure what the result will be. Thanks to all and hoping for the best.
Thats impossible. Either you've been played or he possibly over-exaggerated the issue(but it still does need the new gasket/New head)

If the coolant had been low enough to cause engine damage, you should have noticed...
Engine lights, warning lights, smoke, sputtering, etc. Also, when is last time you checked the coolant overflow container ? and was it full ?

As the dealership told you no coolant and possible engine damage, that's impossible as the vehicle wouldn't drive without coolant ...it would have been smoking.... Smoke out the hood , white smoke out the tail pipe, no power, knocking sounds, sputtering and jerking until it just died. Which doesn't take long... Seconds to minutes before its DOA.

If low on fluid(to point of causing engine damage which is what they indicated) then you would still have car warning lights, loss of power, white smoke from the tailpipe, hot engine, possibly jerking and possible knocks, etc.

Now it's stuck at the dealership... Maybe they are reputable and they mise-explained the situation, and it needs the gasket repair or a new head and maybe they goodwill it(which that all would be great) But, If not you will be stuck paying dealership labor costs.

On the flip side...maybe they unscrupulous or even truly devious to the point of draining and driving the vehicle without fluid to get it to code and possibly cause engine damage. All which you will have to pay for.

Alot of trust for what could potentially be $7000 repair bill.

At this point, maybe wait and see what they say. Remember you can always have it towed to an independent mechanic for another opinion. Or at least get some quotes on gaskets repairs and engine replacements beforehand to compare pricing.

If they dont goodwill, you should be able to find other less costly options for gasket repair and/or engine replacement. Just make sure the indy can get the part's for the repair since there is part's shortage.
 
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So same issue here, I have a 2017 Mazda CX-9 with about 61K and 5 years old, when I took it to dealer for routine oil change. Service rep came back and said they found it without any coolant. Found it strange since I never got a message or light saying the engine was overheating. I asked if it was the radiator leak or water pump and right off the bat he said they think its the engine head gasket and to fix is close to $4500 or may need to replace the engine at about $7K. I could not believe it escalated that quickly. He said I was out of warranty so nothing was covered but as others have mentioned on this I would never have expected it to be anything close to it being an engine leak especially with only 61K. I called Mazda USA and told them of the situation and they basically said the dealer would have to give them information to see if they can help with a goodwill repair. Dealer has had the car for about 3 days and says they sent the diagnoses info to Mazda. I will say that thanks to those who put the TSB out on the forums, I was able to send that to the service rep and let him know its a common issue (I am sure he already knew this since right off the bat he went straight to the engine head probable cause). So right now not sure what is going to happen but needless to say this a big bummer and will never buy another Mazda again after going through this. I had a 2006 Mazda 3 that I loved and had no issues with. So this has thrown me off and left a bad taste with Mazda and it could get worse based on what they tell me if they will cover the repair or not. Something minor say water pump or hose that blew fine...ok I get that but engine issues that are attributed to a design flaw...no way...I feel Mazda should be responsible for that even if I am 1K over the warranty. And I'm willing to share in the cost but not the figures they are throwing out. I hate to see that there are so many others experiencing the same issue but I will say everyone who has posted has helped me navigate this problem even though not sure what the result will be. Thanks to all and hoping for the best.

Sorry to hear your story.

I am curious what the exact diagnosis was when the service writer reported "no water". Did he mean "no water in the overflow tank" or something else? Secondly, did they show you coolant on the back side of the engine that confirms their diagnosis?

I hope Mazda steps up and helps you out. If they don't you might be able to have the coolant topped off (provided there is no water in the oil) and then sell the car to carvana or some such buyer. They made an offer on another forum members car even with the leak - I am not suggesting being dishonest. Not the greatest solution, but it allows you to wash your hands of the situation and cleanly move on.
 
Sorry to hear your story.

I am curious what the exact diagnosis was when the service writer reported "no water". Did he mean "no water in the overflow tank" or something else? Secondly, did they show you coolant on the back side of the engine that confirms their diagnosis?

I hope Mazda steps up and helps you out. If they don't you might be able to have the coolant topped off (provided there is no water in the oil) and then sell the car to carvana or some such buyer. They made an offer on another forum members car even with the leak - I am not suggesting being dishonest. Not the greatest solution, but it allows you to wash your hands of the situation and cleanly move on.
CarMax/carvana and others give you a warranty when you buy the car and also offer extended warranties and will repair any vehicles that have problems. They offer warranties because they inspect the cars first before selling to the public. In the event that they don't, they are still covered for repairs.
 
