CX-5 Parking brake malfunction

I own a 2016 CX-5 sport model that is a manual 6 speed, so I use the parking brake every single time I park, and of course when on an incline, I put it in gear. Anyhow, back in late November, I took mine to a local mechanic to replace the rear brakes at around 46k miles. Now less than 2 months later, the EPB has failed. I had two incidents in the same day where when I started the car, the brake wouldn't release and the warning lights were blinking. I had to restart the car multple times before it would disengage. After the second incident, I drove straight over to the Mazda dealership and as it was the end of the day, I had to wait and take a loaner. Anyhow, the next day, after having to call in their field tech/engineer because the in-house tech couldn't diagnose the problem, they reported that the calipers were damaged and blamed it on the mechanic who replaced the brake pads, saying he failed to put it into service mode. I contacted the mechanic who did the brake job, and he said it is not possible to replace the pads without putting it into service mode. However, what I don't know is if he correctly followed the warning not to turn the piston thing, which needs some special tools to remove. The Mazda service rep insists that the calipers got damaged and stripped during the brake service and allegedly this type of issue with the brake seizing doesn't present itself right away, which I find hard to believe.
So now I'm stuck with having to pay over $1000 for a repair. I am pissed! I am still arguing with the service rep and am about to demand to speak to their manager.
To be fair, Mazda field engineer does have his point on your case. You can try to escalate the case to higher authorities but it’s very likely the brake shop did something wrong and of course they won’t admit it. The best chance of your argument right now is to use the TSB, and insist you have the dragging issue and that’s why you need early replacement on rear disk pads.
 
For the past few weeks 3 out of 5 times when I start the CX-5, I see the following:

1. Red flashing "BRAKE" light near the dials
2. Orange steady "P" light near the dials
3. Flashing "P" light on the electronic parking brake
4. Two warnings in the infotainment reading "Parking brake malfunction. A malfunction has occurred in the parking brake system. Consult your Mazda dealer for inspection".

Whenever this happens, the brake is not engaged and I can drive like normal. Took it to the dealership yesterday but accidentally turned off the car before I stepped out. When I turned it on, the warnings did not appear. It reappeared last evening and this morning.

I read here this could be because of freezing temperatures. I live in South Texas and it was well over 70 F today and I still had the warnings.

It happens when engine is warm and cold. Any idea what could be causing this?

See links below :
Literally having the same exact problem. Everything runs like normal, until someone accidentally hits the e brake switch. Then I'm stuck, turning the car on and off, trying to get the e brake to release the passenger side rear wheel.
 
Literally having the same exact problem. Everything runs like normal, until someone accidentally hits the e brake switch. Then I'm stuck, turning the car on and off, trying to get the e brake to release the passenger side rear wheel.
Again, most likely you need revised rear calipers which got stuck. See post #10 and TSB R052/16C.
 
@Skmulla96, Firstly, If your not confident in your abilities to troubleshoot this brake problem, get a professional to look at it .... brakes are pretty important ;).

Beyond that, I recall a poster stating he solved the immediate problem of the brake sticking by entering and exiting EPB "maintenance mode". He was at least able to get moving again. Idunno if the problem came back or not.

As for the TSB -- brake caliper issue thing. My 16.5 falls within the VIN range and the date code on the caliper is a "bad" date but I've (knock on wood lol) not had any issues with mine. Just changed the rear pads recently (95k miles) and they've worn evenly and probably could've made it to 125k miles. Go figure.

Good luck to you
 
As for the TSB -- brake caliper issue thing. My 16.5 falls within the VIN range and the date code on the caliper is a "bad" date but I've (knock on wood lol) not had any issues with mine. Just changed the rear pads recently (95k miles) and they've worn evenly and probably could've made it to 125k miles. Go figure.

Good luck to you
I have a 16.5. MT and the left rear stuck four times a couple of years ago.

I cleaned out the old caliper pin grease and packed it with fresh lube. So far no problem.

I am a bit concerned the problem may eventually recur so I try to verify that the wheels are not locked whenever I release the EPB.
 
