Droning noise around 2K RPM 2020 CX-5

Hello!

I hope all is well with everyone. I recently purchased a 2020 CX-5 GT, 50k miles. I test drove it and it was great. I took it home and the next time I drove it, I noticed that if I sort of leisurely accelerate, there is a noticeable “droning” noise approaching 2K RPM and once it goes pass 2K, it disappears.

It is brief, perhaps 1-3 seconds. I notice it most prominently when slowly accelerating uphill. But if I press the gas and go, the noise is very, very brief or sometimes, it doesn’t happen at all. It is smooth at highway speeds, no noise whatsoever.

It is just around 2k, or approaching 2K RPM.

I took it to my mechanic and he did not notice anything out of the ordinary.

He also suggests it could be a exhaust resonance noise but I’m a completely noob.

Thanks all in advance!
 
I've also placed some noise insulation in the rear cargo area. There are large plastic covers (both sides of the vehicle) secured by just a few 10mm bolts and built-in plastic clips. Much, much easier to reach than the inside of the door panels.
 
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I've also placed some noise insulation in the rear cargo area. There are large plastic covers (both sides of the vehicle) secured by just a few 10mm bolts and built-in plastic clips. Much, much easier to reach than the inside of the door panels.

I know these noises are really difficult to diagnose but do you think it is anything very serious? Broad question. I drove it about 1500 miles in a month for needed travel, mostly highway and all seems well. And it seems to be less noticeable after the car has warmed up. Noise is near the driver side
 
Pretty difficult to quantify "very serious" on a forum. It seems more of an annoyance than a real issue IMHO. If it bothers you, which it seems to, I would go back to the dealer you purchased from and see if they will help.
 
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I know these noises are really difficult to diagnose but do you think it is anything very serious? Broad question. I drove it about 1500 miles in a month for needed travel, mostly highway and all seems well. And it seems to be less noticeable after the car has warmed up. Noise is near the driver side

I and others will be happy to listen and compare to our CX-5s.
 
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Could it be engine lugging? Does it occur when easing off the gas and then reaccelerating?
 
Could it be engine lugging? Does it occur when easing off the gas and then reaccelerating?
Hello!

I would say that it almost always happens below 40MPH, approaching 2K RPM. And I do notice that when I accelerate, then I ease off the gas, dropping below 2k, reaccelerating that it does produce that sound again. But I’ve been trying to recreate it and get that sound clip for all on the board but for whatever reason, I cannot reproduce the sound anymore. I have no idea if that is a good thing or a bad thing now that it is suddenly “gone”.
 
Hello!

I would say that it almost always happens below 40MPH, approaching 2K RPM. And I do notice that when I accelerate, then I ease off the gas, dropping below 2k, reaccelerating that it does produce that sound again. But I’ve been trying to recreate it and get that sound clip for all on the board but for whatever reason, I cannot reproduce the sound anymore. I have no idea if that is a good thing or a bad thing now that it is suddenly “gone”.
It's hard to say, but your experience is consistent with engine lugging providing it only happens when reaccelerating after dropping RPMs. I raise this possibility because myself and some others have experienced this in the 2nd. generation 2.5L non-turbo (including 2017's without cylinder deactivation) when driving in normal mode, not sport mode. I'm surprised it is not reported more often.

The following many words may be excessive for a shot in the dark, but lugging has been my #1 and #1A complaint with the vehicle. I've expounded on this topic several times already but I guess I can't help myself getting into it again. Nitpicking an otherwise fine $26,000 vehicle is not my thing.

So, if you've never driven a manual transmission you might not recognize it as lugging. With a manual, if the driver decelerates, braking or easing off the gas, with the RPM's dropping far enough, and then reaccelerates without downshifting to the appropriate gear, the engine will briefly drone and labor until the RPMs get back up to match the gear. Your automatic may be doing the same thing--failing to drop from 3rd. gear to 2nd. I've also experienced it when the vehicle failed to drop from 2nd. to 1st, such as taking off from a stop sign and then quickly taking my foot off the gas because the guy in front is lollygagging, then reaccelerating with a lug.