CarMax/carvana and others give you a warranty when you buy the car and also offer extended warranties and will repair any vehicles that have problems. They offer warranties because they inspect the cars first before selling to the public. In the event that they don't, they are still covered for repairs.

Yes, I wasn't trying to discredit CarMax or carvana. I was suggesting that the OP could sell to them and let them worry about returning the car to a mechanically sound condition. They can probably get parts and service done at cheaper rates than the rest of us.
 
Yes, I wasn't trying to discredit CarMax or carvana. I was suggesting that the OP could sell to them and let them worry about returning the car to a mechanically sound condition. They can probably get parts and service done at cheaper rates than the rest of us.
No prob, I gotcha. Yes, he could do that and based on the above, shouldn't let it eat as his conscience too much.
 
Wife and I received a call from the dealer today. Service manager stated that he has been trying to work on our behalf after hearing about the poor customer service we were receiving from Mazda USA. He said he spoke to a regional representative who gave us a good will repair. I don't know of our lengthy email actually made a difference or not and I have no idea what all happened behind the scenes, but our Mazda dealer is going to repair it for us for around $1200. We took that offer. After all of this, we will never buy a Mazda again and I have already reported this issue to NHTSA and other places. Once we get the car back and are beyond this issue, I will be sure to report this issue to social media and let all friends and family to beware. I certainly won't ever be dealing with Mazda corporate again. They have been awful!
 
I have a 2016 CX-9 touring with 77K miles. Last Sunday I started smelling coolant inside the car. The smell was much stronger under the hood at the rear of the engine. Just took the car in today (Tuesday) and, sure enough, there is coolant leaking from the head. It turns out that the service rep that helped me today is an old friend of my sister and brother-in-law's who recently moved back into the (Washington DC) area with his wife and kids (from Boston) and has been working at Ourisman Mazda for 3 months!! Wow...small world. Anyway, he (Phil) is a great guy and was really eager to help me. After the initial diagnosis from his head tech, he told me that they would need to keep the car for a few days and arranged a loaner for me. I have a CarShield extended warranty and we will see if they cover these repairs. Phil will have to argue with them about this, I am sure. There are some other suspension issues with the car that they will also try to address...as well as the TSB on the steering wheel surface peeling off (again, IF my extended warranty covers it). I will report back on what happens.
 
Well....we thought it was all fixed. Took it on a two hour trip for Thanksgiving and stopped at a family members for about 2 hours. While sitting for those two hours, a large puddle of antifreeze was found under the suv. Back to the dealer it goes...
 
I have a 2016 CX-9 touring with 77K miles. Last Sunday I started smelling coolant inside the car. The smell was much stronger under the hood at the rear of the engine. Just took the car in today (Tuesday) and, sure enough, there is coolant leaking from the head. It turns out that the service rep that helped me today is an old friend of my sister and brother-in-law's who recently moved back into the (Washington DC) area with his wife and kids (from Boston) and has been working at Ourisman Mazda for 3 months!! Wow...small world. Anyway, he (Phil) is a great guy and was really eager to help me. After the initial diagnosis from his head tech, he told me that they would need to keep the car for a few days and arranged a loaner for me. I have a CarShield extended warranty and we will see if they cover these repairs. Phil will have to argue with them about this, I am sure. There are some other suspension issues with the car that they will also try to address...as well as the TSB on the steering wheel surface peeling off (again, IF my extended warranty covers it). I will report back on what happens.
So here is the update: they have filed with our extended warranty company (CarShield) for a head replacement and a new transmission (different problem). This is about $15K worth of work. We are waiting to hear back from the warranty company adjuster. We talked to them on the phone at least twice - between myself and the service advisor (Phil) - and the last I heard was that they have "elevated" the process to the adjuster supervisor on their end. The dealer filed this paperwork on the 17th and our car has been in the shop since the 8th (of Nov)! Waiting to hear on whether they will cover the repairs. The dealer decided NOT to pursue a remedy through Mazda, but if the warranty company rejects, that may be the next step. I cannot afford a $15K repair on this car at this time.
 