I'm having the same issue with my EPB lights and brought into a Mazda dealership to get checked out. They told me it was a low battery (I do know I have a low battery that needs to be replaced) that caused the EPB to short out and I need to replace the EPB module at just over $500. Is this even possible - I would have thought measures are put in place to prevent things like this from happening.
 
I'm having the same issue with my EPB lights and brought into a Mazda dealership to get checked out. They told me it was a low battery (I do know I have a low battery that needs to be replaced) that caused the EPB to short out and I need to replace the EPB module at just over $500. Is this even possible - I would have thought measures are put in place to prevent things like this from happening.
If you have a weak battery, it’ll cause EPB warning light and the EPB can’t be released initially. But once the engine is running for a while charged the battery a bit, and you re-start the engine to reset the EPB control module, the EPB should be able to get released, and the EPB warning light is off. In your situation I’d spend $79 first getting a new Group 35 Interstate battery from Costco. If the EPB warning light is still there, consider getting the rear disk calipers replaced if you have a 2016 or 2016.5 CX-5 assembled before Sep. 9, 2016. Read the TSB from the attachment. It’s hard to believe a weak battery with lower voltage would “shorted” out the EPB control module. That’s the last thing I’d replace, and they can reset the EPB control module if needed.
 

Attachments

  • Brake Noise from REAR BRAKE_Trace of Rear Brake Dragging 4.pdf
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If you have a weak battery, it’ll cause EPB warning light and the EPB can’t be released initially. But once the engine is running for a while charged the battery a bit, and you re-start the engine to reset the EPB control module, the EPB should be able to get released, and the EPB warning light is off. In your situation I’d spend $79 first getting a new Group 35 Interstate battery from Costco. If the EPB warning light is still there, consider getting the rear disk calipers replaced if you have a 2016 or 2016.5 CX-5 assembled before Sep. 9, 2016. Read the TSB here:
I read the TSB and my VIN is within the range stated. I've asked the Mazda dealership to let me know the lot # of the calipers to compare against what is in the TSB.

I had used the car for a bit and shut it off and then re-started and the same lights came back on.

See video showing multiple lights going on / flashing.

 
Has anyone replaced their battery and had the issue go away? The lights came on for me last week. I replaced the battery and filled my brake fluid. The lights went away. I noticed I need new rear brakes though. So I'm wondering if I even bother having the sensor checked or not?
 
hi guys, I just bought a 2018 Mazda CX-5 with 30k CPO (still under warranty) in May and experienced the rear brake dragging issue a couple weeks later. Lotsa smoke coming from the rear after driving at 30mph for about a mile. I called dealer to schedule an appointment 3 days later. Just when I wanna go to the dealership, I couldn't start my car at all. I called AAA and the battery guy did a diagnosis and said my car needed a new battery. I asked him to jump start my car instead since my car was still under warranty, and it should be Mazda getting me a new battery rather than me paying out of pocket. Without knowing this thread at that time, I was just telling Mazda Service Advisor about what happened. They checked with brake system(not parking brake system in particular) and said it was fine. The only issue they found was low battery and they charged it (not replaced, just charged). I never have dragging issue since then (not sure if it is a good sign or not?)

I also have been experiencing this intermittently(before & after the brake drag incident in May) where the parking brake light is blinking, constant orange "P" light on instrument panel, and 2 "parking brake system malfunction" warning signs on the infotainment system, but I can feel the parking brake isn't engaged. Also my infotainment system has intermittent ghost touch issue (only when using Mazda interface, it never happens when I use Android Auto). This may be for a different thread but I am just gonna throw it here as well.

Now that I have come across this thread, I am just thinking that my experience would make sense if I had a 2016 mazda, but mine's a 2018.

Would the same TSB be applicable to me or there's a different TSB since my model year is 2018? I am just hoping that I can give my service advisor something to refer to for my next appointment and I almost feel like I am the only 2018 owner having this issue...
 
You do have the e-brake off right? I think you should take it back to the dealer if you have those parking brake error messages. The 2018 doesn't have the dragging brakes issue, you have or had some sort of brake malfuncion. Did they write down on the work order exactly what they did? And have your battery load tested. If it is bad you have to replace the battery. Does it crank the engine over fast in the morning?
 
