2 more were waiting for parts. Once again, I think the probability of having a CX9 with this issue is higher than what some people are speculating. It’s also a compounding issue as more CX9 get to higher mileage.
Poll 2.5T Coolant Leak/Engine Replacement
- Thread starter arock712
- Start date
Occasionally, I check out used 2nd gen CX-9 listings on Autotrader and such and filter in the highest mileage ones first. Many 150,000 mile examples pop up, some near 200K. This time, I dug into the CarFax service records. None of these high mileage examples show engine problems or replacements, just regular maintenance and oil change service.
I know CarFax isn't full proof but I have to imagine if reports are showing every oil change appointment, an engine replacement would show? Then again, if these dealers are intent on helping cover up this issue, they may not report it.
What do you guys think about this? Would be nice to know that many CX-9's could potentially be spared the problem if these reports are accurate.
I know CarFax isn't full proof but I have to imagine if reports are showing every oil change appointment, an engine replacement would show? Then again, if these dealers are intent on helping cover up this issue, they may not report it.
What do you guys think about this? Would be nice to know that many CX-9's could potentially be spared the problem if these reports are accurate.
Without more information from Mazda it is hard to draw any conclusions from this. The issue appears to occur due to some combination of heat cycles and loading imparted by the weight of the exhaust on the cylinder head while going over bumps. Seeing cars with high mileage without head replacements could be a good thing. Conversely, one could conclude that high mileage cars were more likely driven on the highway and therefore saw fewer cycles between fully cold and hot, and fewer big pothole hits.
Jack Rabbit
Banned
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- 18 Mazda CX5 AW
Or they are leaking... And traded in, maybe got an oil change and then sold as-is... Which is what some do, sell a car with problems as-is.
Customer that doesn't know better may just buy it without having a mechanic look at it and then after 30 days there stuck with a crap vehicle, sometimes they don't even get 30 days, sometime customer is stuck with it after driving off lot. Who knows, some shady used car dealers could do an oil change and an engine degreaser/clean and throw it on the lot ...small leaks may not be immediately visible.
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I have had this issue recently as well (Nov 2022). I have a 2016 CX-9 with 95,000 miles. So unfortunately out of warranty. The dealer mentioned I will have to eat the cost and charged me $9,000 for replacing with a brand new engine. At the time it was urgent and I went ahead with it. Now I have a two-fold question:
1) I saw some posts here on folks being successful in getting Mazda to cover at least part of the cost. Can someone point me to a place where I can start with this? My email is vijay.janki@gmail.com
2) I'm also having issues with the workmanship of the dealer. Shortly after replacing the engine, I had a gas leak from under the car (big safety issue) and it was the result of a deformed gasket of the incoming fuel line into the engine. The dealer fixed it at no charge of course. A week later the engine overheat sign came again on the dash with the warning of coolant required. Had the car towed to the dealer and they diagnosed that there was an air pocket in the coolant system that was pulling in a vacuum etc. They have fixed this as well. My question is whether the new engine is now affected because of these additional issues and additional warning of engine overheat (note that I immediately pulled over when the warning came and got the car towed)? How can I tell? While the new engine comes with a 3 year, 36,000 mile additional warranty, I don't want an engine that might have issues down the road.
Thanks for the help and suggestions
1) I saw some posts here on folks being successful in getting Mazda to cover at least part of the cost. Can someone point me to a place where I can start with this? My email is vijay.janki@gmail.com
2) I'm also having issues with the workmanship of the dealer. Shortly after replacing the engine, I had a gas leak from under the car (big safety issue) and it was the result of a deformed gasket of the incoming fuel line into the engine. The dealer fixed it at no charge of course. A week later the engine overheat sign came again on the dash with the warning of coolant required. Had the car towed to the dealer and they diagnosed that there was an air pocket in the coolant system that was pulling in a vacuum etc. They have fixed this as well. My question is whether the new engine is now affected because of these additional issues and additional warning of engine overheat (note that I immediately pulled over when the warning came and got the car towed)? How can I tell? While the new engine comes with a 3 year, 36,000 mile additional warranty, I don't want an engine that might have issues down the road.
