2022 Mazda3 Rear Window Ticking/Clicking

:
2022 Mazda 3 CE
Hi All,

I've tried researching this, but I'm not able to find anything exactly like it. The Mazda dealership also hasn't encountered it before. Or maybe I'm just not using the correct keywords to describe the problem.

Recently bough a 2022 Mazda 3 FWD Carbon Edition and I'm hearing this ticking sound coming from the rear window (rear windshield?.. the big one with the defrosters). I've made the Mazda dealership aware, but if I don't have to make the 30 mile drive out there (was the only dealership selling at msrp) and spare myself the "we didn't find anything" response by fixing it myself that would obviously be preferred. It starts about a minute into driving if from a cold start, instantly if I've only had it parked while I'm shopping or something. Doesn't matter if the road is flat or bumpy, it's still there. It's more constant when on an expressway.

I've attached the sound file for it. There's road noise, but you should still be able to clearly hear it in the background. It's maddening. The car is absolutely amazing, but it's hard to enjoy with this constant soul stabbing ticking and you can only blast music so loud for so long before it gives you a headache.

Yesterday I had someone drive for me while I was in the back, half in the trunk and half on the folded down seats and from what I can tell it's coming from the rear window. The space there is pretty narrow and my head is bald and massive so I wasn't able to fully get my ear back in there, but it seems like the window. MAYBE it's from the C pillars and bouncing off the window? But to have the same sound on both C pillars seems a bit rare and I don't hear it when strictly focusing on the C pillars themselves as the sound still seems like it's coming from... beyond them, if that makes any sense. I guess either window or somewhere on the sides of the rear speaker assembly area.

The absolutely annoying thing about this is that I am not able to replicate it when the car is stopped. When it's moving I have not been able to find a place where if I apply pressure the noise stops.


What I've checked before taking the ride yesterday:
- Seatbelts - had them fully pulled out, wiggled them around, etc - nothing.
- Seats themselves - had the folded down - sound still present.
- Weather stripping on the rear doors - removed it, sound still present.
- Removing the styrofoam around the spare didn't help.
- Tried padding around the plastic panels in the trunk area a bit, but that did nothing.
- Checked every panel I could in the trunk while the car was moving and parked, but not able to replicate the same sound.
- Cant replicate the sound by applying pressure to the rear window when parked.


Any help is appreciated!
 

Attachments

  • ClickingMP3(1).mp3
    440.7 KB
Solution
Wow! You have my Mazda!! 😂 I have also experienced the noise with my brakes! I read a comment from another forum, in which someone with the same complaint was told that the problem was most likely related to the C pillar and/or headliner joining said pillar. It's crazy! If you ever have the time to play around and investigate further, please let me know! Best of luck!
Now that you mention the headliner. It has dropped to single digits now here in Chicago and I've been driving around without it ticking a lot anymore... It makes sure I know it's still in my life with a tick or two every now and then, but I didn't even really notice until I realized how much less it was happening - to the point I'm just chalking up any ticks I do...
It sounds like it could be a loose wire, or even a loose screw/fastener. But this is the first I've heard of this particular issue.
 
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I wonder if the rear window will need to be resealed. That would definitely be a dealership task. Do you have a mechanic's stethoscope? That may help narrow down where the noise is emanating from but if it's the window itself, it may need to be removed and resealed.
 
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I have same issue on my Mazda 2021 Sedan and its making me insane! Dealership was no help at all!

I first noticed it in Dec 2021 and by April the clicking sound was gone. Now it Dec 2022 it started to happen again. Clearly, the trigger is cold weather. But why?

Did you ever find what is causing this?
 
Upvote 0
Hi All,

I've tried researching this, but I'm not able to find anything exactly like it. The Mazda dealership also hasn't encountered it before. Or maybe I'm just not using the correct keywords to describe the problem.

