Poll 2.5T Coolant Leak/Engine Replacement

[cjsmith4]

I was also told that I was not allowed to speak with the case managers supervisor. The case manager said she can't internally transfer calls and she wouldn't provide me with a phone number.

 

[youri]

I am guessing the quote sent to mazda USA is parts only ( no labor).

It seems like the best route for you is to try to go to social media. Write a thorough but polite complaint on Mazda’s Facebook, Twitter, etc. Mention that this is your third Mazda but will be the last, etc etc.There are no guarantee it will work but some people have had success. Especially since you only have 6k over the warranty period.

 

[Tchman2016]

I am guessing the quote sent to mazda USA is parts only ( no labor).

It seems like the best route for you is to try to go to social media. Write a thorough but polite complaint on Mazda’s Facebook, Twitter, etc. Mention that this is your third Mazda but will be the last, etc etc.There are no warranty but some people have had success. Especially since you only have 6k over the warranty period.

Absolutely, and I would even go so far as to post and warn others that there is a very specific TSB for this ongoing known issue for many years and that you have contacted Mazda Corp because you have this exact issue and they flat out told you to pound sand. You gotta do what you gotta do today. The only way to squeeze them is by social media or a lawsuit unfortunately.

 

[Tchman2016]

I was also told that I was not allowed to speak with the case managers supervisor. The case manager said she can't internally transfer calls and she wouldn't provide me with a phone number.

That is downright disgusting to treat you like that. They could very well leave a note and request that supervisor to call you or email you.

 

[JPL]

2018 cx-9. Stumbled upon this forum when mine started leaking coolant at 66k miles. Took it to a dealer who confirmed a cracked cylinder head. I have been back and forth with Mazda USA as well as the dealership and found out yesterday that Mazda USA will not cover the costs. Their reasons were that it was out of warranty as well customer loyalty.

Customer loyalty excuse is a load of crap though because this my families 3rd Mazda. I was also planning on purchasing a Mazda 6 in the very near future.

After talking to Mazda USA, the woman I spoke with said she would take my case back to upper management after I told her this is our 3rd Mazda. 2 minutes later I got an email from her stating she spoke to upper management and they will not cover my case and they will be closing the case. As part of that email thread, she also forwarded what my dealer sent to Mazda about repair costs. Those repair costs totaled $2,728.95. When I called the dealer back and asked about my original quote, they told me it would be $6700 to repair. I am quite surprised by a $4000 dollar difference between the cost to repair if Mazda USA would cover it and the cost to repair if I have to cover it. I called the dealer and they tried to excuse that away but I wasn't impressed with what they tried to explain.

I am not done fighting this with Mazda USA...any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Sorry to hear. 😕

That huge price difference for repair sounds like one quote would cover full engine replacement vs simply repairing the crack head. If so, I don't know why they just wouldn't say so.

Leaving customers high and dry like this, especially loyal ones, is really going to come back and bite Mazda. It's taking years to rebuild the brand's reputation after being brought down through the Ford years. If information about this engine flaw really starts to spread, Mazda's going to suffer. Somehow, not even Consumer Reports seems aware of this. I've looked at the reliability reports and engine scores are still high.

My wife's CX-9 is going on about 55,000 miles. I live with the feeling that this issue is a ticking time bomb. Never the feeling you expect with a late model vehicle.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

2018 cx-9. Stumbled upon this forum when mine started leaking coolant at 66k miles. Took it to a dealer who confirmed a cracked cylinder head. I have been back and forth with Mazda USA as well as the dealership and found out yesterday that Mazda USA will not cover the costs. Their reasons were that it was out of warranty as well customer loyalty.

Customer loyalty excuse is a load of crap though because this my families 3rd Mazda. I was also planning on purchasing a Mazda 6 in the very near future.

After talking to Mazda USA, the woman I spoke with said she would take my case back to upper management after I told her this is our 3rd Mazda. 2 minutes later I got an email from her stating she spoke to upper management and they will not cover my case and they will be closing the case. As part of that email thread, she also forwarded what my dealer sent to Mazda about repair costs. Those repair costs totaled $2,728.95. When I called the dealer back and asked about my original quote, they told me it would be $6700 to repair. I am quite surprised by a $4000 dollar difference between the cost to repair if Mazda USA would cover it and the cost to repair if I have to cover it. I called the dealer and they tried to excuse that away but I wasn't impressed with what they tried to explain.

