2013~2016 Battery problem!

You my have solved this already, but for the thread; batteries can accept charge and the terminal voltage will rise making it *appear* OK, but it may have high internal resistance and not turn the starter, but it might be good enough to light the interior lights and headlights. A new battery can be defective (Bad Out of Box) or just old and tired, or a cell can fail upon the next start when a current surge it demanded.

It's the voltage RIGHT AT THE BATTERY POSTS when cranking you need to look at for a quick go/no go. If the battery voltage starts at 12.2 ~ 12.6v (a decently to fully charged battery), but drops below about 10 volts during cranking, the battery is spanked. If the battery voltage remains above 10v when the cranking is attempted, BUT it turns over weakly or not at all, then it's a connection to the battery.
 
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Generally, more miles = more time. (but not necessarily the other way around if you get stuck in heavy traffic.) My comment assumes little to no traffic. In the Winter, 10 miles of total distance may not be enough. It's not very cold here in Southern California but I still drive a minimum of 10 miles out and 10 miles back to charge the battery. With a 4 year-old battery, even that may not be enough, as I have recently learned.
Odds are that your battery is good; it's just not getting fully charged.
This point is critical. You might need to drive a lot longer than 10-15 miles.
When charging a depleted battery the charger could take several hours to fully recharge. In fact it can take 10-12 hours.

The first part of the charge is the 80% bulk charge, which can be faster. Thoroughly charging to 100% can take much longer, and if it doesn't happen the battery will continue to weaken. The cells get out of balance because the weakest cells aren't charged.
 
I think the biggest problem is it's a Group 26R not a Group 35.
Not enough Cold Cranking Amps. It's been pretty cold in this area. Last night was in the teens and today's high is only 22deg.

I'm taking it in Friday, they're gonna test again but I'm gonna push for a upgrade. Hopefully they'll prorate the old and not charge me full price for the 35.
 
This point is critical. You might need to drive a lot longer than 10-15 miles.
When charging a depleted battery the charger could take several hours to fully recharge. In fact it can take 10-12 hours.

The first part of the charge is the 80% bulk charge, which can be faster. Thoroughly charging to 100% can take much longer, and if it doesn't happen the battery will continue to weaken. The cells get out of balance because the weakest cells aren't charged.
I don't buy the driving more. The 2016 CX-5 is almost 7 yrs old and my driving style has not changed, in fact I've driven more in the last year. The problem started when I had the battery replaced in August (just normal preventive maint, there was nothing wrong with the battery).

Had the battery replaced in Sept of 2018 and not one problem with it.
Replaced that one in Aug 2021, problems began early November.
 
Colder weather will require more power to start the vehicle. If you did not look at temperature differences between the current and last battery during Winter months then you may be comparing apples to oranges.
Bottom line is that if an OEM or other battery with same or higher CCAs fails, (all other factors being equal), then a battery load test needs to be done and documented. If the battery is found to meet the manufacturer specifications then either get a more powerful battery or increase driving/charging time with the current one installed.
 
I think the biggest problem is it's a Group 26R not a Group 35.
Not enough Cold Cranking Amps. It's been pretty cold in this area. Last night was in the teens and today's high is only 22deg.

I'm taking it in Friday, they're gonna test again but I'm gonna push for a upgrade. Hopefully they'll prorate the old and not charge me full price for the 35.
A different size battery could change things for you. The group 35 is pretty reasonable at Costco.
 
Correction: I checked the battery this morning, it is a Group 35 but it's rated at 540 CCA. That seems low. I guess the Group 35's come with different CCA ratings.

Another thing I noticed is there's a lot of white powder all along the tiedown strap. None near the posts. Is the powder dried battery acid? How is it leaching out?
 
I think the white corrosion is usually a reaction of the acid on lead terminals. I don't know what dried acid would look like.
 
Correction: I checked the battery this morning, it is a Group 35 but it's rated at 540 CCA. That seems low. I guess the Group 35's come with different CCA ratings.

Another thing I noticed is there's a lot of white powder all along the tiedown strap. None near the posts. Is the powder dried battery acid? How is it leaching out?
Yes, Mazda OEM Group 35 battery made by Interstate has 550 CCA, while the Interstate Group 35 battery sold at Costco has 640 CCA.

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The white residue on metal battery tie-down is caused by the battery acid leaking out from the cell caps. The acid overflow usually means either the electrolyte level in battery cells are too high, or the battery got overcharged due to the weak or defective battery, or unstable alternator.

I certainly would want to get that OEM battery replaced if I were you, even just because the leaky acid which has corroded the battery tie-down. A good lead-acid battery should not leak and corrode terminals and the battery holder.
 
Yrwei52 thanks for the info. I'll make sure I let them know about the dried battery acid when I take it in Friday. May strengthen my case that the battery is weak or defective.
 
Yrwei52 thanks for the info. I'll make sure I let them know about the dried battery acid when I take it in Friday. May strengthen my case that the battery is weak or defective.
Try to get the battery holder replaced too for free if possible as the OEM battery has caused corrosion and damaged it.
 
Resolution (hopefully). Took it in to the dealer this morning. They had it for about 3 hrs, ran all the usual tests plus parasitic draw test. Nothing jumped out.
Finally service manager just replaced the battery said it could be a faulty cell that's hard to detect.

Zero dollars to me so best possible outcome.

It's a good dealer and service dept. They've been around for at least 40 years.
 
I'll tip my hat to them for doing what many would not do👍
My 1998 Honda CR-V has the Interstate Group 51R battery from Costco. Costco has no-questions-asked car battery return / exchange policy and I did it once when the battery was dead after 3 months of usage. I didn’t bother to figure it out what’s going on to the battery, just took it to the Costco and got a new one. Of course there’s a long line waiting, and I had to replace the battery by myself.
 
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