2021 CX-5 Struts/Shocks Shot at 30K?

[David45]

Hi Folks,

I have a 2021 CX-5 Signature. Is it possible my struts/shocks are shot at 30K miles? The potholes and rough roads in some of the areas I have to drive in are horrendous and very jarring so my suspension has taken a beating. I've noticed it's very jarring now when I hit bumps and potholes and also it feels a little squirmy sometimes after hitting a bump especially in the back. My tires are also cupping (original Toyo A36) and making that noisy cupping sound. I rotate the tires every 5000 miles at each service so I am wondering if the cupping was caused because the struts/shocks are shot? The tires have 6/32 front and 5/32 rear so I am not sure if part of the suspension degradation I am feeling is due to the tires getting worn, or if it's more to do with the struts/shocks?

It's hard to believe the struts/shocks are shot at 30K so I am wondering if this has happened to anyone else. Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Tchman2016]

Thanks for posting. My advice, your tires need to go immediately. They are some of the worst ever produced and you are lucky they even last for 30k miles. Your shocks/struts are very likely just fine unless you can see one or more actively leaking. Then that is a problem needing to be replaced, in PAIRS. Your tire air pressure should be no more than 35 psi when cold( not driven on yet and checked in the morning and at least once a month). You likely need an an alignment as well even if your steering wheel is straight and you drive straight with no pulls. The alignment is to compensate for other suspension components wearing which get out of whack over time, mileage, rough roads etc. Get new tires(NOT the oem toyos), get an alignment, check your tires pressures and check your struts/ shocks for leaks.

 

[yrwei52]

Hi Folks,

I have a 2021 CX-5 Signature. Is it possible my struts/shocks are shot at 30K miles? The potholes and rough roads in some of the areas I have to drive in are horrendous and very jarring so my suspension has taken a beating. I've noticed it's very jarring now when I hit bumps and potholes and also it feels a little squirmy sometimes after hitting a bump especially in the back. My tires are also cupping (original Toyo A36) and making that noisy cupping sound. I rotate the tires every 5000 miles at each service so I am wondering if the cupping was caused because the struts/shocks are shot? The tires have 6/32 front and 5/32 rear so I am not sure if part of the suspension degradation I am feeling is due to the tires getting worn, or if it's more to do with the struts/shocks?

It's hard to believe the struts/shocks are shot at 30K so I am wondering if this has happened to anyone else. Thanks for your feedback!

IMO, if your tires are showing cupping sign with regular tire rotation, if could be the result of bad shock absorbers. The “behavior change” on absorbing bumps and potholes is also a sign the shock is going bad. But is it possible that the shocks are going in 30,000 miles? Sure it’s possible and you can see this TSB issued by Mazda:

TSB No..: 02-007/20 Oil Seepage / Leakage from Rear Shock Absorbers

You should take the CX-5 to your Mazda dealer showing the cupping sign on tires, and ask them to replace the shocks before the new car warranty expires.

As for the tire pressure, I’ve been using 39 psi on factory Toyo A23 225/55R19 tires since my 2016 CX-5 GT AWD is new. My Toyo’s lasted 44,032 miles and replaced by Radar Dimax AS-8 225/55R19 103V tires more than a year ago.

 

[David45]

Thanks for posting. My advice, your tires need to go immediately. They are some of the worst ever produced and you are lucky they even last for 30k miles. Your shocks/struts are very likely just fine unless you can see one or more actively leaking. Then that is a problem needing to be replaced, in PAIRS. Your tire air pressure should be no more than 35 psi when cold( not driven on yet and checked in the morning and at least once a month). You likely need an an alignment as well even if your steering wheel is straight and you drive straight with no pulls. The alignment is to compensate for other suspension components wearing which get out of whack over time, mileage, rough roads etc. Get new tires(NOT the oem toyos), get an alignment, check your tires pressures and check your struts/ shocks for leaks.

Thanks for your input. Very helpful. So the way to know for sure if the shocks/struts are bad is they will be leaking? Is it safe to say that if they are not actually leaking, then they are fine regardless of how they feel? You are right, the Toyos are terrible and downright dangerous in the rain. My concern is putting on new tires only to have them start cupping because there is an issue with the shocks/struts. So I want to make sure that if the dealer tells me there are no leaks in any of the shocks/struts, then I know for sure it's the tires and can move forward with replacing them along with an alignment. Thanks!

