2023 CX-9 Rear wiper alignment issues

[TimMc]

The rear wiper didn't fully close to a horizontal position. It would stop 5cm above, partially blocking the view out the back.

After a few months of noticing other CX-9's, CX-5's and other cars in general having wipers that stop in the horizontal position, I reached out to the service centre at the dealership.

The dealer tried to explain that it's normal. They took some comparison photos of other cars... and realised that it's not normal.

I asked if they could adjust it. They said that they could adjust it but they mentioned that it wouldn't be able to fully open. I agreed because I'd rather that the wiper sit in a horizontal position.

Now the wiper struggles to fully close. The motor seems to be visibly struggling to get the wiper to move the last 2-3cm when the windscreen is relatively dry (i.e. spray some water and by the 5th wipe it'll get stuck). Sometimes it'll sit 4cm above the fully closed position. If I add some water it'll fully close.

Is this normal? Bad quality control?

 

[Tchman2016]

Sounds like you have a bad wiper motor that is weak. It should not have an issue returning to resting position or struggling to wipe in either direction. I use it on the dry glass sonetimes to clear pollen and dust and works fine. Dealer needs to use a meter and check the motor current to see if in spec and replace if not.

 

[TimMc]

Sounds like you have a bad wiper motor that is weak. It should not have an issue returning to resting position or struggling to wipe in either direction. I use it on the dry glass sonetimes to clear pollen and dust and works fine. Dealer needs to use a meter and check the motor current to see if in spec and replace if not.

They moved it back to the original position where the end of the wiper blade is sitting just above the third heat strip (5-6cm from the base).

Hopefully the motor doesn't burn itself out now. It isn't struggling now. But seeing the wiper part way up the window and not in a closed position is a constant reminder of poor quality control.

I asked if they could replace the motor under warranty and the dealer didn't want to entertain the idea. 2 month old CX-9. Maybe another dealer / service centre will replace it.

 

[Tchman2016]

They moved it back to the original position where the end of the wiper blade is sitting just above the third heat strip (5-6cm from the base).

Hopefully the motor doesn't burn itself out now. It isn't struggling now. But seeing the wiper part way up the window and not in a closed position is a constant reminder of poor quality control.

I asked if they could replace the motor under warranty and the dealer didn't want to entertain the idea. 2 month old CX-9. Maybe another dealer / service centre will replace it.

I'll take a pic of the resting position on my 2020 and post. It's really a simple issue that doesn't take any thought process on the dealers part to resolve. It either functions correctly or it doesn't. They need to just replace the motor if they don't want to test it. I mean, it's ridiculous to have to practically beg for them to do their job on any vehicle, let alone one brand new under warranty. I honestly don't know what the deal is anymore with lazy incompetent people of today. They can't even add for goodness sake. Very sad state of affairs. This country is in trouble.

 

[TimMc]

I booked my 2023 CX9 in with another dealer next week to check if the rear wiper motor is faulty (misaligned, struggles to close).

Infotainment display crashed:
The display for the infotainment system crashed yesterday.

The display simply wouldn't turn on when I started the vehicle. I put the vehicle in reverse and the display remained blank.

I did a search and found that you can turn display on and off with the volume knob. I tried that, and it didn't work. The display went from being a blank screen to being completely off. It kept switching between being blank and off when I continue to press the volume button and release it.

The radio was still working. I could change stations etc. The display remained blank.

I left the vehicle switched off, got out, locked it, came back, started the engine, and the display was still stuck on a blank screen. I tried this five times, gave up, and called the original dealer to book it in for the next day.


