Having strange behavior with my 2012 Mazda3 Hatchback. Last week I found the battery to be dead for no apparent reason. So I put a charger on overnight and next day all was well. Or so I thought.
Yesterday I drove to the grocery store and noticed the "door ajar" indicator stayed lit after I was in and started. And sure enough the dome light was also lit, which I wouldn't otherwise have noticed in the daylight. So I'm thinking that is what drained the battery. I opened and closed the driver door and the indicator went out. I also moved the dome light switch to the "off" position for good measure, so at least the dash indicator should draw significantly less current than the dome light if it "sticks" on again. Good enough for the time being. Or so I thought.
Today I took some surplus clothing to the relief store, and when I tried to open the hatch, the release button would not work. I locked and unlocked everything, and still nothing. Went around and opened and closed all the doors, still nothing. Finally in frustration, I laid part of the rear seat forward and drug stuff out through the rear door. So after I had completed that and handed all the stuff off, I put the seat back up and closed the rear door, and just for laughs went around and tried the hatch button. Now it works.
First question:
I do not see anything looking like door switches, so how does this work. Are they hidden magnetic sensors or something? Where are they, and how might I go about replacing one?
Second question:
What's up with the hatch release? Yes I suspect this is controlled by the computer, but why is it acting strange? Does it think one of the doors is locked even though they are not? Would the intermittant "door ajar" be affecting that? I wouldn't think it would care if another door is open, but I don't assume it's a coincidence either.
Related info and summary:
No it's not the "advanced key" system, and it's never done this before. Weather has been quite warm here, around 90F for a few days. Has anyone experienced similar behavior, or have any suggestions?
Yesterday I drove to the grocery store and noticed the "door ajar" indicator stayed lit after I was in and started. And sure enough the dome light was also lit, which I wouldn't otherwise have noticed in the daylight. So I'm thinking that is what drained the battery. I opened and closed the driver door and the indicator went out. I also moved the dome light switch to the "off" position for good measure, so at least the dash indicator should draw significantly less current than the dome light if it "sticks" on again. Good enough for the time being. Or so I thought.
Today I took some surplus clothing to the relief store, and when I tried to open the hatch, the release button would not work. I locked and unlocked everything, and still nothing. Went around and opened and closed all the doors, still nothing. Finally in frustration, I laid part of the rear seat forward and drug stuff out through the rear door. So after I had completed that and handed all the stuff off, I put the seat back up and closed the rear door, and just for laughs went around and tried the hatch button. Now it works.
First question:
I do not see anything looking like door switches, so how does this work. Are they hidden magnetic sensors or something? Where are they, and how might I go about replacing one?
Second question:
What's up with the hatch release? Yes I suspect this is controlled by the computer, but why is it acting strange? Does it think one of the doors is locked even though they are not? Would the intermittant "door ajar" be affecting that? I wouldn't think it would care if another door is open, but I don't assume it's a coincidence either.
Related info and summary:
No it's not the "advanced key" system, and it's never done this before. Weather has been quite warm here, around 90F for a few days. Has anyone experienced similar behavior, or have any suggestions?
