CX-7 Repairs

Hasplode

Member
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CX-7 Sport FWD
Hey all, new CX-7 owner here (Sport FWD, Galaxy Gray) with my story and a couple questions. I took it home on 8/21, and pretty quickly I noticed some of problems:

1. The front doors are noisy (creaky) when opening/closing.
2. The alignment was slightly off, it tended to drift left at highway speed.
3. The driver's side mirror vibrates visibly (and seems to make noise) at highway speeds.

After about 800 miles I finally had a chance to take it in (my scheduling problem, not the dealer's... too busy to deal with it, plus I didn't want to give up my beautiful new car for a loaner). I dropped it off just before closing one night, and the next day I got a call from the service department: instead of being ready for me to pick up that evening, they wanted to keep it overnight again for a couple reasons... first, they were having trouble doing the alignment and needed help/information from Mazda Engineering (I assume it's the first CX-7 alignment they'd ever had to do), and second, while working on it they got a CEL for the gas cap problem and they needed to have a new cap overnighted. So, I dealt with the wonderful Mazda6 Wagon loaner for another night (sigh).

The next day comes and I get another call: it's ready for me to pick up, but not everything is fixed. It turns out:

1. The door problem is known, and there's a TSB in the works to fix it, so they want to wait until that's released before they try messing with the doors. OK, I say, I can deal with that.
2. The alignment was fixed. Cool.
3. The new gas cap fixed the CEL. I'm not sure if it's a fixed design, or just a new one of the same gas cap off the shelf, but it seems to have worked. The CEL that happened at the dealer was the only one so far, as of about 2000 miles. The new cap does seem to have been marked with a marking pen, I think it says "II" (revision 2?).
4. The mirror is attached tightly and is working normally. They said they looked at another CX-7, and that mirror did the same thing. They said that'd notify Mazda Engineering for a possible TSB in the future.

I accepted all of this, and took the CX-7 back. About 1000 miles later, though, I'm pretty sure the mirror is not how it should be. It definetly vibrates and makes noise now, definitely more than the passenger side does. I've also noticed that if I fold and unfold the mirror housing, the mirror itself will move sometimes, and I'll have to adjust it afterwards. I'm taking it back to the dealer again when my schedule permits, but has anybody else had any problems with the side mirrors on the CX-7?

Also, while I was there last time I asked them to disable the seatbelt minder and they refused, citing liability reasons. Has anybody else tried to have this done? Did it work?
 
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Welcome ~
I haven't had any of those problems. The seatbelt reminder chime will go off after about a minute if you can ignore it that long. The reminder light will remain illuminated.
I hope you get things worked out to your satisfaction.
 
I notice a slight vibration in my mirrors on the freeway, but no noise at all, nor the doors. Sounds like the dealer is at least working to try and get a TSB. My dealer does not offer any help, rather an apathetic approach to warranty repair.
 
Front doors on mine sound like they are on plastic rails. Kind of a grinding noise.
 
RE: Allignment

I, too, was concerned with my allignment... but apparently it is NOT an allignment issue. I took mine to the dealer, insisting that there WAS a problem. They proved me wrong... I then later validated it by testing it myself.

Apparently, the combination of the wheel width and the steering... it is VERY sensitive to road curvature. I was having a persistant "pull" to the left on the highway too... but I drive in the left-lane 90% of the time.

I went to a new section of two-lane highway not-too-far from me, and sure enough... in the left lane, it pulled to the left. In the right lane, it pulled to the right. In the center lane of a couple of highways I've been on - it was dead-on center.

They were actually correct. My allignment is just fine. I just need to get used to the "pull" at highway speeds based on what lane I'm in.

Nothing that can't be overcome.
Hope I helped.
- Scott
 
CX7_Scott said:
RE: Allignment

I, too, was concerned with my allignment... but apparently it is NOT an allignment issue. I took mine to the dealer, insisting that there WAS a problem. They proved me wrong... I then later validated it by testing it myself.

Apparently, the combination of the wheel width and the steering... it is VERY sensitive to road curvature. I was having a persistant "pull" to the left on the highway too... but I drive in the left-lane 90% of the time.

I went to a new section of two-lane highway not-too-far from me, and sure enough... in the left lane, it pulled to the left. In the right lane, it pulled to the right. In the center lane of a couple of highways I've been on - it was dead-on center.

They were actually correct. My allignment is just fine. I just need to get used to the "pull" at highway speeds based on what lane I'm in.

