Need help! CX-5 not stable on highway

Well its not AWD, its FWD. You are correct, its a weird issue and hard to troubleshoot. Idk about a cover up as they are really nice and seem genuinely wanting to help. The salesman even drove it to check it out. I hope this issue doesn't ballon into something real bad as I keep driving it.

Did it "ballon into something real bad" or was it just normal sensitivity to crosswinds at speed. It's been 3 months since your last post of topic.
 
I haven't noticed any issues with crosswinds. maybe because we came into the CX-5 from a Honda Odyssey minivan, which has a little more of a profile than the tiny CX-5! ;-)
 
Were you following an 18-wheeler closely when you felt the problem? I have a brand new 2014 CX5 Touring and noticed that I felt a shimmer (like being pushed by the wind) while following a tractor trailer. Once I got out from behind that truck, the problem stopped. In my case, it felt like the wind was causing the issue.
 
Stilling waiting for update from OP (otherwise we will assume it's the usual CX-5 crosswind sensitivity)....
 
Zombie thread.

If there is a newer thread don't flame me. This is the one search brought up.

I drove from Seattle to Spokane yesterday and hit some pretty strong cross winds. My 2016 CX-5 definitely reacts to cross winds far worse than any of the dozen or more vehicles I have owned in the past twenty years. I have noticed this problem in the past but not as severe as yesterday. Granted the Tacoma Narrows bridge, an older version nicknamed Galloping Girdie, is notorious for high winds but my CX-5 definitely got knocked at least a foot or two to the drivers side on a couple occasions. My linear measurement may be off but it was the worst jolt in a four wheeled vehicle I have ever felt. My full size trucks have always been much better at this. Yes they are heavier but also sit up higher and have a lot for surface area for the wind push against but I have never felt unsafe.

So add me to the list of people who think the CX-5 is abnormally affected by cross winds. I rode my motorcycle to Alaska this past summer and my BMW R1200GS was less affected by the gnarly cross winds on the south east side of Kluane Lake than my CX-5 was.

While it bothers me, it isn't so bad that I'd sell the thing. I suspect all light weight cross overs will exhibit the same behavior.

NC
 
Its8because of the monster truck height and pizza cutters wheels. A mild drop (stiffer spring) and or a wider wheel will make a difference. Even just am 8.5" wheel/tire makes a larger difference.
 
Zombie thread.

If there is a newer thread don't flame me. This is the one search brought up.

I drove from Seattle to Spokane yesterday and hit some pretty strong cross winds. My 2016 CX-5 definitely reacts to cross winds far worse than any of the dozen or more vehicles I have owned in the past twenty years....

NC


Well ok, 20 years is kind of arbitrary. Stretch that out another decade and tell us how your VW bus or VW bug did in the wind! LOL! (I love my bug.)

BTW SWMBO (99% of the 43,000 miles on the CX-5) says no issues with cross winds. And she drives with Cruise Control 5mph over posted limit.

Could this might be just 'within tolerance' issues for suspension? One corner high, one corner low, etc...
 
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extra person, lol.

I have a 2013 FWD and it's stable as a rock at 80mph. noisy, but that's another matter.

Get a wheel alignment and tracking check on all 4 wheels. Also check suspension.
 
3 years and 70k miles later, I still have no complaints about the stability of the CX-5. We do have the 19' wheels and tires of the Grand Touring package, so, as someone noted, perhaps an upgrade to those might help.
 
Well ok, 20 years is kind of arbitrary. Stretch that out another decade and tell us how your VW bus or VW bug did in the wind! LOL! (I love my bug.)

BTW SWMBO (99% of the 43,000 miles on the CX-5) says no issues with cross winds. And she drives with Cruise Control 5mph over posted limit.

Could this might be just 'within tolerance' issues for suspension? One corner high, one corner low, etc...

How is it arbitrary? Not everyone is old enough to have been driving 30-40 years. I personally have owned and driven cars for exactly 20 years as of this year.

We've had our CX-5 FWD for 3 months and I've never noticed it having any issues with stability, none at all, and I usually drive a lowered Acura Integra which has almost no side profile in comparison to this car.
 
I've taken turns at 80mph in it (Harris Hill raceway in TX) - stability is no issue.
 
The thread title is misleading as the CX-5 has no stability issues in regular commuting. In fact when it came out in 2012 it finished the Mazda Laguna raceway faster than a 2012 Mazda3 at the time.

The high stance and tall profile of the CX-5 coupled with low weight and narrow low rolling resistant tires makes the CX-5 "unstable" to strong cross winds especially Santa Ana winds in the mountains that I drive through often in SoCal. Stickier/wider tires should help as with a small drop. The Toyota Prius has a similar yet more pronounced profile as the CX-5. Both cars are designed to cut through wind from the front not so much for side winds. The Prius has lower weight and even more narrow tires and each gust of wind would blow the car 2 feet sideways...at least it felt that way!!!
Even large very heavy Semi trucks get blown sideways during Santa Ana Winds despite perfectly good traction on dry pavement.
 
When I first bought my cx-5 I thought the crosswinds affected it too much. It was almost scary. But coming from a sedan I thought it was just the design of being in a taller vehicle. But it turned out the tire pressure was too low. I went to discount tire and they aired them up to 35 psi and the car is completely stable at all times.
 
just drove across mt at 80mph. pinpoint accuracy, even going around semi trucks. not as good as my 2013 focus but thats expected. sears does excellent alignments, they use the Hunter alignment machine, $90
 
How is it arbitrary? Not everyone is old enough to have been driving 30-40 years. I personally have owned and driven cars for exactly 20 years as of this year.

We've had our CX-5 FWD for 3 months and I've never noticed it having any issues with stability, none at all, and I usually drive a lowered Acura Integra which has almost no side profile in comparison to this car.

So you've never driven a VW bug or especially a VW bus in a serious cross wind. I get that. Well ok how about an 80,000 lbs. freight truck? There's plenty of those still around, eh? Or a <25,000 lbs UHaul van than doesn't need a CDL? Or maybe a horse trailer or toy hauler or camper behind a pickup or a CX-5? How about a mini van? They're still part of everyday life last I looked.

Not sure, since we seem to agree regarding the CX-5, what your point is...
 
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Cross wind stability has been awful for me, guess its more of a problem for FWD with single occupant. Even in Dallas Ft Worth where there are lots of bridges and obstacles its just is an awful awful experience. Its like Mazda never even tested it in crosswinds. My confidence to drive this even at 60 mph hits rock bottom - not fun at all. This is in most cases an urban vehicle - really could have traded in half an inch of ground clearance for more stability and better highway mpgs.
Coupled with the fact that is has some of worst OEM wipers I have ever seen and does average to poor job in cold weather has made me a little less happy customer. Even for a minuscule amount of ice on windshield it takes 4-5 minutes to clean it up and i dont like that when folks in 8 year old cars just get in warm up in 2 mins and are off. Damn, a 9 dollar Toyota refill is 10 times better than my OEM wipers. Cant wait to throw mine out at 20K miles since for me this is an eco car and I will want to spend less on it.
I really feel bad for folks battling in this weather with 2017s that have no other option on their wipers. You can go to your local costco and get a Goodyear hybrid wiper (different stores stock different makes at different times). It has about 3 or 4 different adapters - something will stick or else you can return it no hassle. Pick 26 and 18 inch ones. They are really good ones compared to my OEM. In my OEM i would rather drive with ice and partially blocked view than run them and blur the whole damn thing. Shitgabbon quality from Mazda.
 
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