So here is the update: they have filed with our extended warranty company (CarShield) for a head replacement and a new transmission (different problem). This is about $15K worth of work. We are waiting to hear back from the warranty company adjuster. We talked to them on the phone at least twice - between myself and the service advisor (Phil) - and the last I heard was that they have "elevated" the process to the adjuster supervisor on their end. The dealer filed this paperwork on the 17th and our car has been in the shop since the 8th (of Nov)! Waiting to hear on whether they will cover the repairs. The dealer decided NOT to pursue a remedy through Mazda, but if the warranty company rejects, that may be the next step. I cannot afford a $15K repair on this car at this time.
Omg I hope this nightmare ends well for you. I don't want to sound negative but your warranty company is a scam and they rarely pay out despite being advertised by celebrities. There was a whole story on them. You may need a lawyer if they deny or just sell the car to CarMax before it is too late
 
Well....we thought it was all fixed. Took it on a two hour trip for Thanksgiving and stopped at a family members for about 2 hours. While sitting for those two hours, a large puddle of antifreeze was found under the suv. Back to the dealer it goes...
It would be very unusual for a simple installation mistake (loose coolant valve bolt, hose clamp, etc.) to not show up immediately. And that makes me wonder about the possibility of the replacement head cracking. There's been a great deal of speculation on the root cause of this issue, with the possible suspects being the head poorly designed, having manufacturing defects, or having it over torqued by the factory bots. Mazda of course has said nothing publicly about the actual cause - rumors here and there, but nothing from them in print (that I'm aware of anyway).

If the design of these cylinder heads causes them to be particularly sensitive to being even slightly over torqued, then that's concerning, because installation of a head is a job that requires lots of precision and attention to detail on the part of the tech. Multiple passes and methods of torquing, along with a specific sequencing of the bolts, makes this job very easy to mess up, if there's any lapse in concentration. And it also makes me wonder if that final torque-to-yield angle is perhaps at the very upper limit of what's acceptable for this particular configuration. If so, it would mean that even just a tad bit of extra torque can make it eventually go kaput.

I hope for your sake it's not the head again, but in any case they'll have to keep working on it until they get it right. And that's fortunate for you, especially considering everything you've been through with this vehicle and Mazda.
 
Well....we thought it was all fixed. Took it on a two hour trip for Thanksgiving and stopped at a family members for about 2 hours. While sitting for those two hours, a large puddle of antifreeze was found under the suv. Back to the dealer it goes...
How did they repair it the first time??

Was it a whole cylinder head repair or did they just replace the gasket?

Perhaps the head was cracked but they decided to only do a gasket repair???

If they replaced the head then they maybe they overtorqued the new one?

You didn't say how many miles were on it or if still under warranty. Hopefully they resolve the issue.
 
Omg I hope this nightmare ends well for you. I don't want to sound negative but your warranty company is a scam and they rarely pay out despite being advertised by celebrities. There was a whole story on them. You may need a lawyer if they deny or just sell the car to CarMax before it is too late
These are reasons why car buyers should either buy brand new vehicle or a used CPO vehicle...

Especially after what i've seen....I'm assuming all dealers, no matter the make tell some lil white lies.

Won't name the large dealer, but saw a used vehicle(in color i wanted) sitting on lot ... They said it needed detailed (and priced) first but let me look at interior. Of course I took the key and started it up. Didn't sound too hot, needed a muffler/exhaust...it was only 2 years old. Looked it over, noticed some mud on the panels and one panel was dented. Said couldn't let me test drive until had garage inspection. Gray vehicles were in short supply so I went back in evening after dealer closed, got underneath and noticed exhaust was ripped off, mud/leaves all in the underframe and lower control arm was disconnected and bent. Probably alot more but I quit looking.

Few weeks later it was listed alongside another gray cx5.
I was still in market so I stopped in to see the most recent gray CX-5 but had also had kept the damaged car info(vin #, etc.).

Both vehicles were listed at current market value within a few $100 of each other.

While there, I asked about the damaged one... Of course he told me how a lovely old lady had purchased it and barely driven it and then passed so her relatives traded it in. Aren't they all owned by old lady's?

So a 2 years old CX-5 being sold at market value which had clearly been abused and hard off-roaded by it's previous owner. Probably had a messed up powertrain too.
It may have even been an auctioned vehicle.

There is no way I would buy any used vehicle for close to new vehicle prices without a manufacturer CPO.
 
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