It's situational, so you may experience it one day and not the next. It may come and go based on traffic conditions, or the driving maneuvers you need to perform, or how frisky or lollygagging you happen to be that day. If the RPMs are high enough in some zoom-zoom driving you likely won't experience it. You could try simulating a hairpin turn or a U-turn where you brake into the turn, drop the rpms, and reaccelerate out of it. Abandoned mall parking lots, for example, are a good place to try stuff several times.

A 90% cure for me was an update to the current (at the time) version of the powertrain control module (PCM). It now happens less frequently and when it does it's briefer and milder. You didn't say if you bought it from a dealer under Mazda's CPO program. That's uncommon for vehicles with 50K miles but it's possible if it was consistently dealer-serviced. If so, they should have updated the powertrain and transmission control modules to current versions available at that time. In the case of a CPO, if you've concluded lugging is the issue you should take it back to them, report the problem as such, and ask them to confirm for free that the current software versions were installed. If they want to recreate the problem you should be prepared to demonstrate it yourself with a tech in the car otherwise you may get the same answer as with your mechanic.

If not a CPO, then the dealer would have to be exceptionally friendly to do the diagnostic for free at 50k miles. At least one poster reported a $300 charge for the software reflashes though that may vary. If you bought it from a private party you will be out-of-pocket for software updates.

Anyway, if you can recreate the problem and intend to post a recording of the sound, see if you can position the camera at the tach and speedometer.
 
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It's hard to say, but your experience is consistent with engine lugging providing it only happens when reaccelerating after dropping RPMs. I raise this possibility because myself and some others have experienced this in the 2nd. generation 2.5L non-turbo (including 2017's without cylinder deactivation) when driving in normal mode, not sport mode. I'm surprised it is not reported more often.

The following many words may be excessive for a shot in the dark, but lugging has been my #1 and #1A complaint with the vehicle. I've expounded on this topic several times already but I guess I can't help myself getting into it again. Nitpicking an otherwise fine $26,000 vehicle is not my thing.

So, if you've never driven a manual transmission you might not recognize it as lugging. With a manual, if the driver decelerates, braking or easing off the gas, with the RPM's dropping far enough, and then reaccelerates without downshifting to the appropriate gear, the engine will briefly drone and labor until the RPMs get back up to match the gear. Your automatic may be doing the same thing--failing to drop from 3rd. gear to 2nd. I've also experienced it when the vehicle failed to drop from 2nd. to 1st, such as taking off from a stop sign and then quickly taking my foot off the gas because the guy in front is lollygagging, then reaccelerating with a lug.

It's situational, so you may experience it one day and not the next. It may come and go based on traffic conditions, or the driving maneuvers you need to perform, or how frisky or lollygagging you happen to be that day. If the RPMs are high enough in some zoom-zoom driving you likely won't experience it. You could try simulating a hairpin turn or a U-turn where you brake into the turn, drop the rpms, and reaccelerate out of it. Abandoned mall parking lots, for example, are a good place to try stuff several times.

A 90% cure for me was an update to the current (at the time) version of the powertrain control module (PCM). It now happens less frequently and when it does it's briefer and milder. You didn't say if you bought it from a dealer under Mazda's CPO program. That's uncommon for vehicles with 50K miles but it's possible if it was consistently dealer-serviced. If so, they should have updated the powertrain and transmission control modules to current versions available at that time. In the case of a CPO, if you've concluded lugging is the issue you should take it back to them, report the problem as such, and ask them to confirm for free that the current software versions were installed. If they want to recreate the problem you should be prepared to demonstrate it yourself with a tech in the car otherwise you may get the same answer as with your mechanic.