I am not done fighting this with Mazda USA...any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

If Mazda isn't willing to eat the entire cost, maybe you can negotiate a percentage.. 80/20 maybe? It's better than getting bent over for a new vehicle imo.

 

[highfivezoom]

2018 cx-9. Stumbled upon this forum when mine started leaking coolant at 66k miles. Took it to a dealer who confirmed a cracked cylinder head. I have been back and forth with Mazda USA as well as the dealership and found out yesterday that Mazda USA will not cover the costs. Their reasons were that it was out of warranty as well customer loyalty.

Customer loyalty excuse is a load of crap though because this my families 3rd Mazda. I was also planning on purchasing a Mazda 6 in the very near future.

After talking to Mazda USA, the woman I spoke with said she would take my case back to upper management after I told her this is our 3rd Mazda. 2 minutes later I got an email from her stating she spoke to upper management and they will not cover my case and they will be closing the case. As part of that email thread, she also forwarded what my dealer sent to Mazda about repair costs. Those repair costs totaled $2,728.95. When I called the dealer back and asked about my original quote, they told me it would be $6700 to repair. I am quite surprised by a $4000 dollar difference between the cost to repair if Mazda USA would cover it and the cost to repair if I have to cover it. I called the dealer and they tried to excuse that away but I wasn't impressed with what they tried to explain.

I am not done fighting this with Mazda USA...any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Did you buy it new from that dealer? I was out of warranty at 67,000 miles when mine developed the crack and my dealership purchased extended warranty denied claim. Last chance was my dealer put in a request with mazda and it was approved, so i paid a very small amount and the rest was covered. Cant remember the term, but its an agreement where mazda and dealership agree to share repair costs.....

 

[kornholio]

Highfive was it a mazda extended confidence warranty extension the one you purchased? If you got a third party warranty they don't like to approve anything. If you got a mec please let me know this would be bad news if even mazda's own extended warranty wouldn't cover this.

 

[highfivezoom]

Highfive was it a mazda extended confidence warranty extension the one you purchased? If you got a third party warranty they don't like to approve anything. If you got a mec please let me know this would be bad news if even mazda's own extended warranty wouldn't cover this.

Highfive was it a mazda extended confidence warranty extension the one you purchased? If you got a third party warranty they don't like to approve anything. If you got a mec please let me know this would be bad news if even mazda's own extended warranty wouldn't cover this.

It was a third party warranty, but it covered rotating parts only in my situation...yep, i know...typical. In all fairness, it was a definite Mazda defect and they should be fixing every single one of them. My dealer had to instigate the " goodwill" repair and submit to mazda for approval. The bad news was had to wait 2 Nd a half months on engine...meanwhile, cx9 is sitting out in service lot 247 and through june and most of july.....full sun and heat. They did detail it and buffed all the scratches so that as good and i never had to bring it back for anything. Engine runs great. I hope Mazda does you right on this. What are your circumstances? Did you purchase new from dealer you are working with?

 

[highfivezoom]

ask your dealer about asking mazda for a goodwill on your case.....

 

[ctbale]

If its gunna be out of your wallet, might not hurt to have it done by a non dealer mechanic, if you can even find one. Its getting bad out there finding any competency in any field nowadays. If it was my engine I'd do an oil analysis and see if I could get away with just doing the head

 

[jal142]

If its gunna be out of your wallet, might not hurt to have it done by a non dealer mechanic, if you can even find one. Its getting bad out there finding any competency in any field nowadays. If it was my engine I'd do an oil analysis and see if I could get away with just doing the head

Others have reported that the parts are back ordered. Even if you want to go to an independent mechanic, you can't get parts.

 

[AdamH]

2018 cx-9. Stumbled upon this forum when mine started leaking coolant at 66k miles. Took it to a dealer who confirmed a cracked cylinder head. I have been back and forth with Mazda USA as well as the dealership and found out yesterday that Mazda USA will not cover the costs. Their reasons were that it was out of warranty as well customer loyalty.

Customer loyalty excuse is a load of crap though because this my families 3rd Mazda. I was also planning on purchasing a Mazda 6 in the very near future.

