2018 Mazda CX-5 jerky at low speeds

I experience the same low speed phenomenon. Glad to know it's probably not just mine and perhaps even a characteristic noticed by some over others. As I was reading the manual for some "light reading" last night I noticed this in the Transmission section. It's under the part using the manual up/down by maybe it applies in full automatic mode as well? Section 4-45:

"Second Gear Fixed Mode When the selector lever is moved back while the vehicle speed is about 10 km/h (6.2 mph) or less, the transaxle is set in the second gear fixed mode. The gear is fixed in second while in this mode for easier acceleration from a stop and driving on slippery roads such as snow-covered roads. If the selector lever is moved back or forward while in the second gear fixed mode, the mode will be canceled."
 
Was the mechanic able to duplicate the issue you are experiencing?

To be honest, I feel like a lot of things got lost in translation between the service advisor, the mechanic, and me. I didn't get to speak to him directly. So I can't say for certain that the mechanic duplicated the exact behavior.

They did find a slight oil leak near the transmission (torque converter?) which led them to replace a gasket. This required them to disconnect the transmission electronics which "reset" it and some of the issues are slightly better now. Apologies for the imprecise description but I'm not well-versed in auto mechanics and I don't recall all of the details right now.

After the aforementioned service I was told that a subsequent test drive showed that everything was working normally. I reported several issues but to my dismay they were not individually addressed and the mechanic was not at the dealership when I picked up the car.

Another way I would describe this and related issues is that it feels like the engine idle speed is not high enough. I have been a bit disappointed with the lack of responsiveness under about 1800 rpm and I've never had that issue in a car with an automatic transmission. I'm not saying idle speed should be 1800 rpm, just that it feels like it should be higher or something. Many times when I coast into a corner and then accelerate at the apex the car is very slow to respond. But that may be a different issue entirely.

As an aside, I am currently on a business trip and renting a Nissan Rogue. It seems more responsive and shifts more smoothly. Of course there are other aspects I don't like nearly as much as my CX-5 and I don't want to take us off topic but just thought I'd mention it.
 
The CX-5 is always a gear too high in my opinion. When you are trying to accelerate from a low speed, you have to really give it the beans to get it to downshift , and then it feels fine. If it stays in the gear it was in, it feels very lazy. Not enough torque to pull from low rpm . This is my most disliked trait in this vehicle.
 
The CX-5 is always a gear too high in my opinion. When you are trying to accelerate from a low speed, you have to really give it the beans to get it to downshift , and then it feels fine. If it stays in the gear it was in, it feels very lazy. Not enough torque to pull from low rpm . This is my most disliked trait in this vehicle.

I experience the same with my 2014 CX-5 GT and when punching the accelerator, she responds well and moves. I wonder if keeping the transmission in SPORT mode on the latest generation CX-5 would eliminate the sluggishness.
 
I experience the same with my 2014 CX-5 GT and when punching the accelerator, she responds well and moves. I wonder if keeping the transmission in SPORT mode on the latest generation CX-5 would eliminate the sluggishness.

It would eliminate the sluggishness, but Sport mode is not a solution for everyday driving. IMO it holds the gears far too long before upshifting, which is fine for sporty driving but not for normal commuting, etc.

It's like the CX-5 has an Economy mode and a Sport mode, but needs a Normal mode somewhere in between the two. Sometimes when I get frustrated with it I just switch to manual. I appreciate having that option but it shouldn't be necessary.
 
It would eliminate the sluggishness, but Sport mode is not a solution for everyday driving. IMO it holds the gears far too long before upshifting, which is fine for sporty driving but not for normal commuting, etc.

It's like the CX-5 has an Economy mode and a Sport mode, but needs a Normal mode somewhere in between the two. Sometimes when I get frustrated with it I just switch to manual. I appreciate having that option but it shouldn't be necessary.
Right on and I agree with you totally!
 
Twice in 25000 miles. I back out from parking and put it in drive. A gentle tap on throttle and the car lurches. That scares the s*** out of me. Other than that low speed yo-yo ing under 15mph is something normal that I experienced. Car feels its gently rocking front or back.
I have a 2020CX 5 with 1200 miles on it. I have started to notice that the car also feels like it’s rocking and going over a bump that’s not there when I first pull out at a slow speed 10-15mph. I had a tire plugged after a slow leak and have been thinking that there is a problem with the tire or suspension . Only happens at that speed. Saw this on the forum so decided to investigate. Took car to large parking lot and have observed that as soon as 1000rpm on the tach is reached you get the feeling that the car rocks and shakes as it goes into the next gear. Is this a transmission issue common to the Mazda CX 5 or a tire issue, or suspension.Car drives fine once speed gets to 20mph. Have made a appointment to bring it in to check out. May just get a new tire to rule out tire as a issue.
 