Nothing that can't be overcome.
Hope I helped.
- Scott

I have the same problem as well .....Interesting. I also have the loud front doors, which I was just going to get done later. When we bought our CX7 all the people we worked with said they would ship our plate to the house. Well 3 weeks later I had to go down there and pay another $27 to get it. I complained to the head plate lady who was not very happy about the information I told her, and eneded up eating the extra $27 I owed (nice recovery). I am still waiting for the Customer Relations Manager to call me. The salesman said she would be calling me to schedule my oil change, fill out a customer survey , and to make an appointment to fix a small chip in the paint when we bought the car. She sent an email 2 days after we bought the car thanking us and that has been it for 3 weeks. I called and left messages twice during working hours and waited around the store today for her ans neve showed her face. Getting a little dissappointed with the customer service here. Sorry to babble on.
 
Had/have the door problem.

Took it in to be looked at (one week after purchase) to which some kid tossed grease on the hinges and also scratched the brushed chrome on the door.

Now grease would have been the fix in the 60's & 70's but why would someone even try that now is beyond me. So now I wait on the door fix plus a new trim piece.
 
mx5gary said:
Had/have the door problem.

Took it in to be looked at (one week after purchase) to which some kid tossed grease on the hinges and also scratched the brushed chrome on the door.

Now grease would have been the fix in the 60's & 70's but why would someone even try that now is beyond me. So now I wait on the door fix plus a new trim piece.

That is funny! I guess I will wait to see what others find (or a Mazda recall). Yes my door(s) make a gawling sound too.
 
Well, I guess the thread subscription email thing doesn't work after all. I just assumed nobody had replied to me... thanks for the responses, everybody. :)
 
I have had my CX-7 for a week after getting rid of my Lemon (new engine) RX-8, and I too have the "creeking" frond drivers door. Glad I am not alone.. I expect a service. bulletin out soon.
 
I'm sorry to say it.. but just wear your seatbelt, it'll make the warning go away. People have no good reason not to wear a seatbelt. If you aren't wearing one, your airbags will probably kill you, or you'll fly through the windshield.. yay? Even if I'm just moving in a parking lot I can't stand the feeling of the car moving without my seatbelt on. It just feels so strange without it.
 
CX7_Scott said:
RE: Allignment

I, too, was concerned with my allignment... but apparently it is NOT an allignment issue. I took mine to the dealer, insisting that there WAS a problem. They proved me wrong... I then later validated it by testing it myself.

Apparently, the combination of the wheel width and the steering... it is VERY sensitive to road curvature. I was having a persistant "pull" to the left on the highway too... but I drive in the left-lane 90% of the time.

I went to a new section of two-lane highway not-too-far from me, and sure enough... in the left lane, it pulled to the left. In the right lane, it pulled to the right. In the center lane of a couple of highways I've been on - it was dead-on center.

They were actually correct. My allignment is just fine. I just need to get used to the "pull" at highway speeds based on what lane I'm in.

Nothing that can't be overcome.
Hope I helped.
- Scott

Glad I read this. I was driving on the highway the other day and doing the "let go of the steering wheel" test to see if it the car stays straight, and I was discouraged at the results and thought for sure my alignment was off. Makes sense. The steering has felt awfully loose on the CX-7's, I wonder if they'll ever remedy that. I'm concerned how that will perform in winter weather.
 
Minor Problems

I guess some of us are having the same issue, I too noticed today that my mirror (driver's side) does vibrate but no noise at hwy speed, I also noticed a slight steering wheel vibration on hwy. I also noticed the tranny can't make its mind towards staying in 6th or 5th on the hwy at a steady speed, this latter part is very annoying! I'll be stopping by the dealer next weekend and do some barking if need be to fix these issues. Yes it is a new car and is normal to see this kind of minor issues, I just hope that Mazda will take care of us. This vehicle was not cheap and I expect good customer service from them for all of us.

Let's keep our fingers cross
 
Mirrors vibrate: fairly normal. They vibrate on my '97 Miata, vibrated on my '99 Dakota and '04 Santa Fe, and on this '07 CX-7. If it bugs you, get some felt, wad it up, and stuff it under one edge of the mirror. Problem solved.

Door noise: mine, too. I tried to lube it myself, no joy. I'll complain about it when I take it in for the 7,500 mile service (along with the broken glove box damper).