Recently bough a 2022 Mazda 3 FWD Carbon Edition and I'm hearing this ticking sound coming from the rear window (rear windshield?.. the big one with the defrosters). I've made the Mazda dealership aware, but if I don't have to make the 30 mile drive out there (was the only dealership selling at msrp) and spare myself the "we didn't find anything" response by fixing it myself that would obviously be preferred. It starts about a minute into driving if from a cold start, instantly if I've only had it parked while I'm shopping or something. Doesn't matter if the road is flat or bumpy, it's still there. It's more constant when on an expressway.

I've attached the sound file for it. There's road noise, but you should still be able to clearly hear it in the background. It's maddening. The car is absolutely amazing, but it's hard to enjoy with this constant soul stabbing ticking and you can only blast music so loud for so long before it gives you a headache.

Yesterday I had someone drive for me while I was in the back, half in the trunk and half on the folded down seats and from what I can tell it's coming from the rear window. The space there is pretty narrow and my head is bald and massive so I wasn't able to fully get my ear back in there, but it seems like the window. MAYBE it's from the C pillars and bouncing off the window? But to have the same sound on both C pillars seems a bit rare and I don't hear it when strictly focusing on the C pillars themselves as the sound still seems like it's coming from... beyond them, if that makes any sense. I guess either window or somewhere on the sides of the rear speaker assembly area.

The absolutely annoying thing about this is that I am not able to replicate it when the car is stopped. When it's moving I have not been able to find a place where if I apply pressure the noise stops.


What I've checked before taking the ride yesterday:
- Seatbelts - had them fully pulled out, wiggled them around, etc - nothing.
- Seats themselves - had the folded down - sound still present.
- Weather stripping on the rear doors - removed it, sound still present.
- Removing the styrofoam around the spare didn't help.
- Tried padding around the plastic panels in the trunk area a bit, but that did nothing.
- Checked every panel I could in the trunk while the car was moving and parked, but not able to replicate the same sound.
- Cant replicate the sound by applying pressure to the rear window when parked.


Any help is appreciated!
Thank you so much for posting this! I thought I was going crazy. I bought a 2022 Mazda 3 preferred in late March of last year and the exact same noise started in my car when the weather started to turn cold. I took it to the dealership, and they were no help whatsoever! I've checked everything I know to check, yet nothing seems to help. Mazda needs to issue a technical bulletin about this issue! It's maddening!
 
Upvote 0
Hi All,

Sorry for not replying to this earlier, but no, sadly I haven't found out what is causing it. It hasn't been doing it much this winter, but I also haven't been driving as much. Noticed for mine it starts to happen once the temperature dips to around 30F and below.

Spoke to my mechanic about it too since I had other things come up too - see list below - but this was in the summer so I couldn't replicate it. His assumption was honestly just build materials that were used maybe in the C pillars. Not sure if there's any time of styrofoam or whatever else in those back pillars that would cause it to become more rigid in colder weather and then rub against it's surrounds somehow? I'm honestly not sure, but I haven't had the time or energy to take apart stuff to try to find it lol. In the summer it doesn't make the noise so I never bothered and now in the winter the cold is making me too lazy :D

When I took it to the dealership the day ended up being warmer than all the others that week so I couldn't replicate it as much. It still did happen a little, but barely. They told me that they took off and reseated the panels in the rear, which did nothing since after driving off it started again.

Hopefully this gets someone's attention who knows what's wrong since it seams I'm not the only one.

----

Other stuff:

- I have a little less than 5,000 miles on mine and the brakes have this swishing sound when coming to a stop. It's only heard when the car is coming to a complete stop from around 10 mph. Spoke to my mechanic about it and he didn't see any issues with the rotors and said it might have been due to the brake pads being a bit glazed. I do also have some squeaking only for like the first few minutes when I first drive the car in colder weather. I don't drive this thing hard at all. Sure there have been times where I've had to brake hard, but nowhere near enough for me to think I'm causing them to be glazed. I'm no expert though, so don't know.

- There's this clunking sound coming from my brakes only only when I go from Park or Drive into Reverse and then actually start reversing, and only happens once per cycle. The act of moving from P/D to R doesn't make any noise, but once I move it does. Mechanic told me it was my movement in my brake calipers.