Thanks for the help and suggestions
Jack Rabbit
Banned
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- 18 Mazda CX5 AW
That's friggin negligence.did you take pictures? They didn't bleed the coolant system? WTH?
As long as the leak didn't drop your oil level below minimum on dipstick ,that would be fine and no damage from oil leak. And it's a possible that the gasket folded over during install. Again no biggie.
The coolant air bubble is a different issue. Did you ever notice your engine overheating and how many times and how long did you drive?
It's hard to say, there could be no damage or their could be damage.
Do you want a new engine, longer warranty in new engine?
Talk to a lawyer, usually first consult is free. He may tell you that there is no case and it's not worth it or he may say let's get em.
Contact Mazda corporate and make the aware of the issues...after you've spoke with a lawyer, if you're contacting one.
See if they(Dealer) will provide an extended warranty on the engine for their FUp. Mazda corporate probably won't cover a mistake by dealership.
At least the 3 year warranty has some piece of mind . But the frames already 7 years old so how much longer you plan to run? 5 years, 7 years? See if dealer will provide a 5 year or 7 year warranty since they messed up or see if they'll give you some Cashback.
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After the engine was replaced, I literally pulled over the minute I got the "overheat message on the dash". So it would seem that the engine should be hardy enough to take this one time high heat excursion without long term damage. I'm concerned because the first time around before the engine was replaced, the dealer had told me anytime I get an overheat message, the best course is to replace the engine. So is there a diagnostic or other test that the dealer can run (that I can ask for with printed results) to show that engine is still fine? I also like the idea of asking for extended warranty of 5 or 7 years. Initially I was also considering if I should trade in this car and get a new CX-9, however if there is a way I can get peace of mind with current engine it may be ok.
The other thing that will help is if Mazda can cover the cost of engine replacement. Irrespective of dealer issues, the fact is that the original engine replacement was triggered as a result of the cracked cylinder head and coolant leak. Should I just call their customer service number or is there a form or something I can fill to appeal to them? Trying to not reinvent the wheel here ;-)
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In your owner's manual, the process specified when/if there are any service or product issues, is:
1. Contact the dealer.
2. If unhappy with resolution from the dealer, contact Mazda Corporate. Usually Mazda Corp will open a ticket on your behalf and contact the dealer to get more information.
3. If unsatisfied with the service from Mazda Corp, contact the BBB to issue a complaint.
4. If the issue affects the safety of the driver or the passengers of the car, contact the NHTSA to file a report. If the NHTSA gets enough reports, they can investigate the issue, which may result in a special service plan or a recall to address the issue.
5. This step is not in the owner's manual, but you can also contact your local media/news outlets and blast the dealer/Mazda Corporate if you feel that you have been wronged.
6. Contact a lawyer for a consultation to see if it would be worth taking the issue to court.
Jack Rabbit
Banned
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- 18 Mazda CX5 AW
Except sometimes speaking with an atty first may be a good idea. You just spent $9000.
Sometimes your words can be used against you in victim blaming. The dealer may place the blame on you to cover their negligence...well why didn't you pull over sooner? Etc, etc.
Especially be wary of anything you put in writing before speaking with an atty.
Victim blaming has become rampant in our society whether a criminal trying to blame victim or a company blaming the customer.
All good advices. And if you have an extended service company that refuses to pay out because it is a “factory defect”, use that.
I’m sure Mazda Corporate do not want to be involved in a law suit that includes Carshield or another of those companies that offers extended service contracts etc. They know that those companies have better statistics how common this problem is.