If not a CPO, then the dealer would have to be exceptionally friendly to do the diagnostic for free at 50k miles. At least one poster reported a $300 charge for the software reflashes though that may vary. If you bought it from a private party you will be out-of-pocket for software updates.

Anyway, if you can recreate the problem and intend to post a recording of the sound, see if you can position the camera at the tach and speedometer.
This is so great. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to respond. I will do my best to get that sound clip and have it include the tach and speedometer.

It is not CPO. It happens regardless, whether I accelerate or reaccelerate after taking my foot off the gas. It seems to happen more prominently when going uphill, leisurely approaching 2K RPM, almost like a buzzing around that seems to go away immediately after 2K but lately, I’ve not been able to reproduce it.

My wife drove it the other day and she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. I very well could be hypersensitive since this is a new to me vehicle but I’ve owned Mazdas in the past that I haven’t noticed this in before.

In short, thank you for the education and I will try to get that sound clip!
 
It seems to happen more prominently when going uphill, leisurely approaching 2K RPM,,,,
That might be consistent with lugging because going up steep or semi-steep hill applies more load at that low RPM. With a manual transmission one would want to downshift in that circumstance. I'm not sure what a recording would reveal but it's worth a shot.
 
I've noticed this in my '22 and thought it was due to the revised exhaust and possibly resonance as my '20 did not do it.
This post sort of kills that idea!
 
Hello all!

I’m having difficulty getting that sound clip but I found this while doing some research and it sounds JUST like the noise I am trying to describe.

Again, it does not happen consistently. Only in the situations I described below. Sometimes doesn’t happen at all.

Please note that the noise/buzzing does NOT occur when I lift my foot off the gas, it only tends to happen (when it does happen) when I:

1. Go uphill slowly approaching 2k (most noticeable)
2. Go pass to 2k, slow down, then reaccelerate to 2K.
3. Slowly accelerate, no incline.

Doesn’t happen when:

1. I turn
2. Accelerate quickly
3. Above 40MPH
4. Idle and rev to 2k

Here is the link:
Golf GTi Mk6 buzzing sound at 2k rpm

Thank you all so much!
 
Please note that the noise/buzzing does NOT occur when I lift my foot off the gas, it only tends to happen (when it does happen) when I:

1. Go uphill slowly approaching 2k (most noticeable)
2. Go pass to 2k, slow down, then reaccelerate to 2K.
3. Slowly accelerate, no incline.
1. and 3. would be inconsistent with lugging in my experience. I have not experienced it so long as RPMS are rising. I've found lugging occurs sporadically when reaccelerating after dropping RPMs and the trans fails to drop down a gear. Also, the buzz in your clip is not characteristic of lugging which is more of an engine groan as it labors under too high a gear.

I can't help with what that buzz might be.
 
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1. and 3. would be inconsistent with lugging in my experience. I have not experienced it so long as RPMS are rising. I've found lugging occurs sporadically when reaccelerating after dropping RPMs and the trans fails to drop down a gear. Also, the buzz in your clip is not characteristic of lugging which is more of an engine groan as it labors under too low a gear.

I can't help with what that buzz might be.
Thank you! I appreciate all your help. I sent the clip over to my mechanic and perhaps something is “loose” or running against the frame? Doesn’t think it’s a transmission or wheel bearing type of issue. It would happen more consistently and not intermittently if that was the issue.

I’ll keep everyone in the loop and see what he says.

Again, thank you!
 
Thank you! I appreciate all your help. I sent the clip over to my mechanic and perhaps something is “loose” or running against the frame? Doesn’t think it’s a transmission or wheel bearing type of issue. It would happen more consistently and not intermittently if that was the issue.

I’ll keep everyone in the loop and see what he says.

Again, thank you!
That's a plausible theory. You might want to see if there is spot near the mechanic's shop where you can recreate it with him in the car. I can think of a couple of instances where I've had to do that over the years.
 
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