2016~2023 Roof rust on 2018 CX-9

sm1ke

2018 Mazda CX-9 Signature
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Canada
All throughout this winter I had been taking the car to a touchless wash for convenience, with the occasional coin-operated wand wash for quick rinses. Prior to this winter I had been washing the car by hand, and there were almost no instances of rust on the roof, and only a few rock chips that I could see while drying the roof off. A few days ago, after taking the car through the touchless wash and then wiping it down after the fact, I noticed that the roof had begun to develop a lot of rust bubbles under the paint, with some of those bubbles already bursting open to expose the rust underneath.

I quickly sent an email to the dealership service manager I had dealt with when I had my infotainment screen swapped out. I asked for advice on how to handle the situation, to which I received a 2-line response that basically said I was out of warranty, and thus, out of luck. While true, I felt that the roof was rusting prematurely, and that perhaps the paint or the panel were defective. I submitted a complaint to Mazda Canada using the contact form on their website, detailing everything above. Again, they said that because I was out of warranty, they couldn't do anything. They advised that I bring the car to the Mazda dealer to have them inspect the rust in person - but until I do that, my case with Mazda Canada would remain closed. I haven't tried to schedule an appointment yet, but that is my next step.

A somewhat disappointing interaction with my dealer and Mazda, given my previous interactions with them were much better. Then again, I am out of warranty now..

At this point, if nothing comes out this complaint and I have to repair the roof on my own dime, I may just have it painted gloss black, or have it vinyl wrapped after the rust spots have been repaired.

I'll include pictures of the rust once I get them, they're a little hard to photograph clearly.
 
Your roof rust problem seems to be the same as several other cases reported here:

Paint failure? 25+ rust bubbles on roof after winter - 2019 CX-5

This kind of paint problem should be caused by the contamination during the first stage chemical dipping of the car body. It’s definitely a defect or over-sight during factory painting process. Unfortunately Mazda Canada believes even if it’s their fault, you’re on your own as your 2018 Mazda CX-9 Signature has no warranty. This’s going to be an expensive expense if you’re going to fix the rust spots and repaint the entire roof by yourself.

I simply can’t believe this kind of paint problem would happen this many times based only on those reports by such a small percentage of Mazda owners in this forum. What happened to the quality control at Mazda’s Hiroshima assembly plant in Japan?
 
Wow. That is terrible. I thought these vehicles were covered against rust forever.
 
Wow. That is terrible. I thought these vehicles were covered against rust forever.

In Canada, I believe Mazda carries a 7-year Anti-Perforation Warranty against rust, but it doesn't cover surface rust. If the rust gets bad enough that there are holes in the sheet metal, then it would get covered by the warranty. But surface rust from rock chips, and in my case, a possibly defective paint job from the factory that results in rust bubbles, is not covered.

It's a very bad way to handle cases like mine, because now, if I want to have this defect covered under the warranty, I basically have to encourage the rust to get bad enough to eat through the sheet metal (and drive the car around with a progressively worse looking roof in the meantime). It's either that, or I pay out of pocket to have it fixed preemptively. It would be better for Mazda to just fix this right away, because if they don't, the other two outcomes just make their products and their service look bad.
 
I commented in the other thread about the very same problem I had with my 2017 roof.
Mazda took care of it, no questions asked.
Check the other thread for my response.
I hope Mazda steps up and fixes it. They should.
 
I commented in the other thread about the very same problem I had with my 2017 roof.
Mazda took care of it, no questions asked.
Check the other thread for my response.
I hope Mazda steps up and fixes it. They should.

When was this? Was the body shop owned the same dealer group?
 
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@sm1ke I'd be cautious about bringing it to your local dealer. Not sure how close you are to Ontario, but you don't want your local dealer seeing it and rejecting it and notating in their system, then trying to go to another dealer, if Buzzman's dealer would approve the same repair (I'd ask name of dealer but PM might be better). If anything I'd send pictures via email first rather than providing VIN info and such.
 