You do have the e-brake off right? I think you should take it back to the dealer if you have those parking brake error messages. The 2018 doesn't have the dragging brakes issue, you have or had some sort of brake malfuncion. Did they write down on the work order exactly what they did? And have your battery load tested. If it is bad you have to replace the battery. Does it crank the engine over fast in the morning?
I always have it on when I park it. I just find it weird that my 2018 is having the exact same issues. They didnt give me a work order because I didn't pay anything. I don't think it crank fast enough, but I am not sure. I will let them do the battery load test next time..
 
Thanks for the detailed information everyone - appreciate it. I’m now facing this issue with my 2016 Mazda CX5. The issue came out of nowhere.

Question - would it be possible just to upgrade the rear calipers and see if that resolves the problem? I’d like to stay away from my Mazda dealer(s) locally and just solve this with a reliable, local mechanic that I trust. But not sure if it’s a simple rear caliper swap vs. caliper swap + control module and programming.
 
Thanks for the detailed information everyone - appreciate it. I’m now facing this issue with my 2016 Mazda CX5. The issue came out of nowhere.

Question - would it be possible just to upgrade the rear calipers and see if that resolves the problem? I’d like to stay away from my Mazda dealer(s) locally and just solve this with a reliable, local mechanic that I trust. But not sure if it’s a simple rear caliper swap vs. caliper swap + control module and programming.
If you have a 2016 CX-5, no doubt you want to follow the procedure outlined in TSB R052/16C attached at post #87 above and replace the rear disk calipers. The main thing is you want to get correct and revised OEM rear disk calipers based on the date code and all other necessary parts listed in the TSB to fix the problem. The job won’t touch the EPB control module, and it shouldn’t need to be “reset” by Mazda dealer. But you want to make sure the shop knows the “EPB Maintenance Mode” which they need to enter, and make sure they get all correct OEM parts and installed them properly. Or you can get all parts needed and let the shop you trust install them.

Just read the TSB, or if you don’t DIY you should give a copy of the TSB to the brake shop.

EPB Caliper Question
 
This thread reminded me to test the parking brake since I had not used it in a year of ownership. It works.

Judging from this thread, some drivers appear to use their EPB with some regularity. In 30+ years since switching from manual to automatic trans vehicles I think I can count on one hand the times I've saw a need to engage the parking brake, specifically when parking on steep hill.

I'm curious--why regular usage in a CX-5 automatic?
 
Easier on the parking pawl when you go from park to drive or reverse. I use mine every time I park on the driveway which has a slight incline. My wife doesn't and her parking braking has seized up (she has a traditional mechanical type). I believe even the EPB can seize up if not used for a long time especially in the rust belt!
 
I can see that if you're parking on an incline every day. I'll probably need to use it from time to time to make sure it's in working order in case I ever see a need to use it.
 
This thread reminded me to test the parking brake since I had not used it in a year of ownership. It works.

Judging from this thread, some drivers appear to use their EPB with some regularity. In 30+ years since switching from manual to automatic trans vehicles I think I can count on one hand the times I've saw a need to engage the parking brake, specifically when parking on steep hill.

I'm curious--why regular usage in a CX-5 automatic?

If I'm parking anywhere other than my driveway or my garage I ALWAYS use my parking brake, in all of my vehicles. It protects the parking pawl and the transmission.

Imagine if you're parked somewhere and a careless driver bumps into your car in the front or the rear. All that force is transferred to your transmission and the parking pawl, no good can come of this.

Also if you don't use the parking brake when parking on a hill, your transmission can 'lock up' and be extremely difficult, or impossible, to take out of Park.
 
true. its either the transmission or the rear bumper :)
last time I parked with the ebrake on (parallel parking on a small street) and the car behind (while exiting the park space) managed to destroy the rear bumper and the plastic rim around the rear wheel because my car did not move at all.
looked alwful but I guess it saved the transmission gear.
 
true. its either the transmission or the rear bumper :)
last time I parked with the ebrake on (parallel parking on a small street) and the car behind me managed to destroy the rear bumper and the plastic rim around the rear wheel because the car did not move.

"either the transmission or the rear bumper"

It wouldn't be either/or. If that car hit you as hard as you described there's a good chance that it would damage both the trans and the bumper.
 
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