After talking to Mazda USA, the woman I spoke with said she would take my case back to upper management after I told her this is our 3rd Mazda. 2 minutes later I got an email from her stating she spoke to upper management and they will not cover my case and they will be closing the case. As part of that email thread, she also forwarded what my dealer sent to Mazda about repair costs. Those repair costs totaled $2,728.95. When I called the dealer back and asked about my original quote, they told me it would be $6700 to repair. I am quite surprised by a $4000 dollar difference between the cost to repair if Mazda USA would cover it and the cost to repair if I have to cover it. I called the dealer and they tried to excuse that away but I wasn't impressed with what they tried to explain.

I am not done fighting this with Mazda USA...any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

I have been denied much on the same grounds, though this is my first (and last) Mazda. The way they handled it has been frustrating, insulting, and unprofessional. Their customer service is appalling.

Be sure to report to NHTSA. I guess the next step is to approach their legal department about a resolution or file a small claim. BBB isn't going to do anything.

 

[hollandog]

Sorry to hear. 😕

That huge price difference for repair sounds like one quote would cover full engine replacement vs simply repairing the crack head. If so, I don't know why they just wouldn't say so.

Leaving customers high and dry like this, especially loyal ones, is really going to come back and bite Mazda. It's taking years to rebuild the brand's reputation after being brought down through the Ford years. If information about this engine flaw really starts to spread, Mazda's going to suffer. Somehow, not even Consumer Reports seems aware of this. I've looked at the reliability reports and engine scores are still high.

My wife's CX-9 is going on about 55,000 miles. I live with the feeling that this issue is a ticking time bomb. Never the feeling you expect with a late model vehicle.

Exactly how I'm feeling now. My CX9 is now at 59.5k miles. I brought it to the dealership at 57k and they verified there was no leak. I have the Rivian SUV ordered hope I don't get unlucky till I trade this bomb in.

Anyone experiencing this issue should file a NHTSA report and hope enough of people can force them a recall which then the victims could get their out of pocket cost back.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

I have been denied much on the same grounds, though this is my first (and last) Mazda. The way they handled it has been frustrating, insulting, and unprofessional. Their customer service is appalling.

Be sure to report to NHTSA. I guess the next step is to approach their legal department about a resolution or file a small claim. BBB isn't going to do anything.

Yes. That's how all companies are nowadays. Just happens to be Mazda with the defective engines. any other car company would do the same after warranty expiration.
Ethically not ok. Legally it's a tossup. Only thing can do is to talk with a lawyer(some may speak to you for 15-30 minutes for free to get the case) as well as file a NHTSA complaint and maybe you states AG.

The least that Mazda could do is offer to do the repair for cost(labor and parts) that would show some goodwill but they don't have to.

If all else fails, have an Indy mechanic do the repair (maybe take time for the backordered parts) but at least the labor will be realistic pricing.

Way more $$ saving and beneficial for you to get repaired than to trade-in as-is. Rental costs until repair completed should be alot less than the loss you take on trade-in of non-driveable vehicle.

 

[AdamH]

It wasn't so much the denial that made the customer service experience poor. It was mostly that every time I called, I was told they couldn't transfer me to a supervisor, and I would get a call in 24-48 hours. A week later, I'd call back. I came to find out that they supposedly denied it because the dealership didn't send something Mazda asked for. Dealership was pretty upset at that allegation. According to dealer, they attempted to reach out several times, and had the same issues with contact that I did. They even reached out to their regional rep to help resolve the situation.

I was told that the TSBs applied to my situation, and I was also told that they didn't. I had a supervisor call and tell me that she wanted to raise it up a level based on what had happened, and asked for me to give her a couple days before she called back. Never called me back. I had a case manager tell me that she would call and discuss the issue with the dealership, then she would let me know what she found out. When I called to check in, she had closed the case without notifying me.

Today, after they reopened the case so the dealership could resubmit everything, they let me know it was denied. I'm waiting on the dealership to call me back, as, according to the case manager, they have more detail about why it was denied. As an aside, this case manager asked me to please give her until X day at the latest to notify me of what this new assessment found. Surprise surprise, that day came and went with no contact. She ignored my call and email that day.

All that to say, if other manufacturers' customer service is like this, God help us all.

 

[cjsmith4]

I am guessing the quote sent to mazda USA is parts only ( no labor).

It seems like the best route for you is to try to go to social media. Write a thorough but polite complaint on Mazda’s Facebook, Twitter, etc. Mention that this is your third Mazda but will be the last, etc etc.There are no guarantee it will work but some people have had success. Especially since you only have 6k over the warranty period.

