Blown rear shocks on a 2018 CX5 with only 28K miles!

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2018 CX5
Today I had an oil change at my local shop and they found that one of the rear shocks was leaking oil! Our 2018 CXR 5 has only 28K miles and is out of warrantee as of this past summer.

Has anyone heard of shocks failing so soon? Any suggestions or ideas?
 
a quick forum search doesn't reveal any previous large discussion around premature shock failure. While in your case it is a bit low mileage, parts fail and that is why replacement parts are available. Things like road conditions, region where the vehicle is used, and just plain old luck are factors as why it failed.

Since your warranty "just expired this past summer" and your mileage is low, a call to Mazda North America to plead your case for coverage could prove to be fruitful. Remember be kind and humble and be amazed how far a good attitude gets you.

for reference this thread was for an earlier model:

replacing it yourself?

what parts to use:
 
a quick forum search doesn't reveal any previous large discussion around premature shock failure. While in your case it is a bit low mileage, parts fail and that is why replacement parts are available. Things like road conditions, region where the vehicle is used, and just plain old luck are factors as why it failed.

Since your warranty "just expired this past summer" and your mileage is low, a call to Mazda North America to plead your case for coverage could prove to be fruitful. Remember be kind and humble and be amazed how far a good attitude gets you.

for reference this thread was for an earlier model:

replacing it yourself?

what parts to use:
Thanks. Yes, I did a forum search too and did not find anyone complaining of shock issues with a low milage CX5.

What they showed me was the rear tire was a little more worn on the inside tread and the shock above it had some oil on the upper part of the shock. It was not dripping, just some oil smeared 1/2 way down on one side of the shock. But none was noted on the other rear shock and inner wear looked less.

But now I'm wondering....is this a true leak or just weeping??? Especially since this does not seem to be a common issue on low milage CX5s.

Nothing is noticeable when I look at it now from under the car in my garage. I wish I had taken a picture when it was on the lift at the shop.
 
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How does the shock respond to a jump on the bumper? I think when you lose a certain amount of oil the shock lose its stiffness and the car will bounce.

I went to that Shock Warehouse web site a while back and they were out of a lot of stock, especially KYB.
 
It seems to bounce fine just like the other rear shock. One bounce, then <1/4 bounce, then stops.

I'm just not sure I really have an issue or not! Don't want to spend $400.00 on 2 new rear shocks at 28K miles if not needed!

Since no one here reports this issue at 28K miles, I suspect there really isn't an issue on my CX5.
 
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It could be another 28k before the leak is bad enough to worry. 40k-60k doesn't seem unreasonable for oem rear shocks.
 
Thats what I'm going to do.,,just keep an eye on it and not be concerned until I see something getting worse. Right now you can only see the oil when the car is on the lift.
 
Yes this seems to be a know issue on the 2017-2020 CX-5 models, may be due to a lack of sealing performance. According to this TSB, the production process of the shock absorber was modified.
 

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  • TSB-02-001-21.pdf
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Yes this seems to be a know issue on the 2017-2020 CX-5 models, may be due to a lack of sealing performance. According to this TSB, the production process of the shock absorber was modified.
Hey that's a great find! I was searching for something like this and could not find it!

So, the TSB suggests that many 2017-2020 were sent out of the factory with defective rear shocks. My VIN is included.

But the TSB states the repair is only covered during the 3-year new car warrantee. Which sucks! If it's a known defect, it should be covered even after the warrantee, IMO.

The TSB also states that seeping is normal and shocks should not be replaced, but they don't define what seeping is.

Any rule of thumb for seeping vs leaking?
 
Yes, see post above yours, for judging the leak. I would check with Mazda for goodwill replacements, since it's a know issue, no harm in trying :)
 
See that now. The second TSB you posted is the best explanation of seeping vs leaking that I've seen. Based on what I saw, I'd say our CX5 just as seepage.

Thanks for your help Hawke!
 
PS, being proactive I just filed a complaint with the NHTSA. Since these shocks are known to be defective and loss of function of shocks could negatively affect the CX5s handling, it's a safety issue, and there should be a recall. Just my opinion!
 
PS, being proactive I just filed a complaint with the NHTSA. Since these shocks are known to be defective and loss of function of shocks could negatively affect the CX5s handling, it's a safety issue, and there should be a recall. Just my opinion!
I was surprised you couldn’t find any complaints on early failing rear shocks in the forum by the search. I’ve seen many such complaints in past years since gen-1 CX-5, and Mazda has issued several TSBs for gen-1 and gen-2 CX-5’s such as those posted by Hawke. Just see how many revisions on OEM rear shocks and Mazda seems to keep changing different versions of rear shocks may be to fix the leak problem?

Other than filing the complaint to NHTSA, you definitely want to call Mazda North American Operations like others have suggested with these 2 TSBs. If they failed to help, I’d just keep driving and watch for leak condition on rear shocks more often.

You actually should be a little more concerned on what shop showed you that the rear tire was a little more worn on the inside tread. This’s not caused by inferior shock, but the incorrect camber. You can find some 4-wheel alignment shop such as Brakes Plus which will do free checking if everything is within specs.
 
Weeping to me is the shock shows some oily residue but, no drips. or buildup. This would not qualify as a BLOWN shock so this pure nonsense. Ed
 
Tire wear from worn shocks generally show up as a cupping wear, you'll see spots around the tire that look cupped. If it is a genuinely worn shock and you keep driving it could wear out suspension components due to more flexing. I wouldn't keep it on too long.
 
Weeping to me is the shock shows some oily residue but, no drips. or buildup. This would not qualify as a BLOWN shock so this pure nonsense. Ed
Seepage or leakage, the shock absorber itself may not lose its functionality when the oil lost is in very small amount. But between the two rear shocks on OP’s 2018 CX-5, only one shows oil mark from seepage. This definitely means the one with oil mark has weaker seals developed hence let the thick shock absorber oil passed the rod. Keep in mind the oil amount is small in shock absorber, hence even tiny amount of seepage could shorten the shock life significantly.

In TSB 02-001/21 posted by Hawke, even Mazda admits:

“Some customers may complain about oil seepage or oil leakage from the rear shock absorbers. This concern may be due to a lack of sealing performance. To eliminate the oil seepage/leakage, the rear shock absorbers production process has been modified.

And the latest TSB 02-001/21 on rear shock absorbers which supersedes the previously issued TSB 02-007/20, is for 2017 ~ 2020 CX-5 with expanded production date range from 3/1/2018 ~ 7/3/2020.

So OP has legit concern on the rear shock with oil mark, even thought it may be still functioning properly right now.
 
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