@sm1ke I'd be cautious about bringing it to your local dealer. Not sure how close you are to Ontario, but you don't want your local dealer seeing it and rejecting it and notating in their system, then trying to go to another dealer, if Buzzman's dealer would approve the same repair (I'd ask name of dealer but PM might be better). If anything I'd send pictures via email first rather than providing VIN info and such.
I agree with your approach. However the problem is sm1ke has contacted Mazda Canada, and he should have provided the VIN.

Of course the major difference between sm1ke 2018 CX-9’s situation and most others with the same issue is others still had the 3-year new car warranty at the time.
 
That's a good idea, depending on how far away the dealership is from me. @Buzzman12, would you mind posting the dealership name or your service contact, or PMing it to me? Totally understand if you'd rather keep it private though.

There is also a second dealership local to me. I haven't contacted them either. But I don't really have too much faith that this will get covered, if I'm being honest.
 
When was this? Was the body shop owned the same dealer group?
Bought the car in November 2017. Took it in for the roof rust in August 2021.
I actually went to a different dealership than the one I bought it from. I've never really liked the dealer where I bought the car, so started going to this other one that was 10 times better.
They looked at the roof, agreed right away that it was a manufacturers defect, then made a claim to Mazda Canada on my behalf.
The dealer themselves do not have a body shop. They sent me to an independent body shop that they have a contract/deal with. The body shop took more pictures and also contacted Mazda Canada to verify the problem. Mazda didn't hesitate to have the roof repainted under warranty.
These guys did a fabulous job. I was worried that it would look like a repair, but the colour match and finish was perfect. Still is almost two years later.

Dealership is Kanata Mazda.
 
Bought the car in November 2017. Took it in for the roof rust in August 2021.
Mazda didn't hesitate to have the roof repainted under warranty.
I guess I’m confused. Your 2017 Mazda 6 GT definitely had no new car warranty at the time. And what kind of warranty Mazda Canada used to cover your paint defect on the roof?
 
Bought the car in November 2017. Took it in for the roof rust in August 2021.
I actually went to a different dealership than the one I bought it from. I've never really liked the dealer where I bought the car, so started going to this other one that was 10 times better.
They looked at the roof, agreed right away that it was a manufacturers defect, then made a claim to Mazda Canada on my behalf.
The dealer themselves do not have a body shop. They sent me to an independent body shop that they have a contract/deal with. The body shop took more pictures and also contacted Mazda Canada to verify the problem. Mazda didn't hesitate to have the roof repainted under warranty.
These guys did a fabulous job. I was worried that it would look like a repair, but the colour match and finish was perfect. Still is almost two years later.

Dealership is Kanata Mazda.

Thanks Buzzman12. They're unfortunately too far away from to visit in person, but based on your experience with them, maybe I'll give them a call to see if they'd be willing to look at some pictures.
 
I guess I’m confused. Your 2017 Mazda 6 GT definitely had no new car warranty at the time. And what kind of warranty Mazda Canada used to cover your paint defect on the roof?
Yes, technically you are right, but they still covered it no problem.
To be fair, I didn't ask what policy or warranty they used when they agreed to repaint it for free.
I was just glad that they stepped up to the plate and agreed to do it.
What really surprised me is how quickly the process went. For me, this did not drag out for weeks and weeks, with Mazda arguing or trying to convince me that it was somehow my fault.
I went to the dealer in the morning, had them look at it, and the manager right away said yes, this is a paint defect. He sent me to the body shop the same day. I went there that afternoon, where the manager took pictures etc. He said he would forward his opinion and pics to Mazda Canada. I got a call the NEXT DAY, and they had an appointment already set up to get it fixed. I was floored, to be honest.
 
Here are a couple of pics from my roof, 2001.
IMG_20210823_185628163_HDR.jpg
IMG_20210823_190027033.jpg


IMG_20210823_185957076.jpg
 
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