Wife and I called corporate a few more times and finally found someone that was somewhat helpful. We followed up with a lengthy email of the research we have done to prove that it is a manufacturer defect and that Mazda should be responsible for the fix.

The parts were listed out in the email I received with a cost of $1,246.62 and labor was 11.3 hours at $131.18/hour resulting in $1482.33 for labor. This showed a grand total of $2728.95 for the whole job. When I pressed the dealer on this, he tried relating it to the healthcare system in the United States where hospitals charge insurance companies less than they would charge a patient for self-pay. I am not really sure he wants to go down the road of comparing the business he is in to the healthcare system in our country but he did it.

Depending on how things turn out, I will be turning to social media eventually.

Absolutely, and I would even go so far as to post and warn others that there is a very specific TSB for this ongoing known issue for many years and that you have contacted Mazda Corp because you have this exact issue and they flat out told you to pound sand. You gotta do what you gotta do today. The only way to squeeze them is by social media or a lawsuit unfortunately.

Thanks for the insight. I don't really want to go the lawyer route because I will probably end up paying more to the lawyer than if I would just fix the darned thing. But social media is an easy route if needed. Trying to solve it other ways first. My wife has been much calmer on the phone with the folks at Mazda than I have been able to be.

Sorry to hear. 😕

That huge price difference for repair sounds like one quote would cover full engine replacement vs simply repairing the crack head. If so, I don't know why they just wouldn't say so.

Leaving customers high and dry like this, especially loyal ones, is really going to come back and bite Mazda. It's taking years to rebuild the brand's reputation after being brought down through the Ford years. If information about this engine flaw really starts to spread, Mazda's going to suffer. Somehow, not even Consumer Reports seems aware of this. I've looked at the reliability reports and engine scores are still high.

My wife's CX-9 is going on about 55,000 miles. I live with the feeling that this issue is a ticking time bomb. Never the feeling you expect with a late model vehicle.

I will be sure to tell all my friends and family to stay away from Mazda. I have to admit, I really like the vehicles that we have had, but if this is how they are going to treat their customers, then they certainly don't want me as a customer. Loyalty in my eyes goes both ways and the way they have been handling this has been less than good.

If Mazda isn't willing to eat the entire cost, maybe you can negotiate a percentage.. 80/20 maybe? It's better than getting bent over for a new vehicle imo.

We are also thinking about this. Thank you!

Did you buy it new from that dealer? I was out of warranty at 67,000 miles when mine developed the crack and my dealership purchased extended warranty denied claim. Last chance was my dealer put in a request with mazda and it was approved, so i paid a very small amount and the rest was covered. Cant remember the term, but its an agreement where mazda and dealership agree to share repair costs.....

I did not purchase this vehicle new from the dealer that is servicing it.

It was a third party warranty, but it covered rotating parts only in my situation...yep, i know...typical. In all fairness, it was a definite Mazda defect and they should be fixing every single one of them. My dealer had to instigate the " goodwill" repair and submit to mazda for approval. The bad news was had to wait 2 Nd a half months on engine...meanwhile, cx9 is sitting out in service lot 247 and through june and most of july.....full sun and heat. They did detail it and buffed all the scratches so that as good and i never had to bring it back for anything. Engine runs great. I hope Mazda does you right on this. What are your circumstances? Did you purchase new from dealer you are working with?

The dealer we are working with has not been super helpful in this case. I saw the email they sent to Mazda corporate and it included very little information.

If its gunna be out of your wallet, might not hurt to have it done by a non dealer mechanic, if you can even find one. Its getting bad out there finding any competency in any field nowadays. If it was my engine I'd do an oil analysis and see if I could get away with just doing the head

I already told the dealer that if Mazda continues to deny this claim, they will not be fixing our car. We have a good mechanic near us that I trust to do this work.

I have been denied much on the same grounds, though this is my first (and last) Mazda. The way they handled it has been frustrating, insulting, and unprofessional. Their customer service is appalling.

I think appalling is too nice of a word. We have been batted around worse than a Kyle Schwarber home run. No one will give us their full name, no one will give us an extension, no one will give us their supervisors phone number, no one will transfer us to someone who can actually fix the issue. Every conversation we have with them seems very shady and nobody there is willing to give us any information at all. We have received quite a bit of attitude from most of the people as well. We finally got one decent person on the phone tonight who was somewhat helpful with recommendations but had no power to actually do much beyond that.

