Brand new 2021 Mazda CX-5. Steering feels over sensitive?

Hi there,

I have just bought a brand new CX-5. When took it to the highway I noticed a little difficulty to keep the car driving straight on the lane. As if the steering feel was very sensitive, and the car was always swinging a little bit right and left. I have called the dealer and they guaranteed that every brand new car is inspected and there is no chance there would be a misalignment or unbalanced wheels. I also should mentioned that this is the very first time I'm driving an SUV and first time driving in Texas (just relocated from Illinois). I'm a bit suspicious that there could be something wrong. Did you guys have a similar experience?

Would you have any recommendations?
 
What vehicle did you have before the CX-5?

IMO, it is very hard to trust what any dealer says, especially if they haven't even seen the vehicle in question.

The first thing I'd suggest is checking the tire pressure on all wheels to ensure they are at, or near, the recommended PSI. Next thing I'd check is to make sure all of the lug nuts are snug and firmly seated/torqued to spec. Since the CX-5 is shipped to North America from Japan, the tires are inflated to near max PSI to prevent flatspotting during transport. PDI techs are supposed to check for these items, but they commonly skip some steps.

If it still doesn't feel right, I'd suggest taking it to the dealer and voicing your concern in person. Then request a test drive with a similarly equipped CX-5 to see if it has the same issue yours seems to have. If it doesn't, I'd request a tech to ride along with you in your car so you can demonstrate the issue. Hopefully by then, the dealer/tech will be willing to investigate further, but if not, you can contact Mazda Corporate to escalate the issue.

I would hope that the dealer would have an alignment and wheel balance done to eliminate those as possible causes.
 
When took it to the highway I noticed a little difficulty to keep the car driving straight on the lane. As if the steering feel was very sensitive, and the car was always swinging a little bit right and left.
Is that WITH your input or without? If without, are you referring to the car pulling to either side?

And curious what was your previous car? I'm asking because some cars have very vague feedback which is why you feel such a contrast.
 
Hey guys thanks for the feedback. My previous car was a Honda Fit, so big jump. A bit hard to say but I think that is WITH my input. I'll try to pay more attention later today on my way home :)
 
It depends on how severe those "swings" are and under what conditions. Others have observed having to make constant slight adjustments going down expressways with some wishing for a lane centering feature to have the car keep a straight line for them. If your adjustments are slight enough I would say it is a characteristic of the vehicle. I've noticed it to be very slight compared to previous vehicles and consider it part of the package.

The Mazda's steering is pretty light which to me is a good thing. On the other hand,
C&R has characterized the steering in your previous Fit as having "zero road feel." Further, the Mazda has a higher center of gravity and more metal and glass to get blown against by a crosswind.

If you would characterize your adjustments as slight I would try this: find a flat, not crowned, roadway without a crosswind, plow a straight line, and take your hands off the wheel for a few seconds and see if it pulls one way or the other. For highway speeds, on a still day straddle the centerline of a two land expressway to neutralize the crown in the road. If it tracks straight in those tests then you're looking at a characteristic of the vehicle, not a problem to be fixed.

If you still see this as a problem and wish to address it with the dealer, be prepared to recreate it and insist the service writer or a tech gets in the car for a demonstration. Or do that the second time into the shop after you get it back the first time with, "We drove it and it is normal."
 
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I have called the dealer and they guaranteed that every brand new car is inspected and there is no chance there would be a misalignment or unbalanced wheels. I also should mentioned that this is the very first time I'm driving an SUV and first time driving in Texas (just relocated from Illinois). I'm a bit suspicious that there could be something wrong.

Would you have any recommendations?
Easiest test in the book - and this could be for the way a new car drives or the way a door closes - anything really on a new car.....Tell the dealer you want to drive one of the other new cars to see if it handles the same, and a service advisor can see it too.
 
1st check the tire pressure while the tires are cold. Is it close to what is on the door tag? It's common for the the PDI guy to not set the correct psi and it stays at the 50-55 that it was set to for shipping.
Mazdas have a 12k mile adjustment warranty to cover things like alignments, wheel balancing, panel fit, etc
 
Go to the or any other Mazda dealer and ask if you can drive one of the test cars in the same scenario to ease your worry.
 
Just test drove two new '21 Mazda 6s. One had this slight vague feel going straight, like it could flop left or right. It was fresh with only 4 miles. The other did not. BTW the other one had instead a harsher ride and a very slight vibration at 75mph. It also had 120 miles on it.

Researching the vagueness brings up discussion of electronic steering motor not being centered?? Might require replacement. You must go and test drive one that does not have problem, them force mechanic to ride and witness. Otherwise, they will deny.
 
Since the CX-5 is shipped to North America from Japan, the tires are inflated to near max PSI to prevent flatspotting during transport. PDI techs are supposed to check for these items, but they commonly skip some steps.
I’m glad I read this. I checked the pressure on my new CX-5 after I first got it home and was shocked at how over-inflated they all were. I did not know that was done for transport purposes. Makes sense but it didn’t occur to me then. So my dealer missed a step while I was doing my paperwork. Thanks!
 
I’m glad I read this. I checked the pressure on my new CX-5 after I first got it home and was shocked at how over-inflated they all were. I did not know that was done for transport purposes. Makes sense but it didn’t occur to me then. So my dealer missed a step while I was doing my paperwork. Thanks!
Anxious to hear if proper inflation fixed the issue.
 
That only makes a difference if you tend to drift in your lane.
To be more precise, it is "drift out of your lane" or very close to it, at least in North America. It's lane keeping, not lane centering, at least through 2021 models. I don't know what they might have included elsewhere or for 2022. Lane keeping is kinda hard to miss when it engages assuming it is turned on.

Some drivers with some vehicles that have lane centering complain of the constant minor adjustments the vehicle makes to keep the vehicle centered in its lane. That sounds like something I might turn off if I had it.
 
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To be more precise, it is "drift out of your lane" or very close to it, at least in North America. It's lane keeping, not lane centering, at least through 2021 models. I don't know what they might have included elsewhere or for 2022. Lane keeping is kinda hard to miss when it engages assuming it is turned on.

Some drivers with some vehicles that have lane centering complain of the constant minor adjustments the vehicle makes to keep the vehicle centered in its lane. That sounds like something I might turn off if I had it.
Let's just say "drifting", as it engages when you get close to the markings on the road. I really don't think it has anything to do with the OP's issue, though. The OP is MIA, so we may never actually know the outcome.
 
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