Alignment: you guys really need to drive a Santa Fe or a Dakota. This thing tracks almost as well as my Miata.
 
Weird....
My mirrors are very sturdy even at highway speeds. The may flinch a bit during a heavy cross wind but dont budge normally.

No alignment issues

My doors shut solid and smooth. They are quiet during the swing and are not loud or clunky when the shut. In fact, thats one of the things I was impressed about with the CX.
 
Door makes noise, mirrors tight. I think the hinge guide/support is making the sliding noise when it crosses the plastic bushing in the door. I'ts just the design of the hinge that makes the noise, not an alignment problem or malidy.
 
Ok, the forum software managed to eat my reply and I don't feel like typping it all out again, so here's a quick summary:

Dealer replaced mirror, slight improvement (vibration but no noise now, like when it was brand new - hopefully this mirror doesn't get worse too).

Dealer replaced front door checks under TSB, no improvement. I think the TSB might actually have been for a different problem. They also tried lubing the door checks, no improvement. I don't care enough about this problem to bother the dealer anymore, it only annoys me because the front doors make noise while the rears are silent. I probably would never have noticed if all the doors made noise.

New problem - sounds like something flapping around in the wind in the rear end. I originally thought it was in the right rear wheel well, but the dealer couldn't reproduce the sound or find any problems. I now think it might be the radio antenna flopping around. I'll experiment when it stops raining here. For some reason, the sound happens more during the last 20 minutes of my commute than in the first 20 minutes... on the same roads, at the same speeds. Weird.

One more note, I know about the difference between steering alignment and road tracking. Before I got the alignment done, it pulled left in all lanes, on all roads, and the dealer admitted the alignment was off. Now, it pulls left in the left lane, right in the right lane, and just wanders back and forth in the middle lane. :)
 
Hasplode said:
Ok, the forum software managed to eat my reply and I don't feel like typping it all out again, so here's a quick summary:

Dealer replaced mirror, slight improvement (vibration but no noise now, like when it was brand new - hopefully this mirror doesn't get worse too).

Dealer replaced front door checks under TSB, no improvement. I think the TSB might actually have been for a different problem. They also tried lubing the door checks, no improvement. I don't care enough about this problem to bother the dealer anymore, it only annoys me because the front doors make noise while the rears are silent. I probably would never have noticed if all the doors made noise.

New problem - sounds like something flapping around in the wind in the rear end. I originally thought it was in the right rear wheel well, but the dealer couldn't reproduce the sound or find any problems. I now think it might be the radio antenna flopping around. I'll experiment when it stops raining here. For some reason, the sound happens more during the last 20 minutes of my commute than in the first 20 minutes... on the same roads, at the same speeds. Weird.

One more note, I know about the difference between steering alignment and road tracking. Before I got the alignment done, it pulled left in all lanes, on all roads, and the dealer admitted the alignment was off. Now, it pulls left in the left lane, right in the right lane, and just wanders back and forth in the middle lane. :)

I have been curious about this since the day i picked up my 7. The steering IS so precise that it truley does pick up road imperfections/grades much more so than any other vehicle ive ever driven. I did my own test and drove in the left lane, let of of the wheel, then drove in the right lane and let go, and concluded that it was not the alignment :)

I will say this - the 3rd gear quick accel pop ive noticed on mine to. Im pretty much sold on the fact that the action of the kicks in acceleration is purely the turbo spooling/boosting. It is most evident when u break, especially at fast speeds, and then hit the gas, it kinda feels like the tranny is caught off guard. I am suspiciously watching this because I did read i believe on edmunds.com that someones tranny dropped at 1200 miles!
 
Other probs/concerns

1. It may be just me, but i feel like the car shakes? at higher speeds when I accell & when I decel. Maybe shake isnt the word, but it feels unsteady when the engine rpms go higher and/or lower at high speeds. Could be balance, but I doubt it because the car is extremely sound in all other areas

2. My doors/mirrors are fine.

3. The creak in the door I hear is only when it rains and there is this god awful creaking sound in my left ear. I have no idea what it is, but its caused by water, so I'm just letting it go. Maybe from the way the water drips or something, but man its weird its like water dripping but it sounds so loud

4. The heat the engine puts off scares me. Not because there is something wrong, but because its just so hot, after driving, it actually heats my garage! Is there any reason to be concerned with the heat this thing throws over time? This is my first turbo so im unfamiliar with their operation so far
 
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