 

[David45]

IMO, if your tires are showing cupping sign with regular tire rotation, if could be the result of bad shock absorbers. The “behavior change” on absorbing bumps and potholes is also a sign the shock is going bad. But is it possible that the shocks are going in 30,000 miles? Sure it’s possible and you can see this TSB issued by Mazda:

TSB No..: 02-007/20 Oil Seepage / Leakage from Rear Shock Absorbers

You should take the CX-5 to your Mazda dealer showing the cupping sign on tires, and ask them to replace the shocks before the new car warranty expires.

As for the tire pressure, I’ve been using 39 psi on factory Toyo A23 225/55R19 tires since my 2016 CX-5 GT AWD is new. My Toyo’s lasted 44,032 miles and replaced by Radar Dimax AS-8 225/55R19 103V tires more than a year ago.

Thanks for the information. My CX-5 is a 2021. Do you think it's possible mine has the defective shocks per the 2020 TSB? I guess I could have the dealer check the part number per the TSB to see if they are the defective one's from 2020.

 

[yrwei52]

Thanks for the information. My CX-5 is a 2021. Do you think it's possible mine has the defective shocks per the 2020 TSB? I guess I could have the dealer check the part number per the TSB to see if they are the defective one's from 2020.

IMO the key is the “behavior change” while you’re driving your CX-5 when it was new and 30,000 miles later. And the cupping on tires usually means the bad shocks. Use these two points and ask the dealer to fix the problem. The TSB is almost 3 years old and there may be a new one to cover 2021 or newer CX-5s. Your dealer should have the latest TSBs available for reference. If any of the shocks is leaking it’d be easier to get new shocks under warranty. But if there’s no sign of leaks, it doesn’t mean the shock is perfectly fine as your tires are cupping. You can try push-and-bounce test but I found that’s very difficult with the very firm suspension on the CX-5.

Honestly it’d be difficult to persuade the dealer you have bad shocks unless there’s an obvious sign of leaking. But you do have some concerns with a couple of valid reasons, just take your CX-5 to a Mazda dealer you have a good relationship with and good reviews, and hope for the best.

 

[Tchman2016]

The TSB only applies to the rear shocks and on up to MY 2020. It does not apply to your vehicle unless a specific vin range was listed which it is not. You can check all TSBs available by going to the website nhtsa.gov and putting in your make and model and year. That website is not just for recalls. If the shocks are not visably leaking, the dealer will not replace them and its extremely difficult to get them to do any real diag for warranty claims. They are lazy and lack the skills and don't get paid for it unless they find a problem. Getting them to do anything under warranty is a chore in and if itself AND Its hard enough to get them to replace shocks if they have seepage, let alone if there are nO signs of any oil on them from a leak. Yes it is possible that one of the struts(in front) or shocks is bad internally and not providing damping but unlikely. Further, since you have been rotating your tires every 5k, the problem could be on any corner of the vehicle and cant be narrowed down to just one because the tires have all hit the side that possibly has an issue during this time, leading to all 4 tires having the issue.

You can mention to a dealer the cupping( if you are certain you are calling it the correct name and the tires have the classic sign of this issue) and see what they say. Im sure they will absolutely want to replace your tires regardless and do an alignment as well regardless. DO NOT buy the oem tires again in any situation. Go with the Pirelli Verde 3 or Good Year comfort drive or touring or something similar. Oem tires are garbage from the start and are simply made to the oem spec at the cheapest cost by the manufacturer chosen.

 

[Buzzman12]

Check your sway bar links in the back as well. The rough roads could break them.
My 2017 has a broken sway bar link in the back, and I get a bit of road bounce and stuff now from the rear suspension.
I bought two new links (they are fairly cheap) from the dealer, and tried to get the broken one off myself. Couldn't do it. I'll have to take it to a shop to have them replaced.

 

[yrwei52]

The TSB only applies to the rear shocks and on up to MY 2020. It does not apply to your vehicle unless a specific vin range was listed which it is not.

The TSB only shows to OP that the shock could be failing in 30,000 miles as he was asking. The TSB was issued on 9/25/2020 which covers 2017 ~ 2020 CX-5s. And I also mentioned he should check with the Mazda dealer and see if there’s any newer related TSBs which we can’t find on the internet. Mazda dealers always have the access to the latest TSBs.

You can check all TSBs available by going to the website nhtsa.gov and putting in your make and model and year. That website is not just for recalls.

The NHTSA website does not have ALL TSBs and Service Alerts from Mazda North American Operations. Many are still missing even for my 2016 CX-5. The best is to ask Mazda dealers who do have access to ALL TSBs and SAs from Mazda to find out.