Given the car is under warranty my mechanic didn't do anything else other than just visual checks, which didn't matter much since when I brought stuff up to the Mazda service center they didn't find anything on any of the things brought up. They couldn't replicate the clunking when going in reverse even though my mechanic, and myself, can make it happen every since time :D. They said that they had this happen on another model, I cant remember which but it was one of the CX's, but that they haven't had this reported for the 3. I also brought up the brake squeaking, but never got any feedback on it lol and when the service was done I forgot I even brought it up.
 
Upvote 0
Thank you so much for posting this! I thought I was going crazy. I bought a 2022 Mazda 3 preferred in late March of last year and the exact same noise started in my car when the weather started to turn cold. I took it to the dealership, and they were no help whatsoever! I've checked everything I know to check, yet nothing seems to help. Mazda needs to issue a technical bulletin about this issue! It's maddening!
Don't have an MZ3 but my thoughts:

1.Defective window
2.Rear window not completely installed/sealed correctly
3.wiring and clips in pillar not secure and clips banging against pillar.
4. Something in trunk/spare tire loose. Tire, tools, jack, etc not tightened down.
 
Upvote 0
Don't have an MZ3 but my thoughts:

1.Defective window
2.Rear window not completely installed/sealed correctly
3.wiring and clips in pillar not secure and clips banging against pillar.
4. Something in trunk/spare tire loose. Tire, tools, jack, etc not tightened down.

Hi,

I've checked everything regarding point 4, nothing. The other problem is I cant actually pinpoint it's exact source. When sitting in the front it comes from both sides from the back. Seems like both C pillars, which makes me lean towards what you mentioned in point 3, but it's interesting it's happening on both sides. Then I start to lean towards a combo of point 1 and 2 because when I had someone else drive and I was half in the backseat and half in the trunk with my head up near the window it sounded like it was coming from all over the place, but this could have just been because of the sound bouncing across the window from both pillars. I lost a lot of patience with this last year lol so haven't looked into it much more and the dealership hasn't really cared to either. I'd bother them more, but they're about an hour away.

angry pandas
 
Upvote 0
Hi All,

Sorry for not replying to this earlier, but no, sadly I haven't found out what is causing it. It hasn't been doing it much this winter, but I also haven't been driving as much. Noticed for mine it starts to happen once the temperature dips to around 30F and below.

Spoke to my mechanic about it too since I had other things come up too - see list below - but this was in the summer so I couldn't replicate it. His assumption was honestly just build materials that were used maybe in the C pillars. Not sure if there's any time of styrofoam or whatever else in those back pillars that would cause it to become more rigid in colder weather and then rub against it's surrounds somehow? I'm honestly not sure, but I haven't had the time or energy to take apart stuff to try to find it lol. In the summer it doesn't make the noise so I never bothered and now in the winter the cold is making me too lazy :D

When I took it to the dealership the day ended up being warmer than all the others that week so I couldn't replicate it as much. It still did happen a little, but barely. They told me that they took off and reseated the panels in the rear, which did nothing since after driving off it started again.

Hopefully this gets someone's attention who knows what's wrong since it seams I'm not the only one.

----

Other stuff:

- I have a little less than 5,000 miles on mine and the brakes have this swishing sound when coming to a stop. It's only heard when the car is coming to a complete stop from around 10 mph. Spoke to my mechanic about it and he didn't see any issues with the rotors and said it might have been due to the brake pads being a bit glazed. I do also have some squeaking only for like the first few minutes when I first drive the car in colder weather. I don't drive this thing hard at all. Sure there have been times where I've had to brake hard, but nowhere near enough for me to think I'm causing them to be glazed. I'm no expert though, so don't know.

- There's this clunking sound coming from my brakes only only when I go from Park or Drive into Reverse and then actually start reversing, and only happens once per cycle. The act of moving from P/D to R doesn't make any noise, but once I move it does. Mechanic told me it was my movement in my brake calipers.

