Mazda CX-5 2019 Rear bumper reflector caving in
- Thread starter Surya
- Start date
Yep. Same thing happened to my brand new cx5 and the dealership said it’s a total bumper replacement. Complete bulls*** design flaw but I can’t stand the way my new car looks with the light pushed in.
- :
- 18 Mazda CX5 AW
Don't pay someone to do this.
Short answer : Try to use a long piece of super strength duct tape( not the cheap s***), really press it on the reflector and try to pull/yank it out...then try to wedge something in between the cracks and behind it to keep it from falling back in.( Or maybe shoot some expanding house foam in there ...stick the hose behind 3 or 4 places to evenly get the foam in )
Long way: pop off the rear wheel well trim(try halfway from the back), get on the floor and unscrew the reflector assembly from the frame, pull it off, and reposition the reflector, stuff something behind it (improvise ... Bag of cotton balls, shop rag, etc. Or shoot some expanding foam in their) to keep it from falling back in and put everything back together.
At the point your doing this, why not buy a real rear light on eBay/amazon and install that instead. Their should be install videos on the internet as to how to do this(remove old reflector, install light and wire it up.)
Be careful how much foam you use. Too much could push the light outwards. Spray a little at a time and guestimate as it expands. Maybe get low expanding foam.
I should add that different years may be built slightly different. Get under you car and see what the easiest way to remove it is. You don't need to uninstall the whole bumper. The dealership was lying.
Last edited:
SilverCX-5
2021.5 CX-5 GT Silver
Our 2021 CX-5 has the same problem. Just brought it to Achilles Mazda in Milton a few days ago. Dealership will order a repair kit and it will be done under warranty. There was a TSB for your MY as another poster mentioned above.
- :
- 18 Mazda CX5 AW
OP mentioned repair shop so assuming they are outside of warranty.
The TSB is great. Can't open the post for some reason but it should have step by step to uninstall the reflector. If their fix is just to snap it back in place, I would still spray some foam into the reflector to prevent from happening again or lodge something in the box.
My personal option thought would be to buy and replace with light fixture.
- :
- 2014 & 2019 CX-5 Touring(s)
Reading the TSB, it seems the problem is the piece that the reflector clips onto, breaks off the bumper inside. The fix is to glue that piece back on and then re-clip the reflector in.
- :
- 18 Mazda CX5 AW
Yeah gluing plastic never works for me. Usually breaks back off. Can't believe that's the TSB fix. I'd still spray some foam in the reflector housing. That way it's never coming in or out. Not like you ever need to get to it again.
- :
- 2014 & 2019 CX-5 Touring(s)
They use a special two-part plastic glue for repairing bumpers. Stuff adheres very well - probably stronger than the original.
My story: Right after we first got our '19, my wife was hit by a piece of heavy chain that fell off a truck in front of her on the highway. It hit the lower bumper and cracked and punched a hole in it. I used J-B Weld 50139 Plastic Bonder Body Panel Adhesive (https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) ) to repair it from behind and the result came out really well and was very solid. Lasted a couple of years until a car crossed an intersection right in front of us and caused some front-end damage. The repair was still holding, but the bumper had to be replaced due to the 'accident'.
My story: Right after we first got our '19, my wife was hit by a piece of heavy chain that fell off a truck in front of her on the highway. It hit the lower bumper and cracked and punched a hole in it. I used J-B Weld 50139 Plastic Bonder Body Panel Adhesive (https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned) ) to repair it from behind and the result came out really well and was very solid. Lasted a couple of years until a car crossed an intersection right in front of us and caused some front-end damage. The repair was still holding, but the bumper had to be replaced due to the 'accident'.
Last edited:
You are correct - you just need to get the right type of glue.
Body shop fixed the front bumper on my RX-7 that had cracked all the way through.
I thought it would need to be replaced but no, they said they could glue it and you would never know it was cracked. They were right. Repair lasted for the life of the car at least until I traded it.
- :
- 18 Mazda CX5 AW
Cmon now. Ya know duct tape and spray foam can fix just about anything. Leaky engine...spray foam to the rescue. Just kidding.
Bought some Gorilla Tape at Costco. It has now replaced regular duct tape as my go to tool of choice.