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Thanks all. I will contact the dealer tomorrow and ask them to raise this with Mazda corporate and give me a break on the cost for all the inconvenience caused to me. I read through the other posts here on this forum and it looks like most folks who are outside warranty are not having any luck with the costs being covered. At this point I will be happy with a partial cost reimbursement. First and last Mazda for me.… which is sad as I really liked driving the car.
Just thought I'd say that the dealer experience is the first and foremost thing that makes or breaks a brand. Second thing is customer relations from the manufacturer themselves and how they handle matters with their customers to solve a problem or make things right. Every corporation looks at numbers and how much they can get away with or how far they can go without public backlash and suits. Some companies are much better than others, its all a game in their eyes on who puts up a stink and will follow through to get what they want. Every consumer needs to be their own advocate and be well informed to protect themselves when bad things arise. All corporations are evil, just some are not as much. If people just vote with their wallet, then it will force change. Otherwise it means nothing to them.
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Got rid of my 2018 cx-9.
Not sure if I plan to do anything else. After several months dealing with customer service, I can't imagine ever buying another Mazda.
Cylinder head broke at 62k. They denied assistance, and I paid the repair. They eventually told me the dealership didn't provide all the information Mazda had requested, and that's why they denied it. I went back to the dealer who was flabbergasted, and they resubmitted everything, not understanding what supposedly hadn't been submitted. It was denied again. Mazda later told me that since I had already paid for the repair, they could not offer any assistance.
On top of the faulty logic, dealing with customer service was a terrible experience. I kept getting different stories. I kept getting passed around, and almost nobody would call me back. You can't get transferred to a supervisor. You can't talk to anyone that can actually answer your questions or do anything to help. They put two denials in the system, and nobody ever told me. They didn't get something from the dealer, so instead of telling me, they just denied my request.
Mazda did offer me a $150 coupon towards future service at one point. I laughed.
Anyways, good luck to those dealing with this issue and those who will have to in the future.
Not sure if I plan to do anything else. After several months dealing with customer service, I can't imagine ever buying another Mazda.
Cylinder head broke at 62k. They denied assistance, and I paid the repair. They eventually told me the dealership didn't provide all the information Mazda had requested, and that's why they denied it. I went back to the dealer who was flabbergasted, and they resubmitted everything, not understanding what supposedly hadn't been submitted. It was denied again. Mazda later told me that since I had already paid for the repair, they could not offer any assistance.
On top of the faulty logic, dealing with customer service was a terrible experience. I kept getting different stories. I kept getting passed around, and almost nobody would call me back. You can't get transferred to a supervisor. You can't talk to anyone that can actually answer your questions or do anything to help. They put two denials in the system, and nobody ever told me. They didn't get something from the dealer, so instead of telling me, they just denied my request.
Mazda did offer me a $150 coupon towards future service at one point. I laughed.
Anyways, good luck to those dealing with this issue and those who will have to in the future.
It makes me so upset to read your post. I feel your pain and I fully understand that you would never look at a Mazda again.
Prime textbook example of what I said earlier a couple posts above
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Yes, totally understandable after such an ordeal. My dad went through something similar with a different manufacturer and refuses to even consider anything from them at this point, and went back to Chevy for his current vehicle.
@AdamH, sorry to hear that you were treated so poorly. If you can still be bothered, you should submit a report of your experiences to the BBB at the very least (if you haven't already done so). Though I can totally understand just wanting to get as far away from this as possible.
Jack Rabbit
Banned
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- 18 Mazda CX5 AW
If you're still on the board, what vehicle did you switch to ?
'23 Civic
Liked the SUV, but I didn't need the space since my wife got a 3 row SUV.
I decided to sell our CX-9. I believe that we’ll only see the number of cars with this issue increase. I travel a lot and I don’t want to get a call from my wife with our kids telling me the car broke down. Mazda has a problem and they need to take care of it. I own a CX50 for my commute but I think we are leaving Mazda after 12 years and 4 different Mazdas between both of us.