I have a 2020CX 5 with 1200 miles on it. I have started to notice that the car also feels like it’s rocking and going over a bump that’s not there when I first pull out at a slow speed 10-15mph. I had a tire plugged after a slow leak and have been thinking that there is a problem with the tire or suspension . Only happens at that speed. Saw this on the forum so decided to investigate. Took car to large parking lot and have observed that as soon as 1000rpm on the tach is reached you get the feeling that the car rocks and shakes as it goes into the next gear. Is this a transmission issue common to the Mazda CX 5 or a tire issue, or suspension.Car drives fine once speed gets to 20mph. Have made a appointment to bring it in to check out. May just get a new tire to rule out tire as a issue.
I have a 2020 CX-5 with 2.5L Skyactiv-G with cylinder deactivation.

Car is less than 1000 miles and today I noticed there's a slight jerkiness when I transition from no pedal press to very light pedal press. A single "tick" noise can also be heard when this happens.

It was quite easy to replicate at low speed. A common scenario would be when you're travelling at low speed decelerating and accelerating on a bumper to bumper traffic.

Looking at the "Fuel Economy Monitor" screen, I noticed this jerkiness was caused by the engine transitioning from [4 cylinders idle (grayed out)] to [all 4 cylinders running (red symbol"] under the Cylinder Deactivation animation.

I thought it was the engine that doing this, but based on the thread it's more like the transmission causing it?
 
2018 mazda 6 2.5L - same issue.
jerking at about 1300 rpm. i can feel it very well on 1st gear.
dealer said it is caused by a transmission lock up, and it is working as expected. it is a feature, not a bug.

very annoying, especially in start-stop traffic.
 
try the sport button. thats the only remedy I found....except updating the TCM with newer firmware but dealers usually prefer not to do that :)
 
I will preface this by saying this is total speculation. For decades, all electronic fuel injection systems have had a point where the fuel is turned on or off. Trying to hold at low speed, you would often hit that point, and the engine would surge back and forth as the fuel is turned on or off. EFI is not analog, it's digital - on or off. The solution to that problem has always been to not drive it at that point. It is more noticeable on some vehicles than others. I have to say it’s almost non-existent on my 2017 X5. Could you simply be experiencing this?

I also wonder if the same principle applies to these newer cars with cylinder deactivation. I know nothing about the technology, so again, just speculation, but I would assume there is a trigger point for the cylinders to drop in or out. Maybe on some cars or MYs it is more noticeable, especially on a first MY for the tech.

Having CD on a 4 cylinder car that already gets 30+ mpg. even naturally aspirated, seems really silly to me. But strangely, the Mazda engineers have never called to ask my opinion.
 
CD is not working at low rpms. There is a graph I posted a few times in the old threads which shows the rpm range and torque where CD operates.
 
Guys, I was given the attached TSB from another member in this forum.

My car was made in Nov 2020 in Japan and I live in NZ. Hard to tell whether mine is applicable but still a good knowledge to know nevertheless.

I did find this YouTube vid below explaining how Mazda introduced a clutch on their automatic tranny, so this may have contributed to it as well?
 

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Guys, I was given the attached TSB from another member in this forum.

My car was made in Nov 2020 in Japan and I live in NZ. Hard to tell whether mine is applicable but still a good knowledge to know nevertheless.

I did find this YouTube vid below explaining how Mazda introduced a clutch on their automatic tranny, so this may have contributed to it as well?
Thanks for sharing this. I just got a new 2020 CX-5 with about 200 miles and I am feeling this symptom. I didn't feel this when I test drove a 2021.

My VIN and production date doesn't seem to fall into the applicable range, but I am gonna see if Mazda can apply the TBS anyway.
 
Thanks for sharing this. I just got a new 2020 CX-5 with about 200 miles and I am feeling this symptom. I didn't feel this when I test drove a 2021.

My VIN and production date doesn't seem to fall into the applicable range, but I am gonna see if Mazda can apply the TBS anyway.
Where do you live? Let us know how you get on.
 
Hi, folks. Thank you all for your input. I recently purchased a '19 GT with FWD and automatic. I'm experiencing the same thing -- feels just like a manual tranny car bucking in first gear at low speeds. I'll check my VIN to see if my car falls within the service bulletin fix. Unfortunately, I have 37K on the clock, so I'm just out of full factory warranty. We'll see how this goes ...
 
Hi, folks. Thank you all for your input. I recently purchased a '19 GT with FWD and automatic. I'm experiencing the same thing -- feels just like a manual tranny car bucking in first gear at low speeds. I'll check my VIN to see if my car falls within the service bulletin fix. Unfortunately, I have 37K on the clock, so I'm just out of full factory warranty. We'll see how this goes ...
Please report back, although I’d argue that this transmission issue should be covered under longer powertrain warranty at 37K miles.
 
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