2015 CX-5 Transmission Lifespan?

[jonathanbaa]

I will be looking at a 2015 CX5 for my daughter tomorrow. 96,000 miles. Transmission recently rebuilt. If the trans was rebuilt, can we expect it to last a long time or will it crap out early like the original?

 

[Lazy2.5]

There is nothing different about these auto trans vs otherwise. it has a filter --> needs to be maintained. Does it have fluid --> maintenance, every so often. past 250,000km, I would say you run a risk of causing trans damage with only a drain and fill. not necessarily that you will.

transmissions are not as picky re. fluid as manufacturers make it seem. its a ploy for profit margins.

your trans breaks? *hopefully* you take the car to the dealer. they swap out in a new trans, refurb your old un maintained one. rinse and repeat. $$$$. Mazda fluid (probably some rebranded stuff. not bad fluid, you just pay extra for the mazda logo slapped on it.)

 

[sinistriel@]

I will preface my comments by saying I've been inside these transmissions multiple times, have a teardown video and a walk through about what makes the transmission and torque converter special. They are very well designed and built. The most common issue that causes early replacement of the transaxles is the one/way clutch or sprag breaking. Mazda updated the design in 2016 to a more robust part so seeing an "earlier" one with a failure is not unheard of. Usual symptoms of this failure are losing 1st gear after 5mph and the 2-6 clutch set burned up. That being said the lifespan of these transmissions is great, is one of my favorite units and if rebuilt correctly have fantastic service life. Using Mazda FZ fluid is imperative for proper operation due to the viscosity rating and the additive package for smoother torque converter lockup(TCC) operation. It is not simply a rebranded other fluid but is provided to Mazda through Idemitsu and TOTAL depending on continent. We've fixed multiple complaints across many manufacturers simply by using the specified fluid from the OEM after they were serviced elsewhere with multi use fluids.

 

[andyW]

I will preface my comments by saying I've been inside these transmissions multiple times, have a teardown video and a walk through about what makes the transmission and torque converter special. They are very well designed and built. The most common issue that causes early replacement of the transaxles is the one/way clutch or sprag breaking. Mazda updated the design in 2016 to a more robust part so seeing an "earlier" one with a failure is not unheard of. Usual symptoms of this failure are losing 1st gear after 5mph and the 2-6 clutch set burned up. That being said the lifespan of these transmissions is great, is one of my favorite units and if rebuilt correctly have fantastic service life. Using Mazda FZ fluid is imperative for proper operation due to the viscosity rating and the additive package for smoother torque converter lockup(TCC) operation. It is not simply a rebranded other fluid but is provided to Mazda through Idemitsu and TOTAL depending on continent. We've fixed multiple complaints across many manufacturers simply by using the specified fluid from the OEM after they were serviced elsewhere with multi use fluids.

Those are interesting bit, thanks for sharing. Starting around 75k miles, my 2015 CX-5 has been shifting hard from 1st to 2nd gear every morning when I leave the house, or whenever the car has been parked for at least half a day. Is that related to the issue you mentioned? And is the commercially-available Idimitsu type M ATF comparable to the Mazda-branded FZ fluid? Any thoughts on the new Aisin FZ fluid?

 

[Lazy2.5]

Those are interesting bit, thanks for sharing. Starting around 75k miles, my 2015 CX-5 has been shifting hard from 1st to 2nd gear every morning when I leave the house, or whenever the car has been parked for at least half a day. Is that related to the issue you mentioned? And is the commercially-available Idimitsu type M ATF comparable to the Mazda-branded FZ fluid? Any thoughts on the new Aisin FZ fluid?

I would suggest trying to reset ecu (unplug negative battery terminal for 10 seconds) and see if that helps. It's a good time at your mileage to drop the pan. But it sounds like it could be a valve body or solenoid wear issue? If someone could chime in

 

[andyW]

I would suggest trying to reset ecu (unplug negative battery terminal for 10 seconds) and see if that helps. It's a good time at your mileage to drop the pan. But it sounds like it could be a valve body or solenoid wear issue? If someone could chime in

It's been shifting harshly in and out of other gears during normal driving lately too, which is what prompted me to think about doing its first drain and fill, and start looking into common transmission issues with this model. Otherwise, it's been a very trouble-free car for the past couple years since I bought it. My previous 3 cars all had to be retired because of transmission failures, so I'm really hoping to keep this Mazda in better shape.

 

[sinistriel@]

Those are interesting bit, thanks for sharing. Starting around 75k miles, my 2015 CX-5 has been shifting hard from 1st to 2nd gear every morning when I leave the house, or whenever the car has been parked for at least half a day. Is that related to the issue you mentioned? And is the commercially-available Idimitsu type M ATF comparable to the Mazda-branded FZ fluid? Any thoughts on the new Aisin FZ fluid?

It would be hard to say if that's what's going on without being able to monitor a few things on the car. It could also be the converter locking up harder after the 1-2 shift when the fluid is a little colder. Lockup operation is quite a bit different when the fluid is cold, it will delay lockup past 1st gear or will allow it to slip until the fluid has some heat in it. This can also lead to some of the slip/slurry feel complaints that sometimes happen with the Skyactiv family. The fluid requires more pressure for the same effect when it's cold and that can lead to some more "noticeable" shifts. Idemitsu type M is only compatible with older fluid. Ravenol FZ and Aisin FZ will work fine and has the correct viscosity. They are not a higher quality than the Mazda FZ however so purchasing whatever is more readily available/economical is fine in that instance.

 

[sinistriel@]

I would suggest trying to reset ecu (unplug negative battery terminal for 10 seconds) and see if that helps. It's a good time at your mileage to drop the pan. But it sounds like it could be a valve body or solenoid wear issue? If someone could chime in

Unplugging the battery will not reset shift/ clutch adapts. Those are part of the ROM in the TCM. You'll need to either use a factory level scan tool to put it in learn mode or the procedure I outline in this video to put it into learning mode.

Mazda Skyactiv AT initial learning mode. #skyactiv #mazda #automatictransmission

This is a quick video to show how to put a Mazda Skyactiv transmission into initialization mode. This clears all the shift adapts and learned clutch values. ...

youtu.be

 

[Lazy2.5]

Unplugging the battery will not reset shift/ clutch adapts. Those are part of the ROM in the TCM. You'll need to either use a factory level scan tool to put it in learn mode or the procedure I outline in this video to put it into learning mode.

Mazda Skyactiv AT initial learning mode. #skyactiv #mazda #automatictransmission

This is a quick video to show how to put a Mazda Skyactiv transmission into initialization mode. This clears all the shift adapts and learned clutch values. ...

youtu.be

Wow, thanks !

 

[Lazy2.5]

It's been shifting harshly in and out of other gears during normal driving lately too, which is what prompted me to think about doing its first drain and fill, and start looking into common transmission issues with this model. Otherwise, it's been a very trouble-free car for the past couple years since I bought it. My previous 3 cars all had to be retired because of transmission failures, so I'm really hoping to keep this Mazda in better shape.

But once it warms up, are the shifts - "better?" Or does it shift fine.

This is indeed an excellent transmission unit. As I've mentioned before in the past, my unit has hit 180k miles, no drain and fills, only filter changes. It ONLY jerks the the very first 1-2 shift on a cold start if I rev to 2500rpm or higher before the auto decides to shift. The clunky shifting was definitely worse before that last time I had the pan dropped.

In your situation, considering you are lucky to not have an overdue transmission at the moment, I think it is imperative that you drop that pan. I'm very confident it will resolve your jerky shifts.