Visit #3 to the dealer:
The service technician recognised me from last week.
Dealer: "What do you want done with the rear wiper?"
"I'm here because the display for the infotainment system stopped working yesterday. But I would also like the rear wiper motor replaced because it is misaligned and putting too much pressure on the left side of the glass."
(tests the wiper)
"It is struggling to go back to the closed position and it sitting 5cm higher than horizontal."
Dealer: "Looks fine to me. Can you bring in a video to demonstrate the issue?"
"Okay."
Dealer: "It looks normal. Other cars are similar."
(looks at other vehicles together and they each have rear wipers sitting horizontal instead of 5cm up)
"Can you check the error log for the infotainment system to see why the display wouldn't turn on? It started working again but it wouldn't turn on yesterday."
Dealer: "We'll check the software version."
"Is there an error log that you can check to identify what the issue was?"
Dealer: "We'll check the software version and see if it needs to be updated."
(later that day)
Dealer: "It's ready for pick up. We're open until 5pm."

I went back. The service technician was busy with another customer. A few other staff members tried to get his attention. The first one said that I'd need to wait for him. I guess other staff members figured that the conversation had turned into chatting rather than discussing business. Another staff member walked over to him and he was told that all the info is on the invoice so he could do it.

Another staff member kindly helped get the invoice and went through it with no knowledge of the initial two issues or what was done.

No error codes found for the display malfunctioning. They took a fuse out and put it back in to reset the power to the display. Recommended keeping an eye on it.

Rear wiper blade was replaced according to the invoice. They hadn't observed the wiper stuttering or stopping 5cm short of a horizontal position. I.e. It's normal. However, it was 5cm above horizontal at pick up so I don't know what other evidence they need.

Mazda Australia recommended seeing another dealer instead of Ringwood Mazda:
I called up Mazda Australia to ask how to best get an issue resolved under warranty and explained my experience with Ringwood Mazda. They apologised for the experience and recommended going to another dealer.

The CX9 was launched in 2016, is being continued in 2023, and the infotainment system still crashes. Display won't turn on. No error logs were sent off to Mazda to troubleshoot the issue further.

Hopefully another dealer can diagnose and fix issues like re-aligning a rear wiper.

I'd rather travel 30 minutes for decent service rather than get treated like this by a dealer 5 minutes away.

 

[sm1ke]

Sorry you're getting this kind of treatment. It sounds like typical dealer bullying tactics. Don't let them roll over you. In North America, every Mazda sold comes with an "adjustment warranty" period of 1 year. This covers minor fixes/adjustments/quirks that should not be happening on a brand new vehicle - this wiper issue and the infotainment issue would be covered under that warranty. Check your warranty information to see if Mazda Australia offers something similar, and if they do, go back to the original dealership and force them to address these issues under that warranty.

For the record, I've started the car only to get a blank screen on the display 3 times in the last 5 years. Sometimes I would need to turn the car off, let it shut down fully, and turn it back on again to resolve the issue. Other times I could just do a hard reset (press and hold the Back, Nav and Mute buttons down for 10 seconds) and that would fix it. No car is, or will ever be, perfect, but your issue does sound like its more than just a random glitch. Hope you can get these issues resolved soon.

 

[11E20]

I have a 2019 CX-9 GT with 25K miles on it and this is what my rear wiper looks like in the parked position. Sometimes it is level with the ground but other times it's up a bit as in the photo. I don't' find it to be any big deal. Good luck.

 

[TimMc]

I have a 2019 CX-9 GT with 25K miles on it and this is what my rear wiper looks like in the parked position. Sometimes it is level with the ground but other times it's up a bit as in the photo. I don't' find it to be any big deal. Good luck.

Another dealer said it's normal for the rear wiper to come to a stop so far up the window.
Attached are some photos demonstrating how high up the wiper sits.
Good view of the wiper when looking out the back.

 

[youri]

My 2018 does not stop horizontally either. I tried to compare with your heating element lines but they look different from mines. That looks normal to me:

 

[hw4ng3r]

I'll take a pic tomorrow morning when I get to the car, but I think mine isn't horizontal either.

 

[TimMc]

The rear wiper sometimes gets stuck halfway now. It was raining yesterday and it just gave up.

I turned the knob to spray water, tried changing the wiper speed etc. Water sprayed but the wiper didn't move.

I got out and gave the wiper a nudge and it started working again.

 

[youri]

If that happens regularly i agree that it is not normal. Mine does not get stuck halfway during normal operation.