Given the car is under warranty my mechanic didn't do anything else other than just visual checks, which didn't matter much since when I brought stuff up to the Mazda service center they didn't find anything on any of the things brought up. They couldn't replicate the clunking when going in reverse even though my mechanic, and myself, can make it happen every since time :D. They said that they had this happen on another model, I cant remember which but it was one of the CX's, but that they haven't had this reported for the 3. I also brought up the brake squeaking, but never got any feedback on it lol and when the service was done I forgot I even brought it up.
Wow! You have my Mazda!! 😂 I have also experienced the noise with my brakes! I read a comment from another forum, in which someone with the same complaint was told that the problem was most likely related to the C pillar and/or headliner joining said pillar. It's crazy! If you ever have the time to play around and investigate further, please let me know! Best of luck!
 
Upvote 1
Hi All,

Other stuff:

- I have a little less than 5,000 miles on mine and the brakes have this swishing sound when coming to a stop. It's only heard when the car is coming to a complete stop from around 10 mph. Spoke to my mechanic about it and he didn't see any issues with the rotors and said it might have been due to the brake pads being a bit glazed. I do also have some squeaking only for like the first few minutes when I first drive the car in colder weather. I don't drive this thing hard at all. Sure there have been times where I've had to brake hard, but nowhere near enough for me to think I'm causing them to be glazed. I'm no expert though, so don't know.

- There's this clunking sound coming from my brakes only only when I go from Park or Drive into Reverse and then actually start reversing, and only happens once per cycle. The act of moving from P/D to R doesn't make any noise, but once I move it does. Mechanic told me it was my movement in my brake calipers.

You can try doing a brake bedding procedure to see if that will get rid of the swishing sound by burning off the glazed portions on the pads/rotors. Usually this is supposed to be done when new pads are installed, but I've done it at 60k kms with OEM pads on my CX-9 since I never bedded them in when I bought the car. You'll want to find an empty stretch of clean, flat, and dry pavement for this.

This is Powerstop's brake bedding procedure, as shown on their website:
Perform 5 moderate to aggressive stops from 40 mph down to 10 mph in rapid succession without letting the brakes cool and do not come to a complete stop. If you’re forced to stop, either shift into neutral or give room in front so you can allow the vehicle to roll slightly while waiting for the light. The rotors will be very hot and holding down the brake pedal will allow the pad to create an imprint on the rotor. This is where the judder can originate from.

Then do 5 moderate stops from 35 mph to 5 mph in rapid succession without letting the brakes cool. You should expect to smell some resin as the brakes get hot.

After this is complete, drive around for as long as possible without excessively heating the brakes and without coming to a complete stop (Try for about 5 minutes at moderate speed).

This is the cooling stage. It allows the heated resin in the brake pads to cool and cure.

After the brakes have cooled to standard operating temperature, you may use the brakes normally.

As far as the clunking, it sounds very, very similar to the clunking I had on my CX-9. I believe your mechanic hit the nail on the head with their diagnosis. There is a TSB from 2020 that describes the issue and the fix, but it doesn't list the Mazda3 as an affected vehicle.

Here's the link to the thread, where you can also find the TSB.

I'd suggest contacting your Mazda dealership with the TSB number. Ask them to see if there's an updated version of the TSB that includes the Mazda3. The dealership can also use the TSB to verify that the same thing is happening with your car, which should at least give them a solution to try. Keep in mind that this service and diagnosis should be covered under the basic 3yr/36k mile warranty.
 
Upvote 1
Wow! You have my Mazda!! 😂 I have also experienced the noise with my brakes! I read a comment from another forum, in which someone with the same complaint was told that the problem was most likely related to the C pillar and/or headliner joining said pillar. It's crazy! If you ever have the time to play around and investigate further, please let me know! Best of luck!
Now that you mention the headliner. It has dropped to single digits now here in Chicago and I've been driving around without it ticking a lot anymore... It makes sure I know it's still in my life with a tick or two every now and then, but I didn't even really notice until I realized how much less it was happening - to the point I'm just chalking up any ticks I do hear to bumps in the road and noise any car makes.