Be sure to report to NHTSA. I guess the next step is to approach their legal department about a resolution or file a small claim. BBB isn't going to do anything.

I did report it to the NHTSA. I hear ya on the legal department front but would prefer not to if I don't have to. Probably just cheaper to fix the dang thing than hire a lawyer and go to court.

Exactly how I'm feeling now. My CX9 is now at 59.5k miles. I brought it to the dealership at 57k and they verified there was no leak. I have the Rivian SUV ordered hope I don't get unlucky till I trade this bomb in.

Anyone experiencing this issue should file a NHTSA report and hope enough of people can force them a recall which then the victims could get their out of pocket cost back.

I did file with NHTSA but I am skeptical that anything will come of that because I wonder if they will find it to be a safety risk. In the email I received from my Mazda case manager, she straight up said to me that it isn't a manufacturer defect and that if it was, there would be a recall. She clearly doesn't understand how that works (or maybe I don't). haha.

After much typing tonight to get an email off to Mazda with as much evidence as I could fit into one email, we will see where this goes. I am hopeful, but at the same time quite doubtful that it will do anything. I will update some more if I hear back.

 

[cjsmith4]

It wasn't so much the denial that made the customer service experience poor. It was mostly that every time I called, I was told they couldn't transfer me to a supervisor, and I would get a call in 24-48 hours. A week later, I'd call back. I came to find out that they supposedly denied it because the dealership didn't send something Mazda asked for. Dealership was pretty upset at that allegation. According to dealer, they attempted to reach out several times, and had the same issues with contact that I did. They even reached out to their regional rep to help resolve the situation.

I was told that the TSBs applied to my situation, and I was also told that they didn't. I had a supervisor call and tell me that she wanted to raise it up a level based on what had happened, and asked for me to give her a couple days before she called back. Never called me back. I had a case manager tell me that she would call and discuss the issue with the dealership, then she would let me know what she found out. When I called to check in, she had closed the case without notifying me.

Today, after they reopened the case so the dealership could resubmit everything, they let me know it was denied. I'm waiting on the dealership to call me back, as, according to the case manager, they have more detail about why it was denied. As an aside, this case manager asked me to please give her until X day at the latest to notify me of what this new assessment found. Surprise surprise, that day came and went with no contact. She ignored my call and email that day.

All that to say, if other manufacturers' customer service is like this, God help us all.

WOW, I feel like I just read my story in your words! We haven't been able to get to the supervisor level yet but we are trying. Tonight was a good one, the lady started arguing with my wife about the time frames. We called Saturday afternoon and were told we would receive a call back within 24-48 hours. My wife called back today (Monday) and said it has been more than 48 hours and the lady on the phone began arguing with her saying it has only been 24 hours since we called them and that we need to give them more time. I couldn't believe it!

I even said to my wife tonight, even with this issue, I would consider buying another Mazda (outside of this TSB) if it wasn't for the absolutely awful customer service we have been receiving. If any small business treated their customer this way, they wouldn't last a month.

@AdamH, Good luck with your fight and I hope you are able to get further than we have been able to up to this point.

 

[AdamH]

WOW, I feel like I just read my story in your words! We haven't been able to get to the supervisor level yet but we are trying. Tonight was a good one, the lady started arguing with my wife about the time frames. We called Saturday afternoon and were told we would receive a call back within 24-48 hours. My wife called back today (Monday) and said it has been more than 48 hours and the lady on the phone began arguing with her saying it has only been 24 hours since we called them and that we need to give them more time. I couldn't believe it!

I even said to my wife tonight, even with this issue, I would consider buying another Mazda (outside of this TSB) if it wasn't for the absolutely awful customer service we have been receiving. If any small business treated their customer this way, they wouldn't last a month.

@AdamH, Good luck with your fight and I hope you are able to get further than we have been able to up to this point.

Thanks! Best luck to you too.

I told Mazda and the dealer that it's too bad this happened, because I like the CX-9 and would have probably gotten another one in a couple years had they even made a partial effort to stand by their self-admitted design defect and not jerked me around on the phone for 3 months.

That's part of life, I guess. Can't hit a home run every time you swing.

 

[Tchman2016]

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.