Then I remembered I installed a dashcam not too long ago and stuffed the extra cable for the rear one up into where the headliner is at the rear window, along with through one of the C pillars as it snakes it's way back there. I suppose the extra cabling is causing enough pressure to keep the headliner from moving around too much? It does make some sense since at the front when it's really cold the headliner section with the lights in the middle tends to click every now and then, which gets fixed with a little love slap.

Perhaps this has been solved! I'd love to explore into it more and dismantle stuff... but... y touch now that it no make noise. I'll mark this as the solution for easier identification for other since it does seem to be related to the headliner. As far as what exactly will need some dismantling. I'm sure some wire harness tape at the edges where the liner meets the pillars might solve the problem.
 
Upvote 0
Solution
You can try doing a brake bedding procedure to see if that will get rid of the swishing sound by burning off the glazed portions on the pads/rotors. Usually this is supposed to be done when new pads are installed, but I've done it at 60k kms with OEM pads on my CX-9 since I never bedded them in when I bought the car. You'll want to find an empty stretch of clean, flat, and dry pavement for this.

This is Powerstop's brake bedding procedure, as shown on their website:


As far as the clunking, it sounds very, very similar to the clunking I had on my CX-9. I believe your mechanic hit the nail on the head with their diagnosis. There is a TSB from 2020 that describes the issue and the fix, but it doesn't list the Mazda3 as an affected vehicle.

Here's the link to the thread, where you can also find the TSB.

I'd suggest contacting your Mazda dealership with the TSB number. Ask them to see if there's an updated version of the TSB that includes the Mazda3. The dealership can also use the TSB to verify that the same thing is happening with your car, which should at least give them a solution to try. Keep in mind that this service and diagnosis should be covered under the basic 3yr/36k mile warranty.
Thanks a bunch! I'll look into this and report back.
 
Upvote 0
Now that you mention the headliner. It has dropped to single digits now here in Chicago and I've been driving around without it ticking a lot anymore... It makes sure I know it's still in my life with a tick or two every now and then, but I didn't even really notice until I realized how much less it was happening - to the point I'm just chalking up any ticks I do hear to bumps in the road and noise any car makes.

Then I remembered I installed a dashcam not too long ago and stuffed the extra cable for the rear one up into where the headliner is at the rear window, along with through one of the C pillars as it snakes it's way back there. I suppose the extra cabling is causing enough pressure to keep the headliner from moving around too much? It does make some sense since at the front when it's really cold the headliner section with the lights in the middle tends to click every now and then, which gets fixed with a little love slap.

Perhaps this has been solved! I'd love to explore into it more and dismantle stuff... but... y touch now that it no make noise. I'll mark this as the solution for easier identification for other since it does seem to be related to the headliner. As far as what exactly will need some dismantling. I'm sure some wire harness tape at the edges where the liner meets the pillars might solve the problem.
Again, thanks for sharing! I'm not as daring as you😄. I'm afraid to even touch the C pillar cover, let alone try to dismantle it. Is it a fairly easy job to remove it?
 
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Again, thanks for sharing! I'm not as daring as you😄. I'm afraid to even touch the C pillar cover, let alone try to dismantle it. Is it a fairly easy job to remove it?
If it's still under warranty, I'd take it back to dealer and try to get them to fix it. Out of warranty, tear into it.
 
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I'll see if I can twist their arm. It's definitely under warranty, but the first time I took it in, they couldn't reproduce the sound, or so they said. I may need to schedule an appointment when it's super cold outside!
 
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I'll see if I can twist their arm. It's definitely under warranty, but the first time I took it in, they couldn't reproduce the sound, or so they said. I may need to schedule an appointment when it's super cold outside!
You haven't tryed my previous post ??
 
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For some reason I didn't see your post, but thank you for taking time to respond! I have a sedan, rather than a hatchback. I would, however, like to get someone to ride with me so I can get a better idea of the exact location, but people are so busy these days!
 
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