Need help! CX-5 not stable on highway

[HardRightEdg]

Sadly, no printout.

That in itself is suspicious. The alignment printout should be given as a matter of course, not something you should have to ask for. At this point, I'm not sure I'd trust what they send you.

If I were you, I'd try another Mazda dealer if there is one near by explaining how you've been dissatisfied with the competition. Barring that, I'd spring for an alignment and wheel balancing. It's possible one or more tires are simply bad and cannot be balanced--it happens--but you wouldn't know it without trying to balance them.

 

[ctbale]

PSI on the doorjamb label for a '23 Turbo is 36

Oops. 36? Hmmm, if it was me I would play around with those pressures. CX9, 4400 lb car is 34 (I think). You could go to 32 with zero risks. But until ya know the alingment situation its all a waste of time.

 

[ctbale]

That in itself is suspicious. The alignment printout should be given as a matter of course, not something you should have to ask for. At this point, I'm not sure I'd trust what they send you.

If I were you, I'd try another Mazda dealer if there is one near by explaining how you've been dissatisfied with the competition. Barring that, I'd spring for an alignment and wheel balancing. It's possible one or more tires are simply bad and cannot be balanced--it happens--but you wouldn't know it without trying to balance them.

Unless your feeling a hop, I wouldn't mess with the balance. Factory balance generally is about as good as it gets. And I would just do one thing at a time. Frankly I cant see how a alingment done over there can be expected to be spot on:. They bolt the car together, set it down, adjust the toe (thats the only adjustment) then bounce it on a boat, the car all the while is settling to its "ride height" on tires that are over inflated to prevent flat spotting during shipping. No way the factory alingments are gunna be perfect, no way

 

[Diver34]

So you recommend trying another dealer's service department, I'll call one and tell them what happened, or should I just take it in? I am not sure if they can see service history since it will be warranty claim/service, do I need to worry Mazda might deny their claim because I got one alignment (supposedly) recently?

I also would like to test drive another CX-5 Turbo, when I go there, I think it's best I just tell them I'd like to test one instead of going into details. I would need to get one out to highway in order to test it in same road conditions. I think driving 1 or 2 other CX5's would go a long way in realizing what's going on.

 

[ctbale]

Another Mazda dealership to get alingment checked? Really? They will probably get insulted that your second-guessing the first dealerships Mechanics. They will see everything on the computer. Probably mess it so bad that it will never drive straight..

 

[RedBaron]

Oops. 36? Hmmm, if it was me I would play around with those pressures. CX9, 4400 lb car is 34 (I think). You could go to 32 with zero risks. But until ya know the alingment situation its all a waste of time.

Optimum tire pressure depends on a host of things, incl. car weight & distribution, tire size and aspect ratio, tire brand & model (structure), etc, etc. Saying a blanket 32 PSI for any car or tire is just plain wrong.

A good formula for determining tire pressure is as follows. Note this is simplified to average many of the factors stated above (based on tirewall values), but provides a starting value to work from:

Inflation PSI = Z*X*35%/Y

Where:
X= Gross vehicle weight (lbs)
Y= max load per tire on sidewall (lbs)
Z= max tire pressure on sidewall (PSI)

 

[Diver34]

Another Mazda dealership to get alingment checked? Really? They will probably get insulted that your second-guessing the first dealerships Mechanics. They will see everything on the computer. Probably mess it so bad that it will never drive straight..

Get insulted? It's not second-guessing, I can't drive almost 1 hour back and forth and wait god knows how long for the same dealer. This one is much closer to me, so it's only natural you would try to take it back to a closer dealership for 2nd opinion. The worst they can say is "nothing wrong with it". The 1st dealer I went to does not have loaners and they do a shuttle within 10 miles. I spent 4+ hrs earlier this week I want to avoid that.

 

[ctbale]

Optimum tire pressure depends on a host of things, incl. car weight & distribution, tire size and aspect ratio, tire brand & model (structure), etc, etc. Saying a blanket 32 PSI for any car or tire is just plain wrong.

A good formula for determining tire pressure is as follows. Note this is simplified to average many of the factors stated above (based on tirewall values), but provides a starting value to work from:

Inflation PSI = Z*X*35%/Y

Where:
X= Gross vehicle weight (lbs)
Y= max load per tire on sidewall (lbs)
Z= max tire pressure on sidewall (PSI)

Haha, oh my god. I was saying just try 32psi to see if that changes anything. I wasn't proclaiming in a blanket statement that 32psi will change the world. Holy cow. But thanks for all that amazing info

 

[ctbale]

Get insulted? It's not second-guessing, I can't drive almost 1 hour back and forth and wait god knows how long for the same dealer. This one is much closer to me, so it's only natural you would try to take it back to a closer dealership for 2nd opinion. The worst they can say is "nothing wrong with it". The 1st dealer I went to does not have loaners and they do a shuttle within 10 miles. I spent 4+ hrs earlier this week I want to avoid that.

Or you could just bring it to an alingment shop and figure out its as simple as YOUR ALINGMENT NEED TO BE CORRECTED. Jesus. Your planning on test driving other cx5s when it could just be you need a QUALITY alingment? The worst they could say is you just wasted 4 hours and we're not going to fine-tune your alignment because we are a dealership and we suck. Haha

 

[ctbale]

Oh, and in my opinion that 36psi is bs, just like 0w-20 is bs. Oh and putting cylinder deactivation on a bulletproof 4 cylinder is bs also. These are self serving actions taken by car companies to increase their CAFE numbers. None of these things increase reliability or drivability. If I had a non-turbo CX-5 I would be running 32 psi in my tires and 5w-30 full syn in my engine. Crazy huh? But I chose not to buy a CX-5 this time because the normally aspirated had cylinder deactivation. I won't own a car with cylinder deactivation.

 

[HardRightEdg]

So you recommend trying another dealer's service department, I'll call one and tell them what happened, or should I just take it in? I am not sure if they can see service history since it will be warranty claim/service, do I need to worry Mazda might deny their claim because I got one alignment (supposedly) recently?

I also would like to test drive another CX-5 Turbo, when I go there, I think it's best I just tell them I'd like to test one instead of going into details. I would need to get one out to highway in order to test it in same road conditions. I think driving 1 or 2 other CX5's would go a long way in realizing what's going on.

I would first explain the situation to the other dealer and find out if they will look at the vehicle under the 12 month / 12,000 mile adjustment warranty. They should. If not, you should contact Mazda corporate and explain your dissatisfaction. Contrary to popular belief, there are dealers who value repeat business and would be happy to steal a potential future customer from another dealer.

My CX-5 was a CPO I bought 200 miles from home with 4,000 miles on it. I found the transmission lugged too frequently. I found a TSB for a different but quasi-related problem (jerkyness in low gears) that called for a software update, presented it to a local dealer who didn't know me from Adam, and they applied the software update (often a $200 charge) for free, no questions asked. Perhaps that was because I was under 12.000 miles, not sure--when I get the answer I want I stop asking questions.

 

[Diver34]

I would first explain the situation to the other dealer and find out if they will look at the vehicle under the 12 month / 12,000 mile adjustment warranty. They should. If not, you should contact Mazda corporate and explain your dissatisfaction. Contrary to popular belief, there are dealers who value repeat business and would be happy to steal a potential future customer from another dealer.

My CX-5 was a CPO I bought 200 miles from home with 4,000 miles on it. I found the transmission lugged too frequently. I found a TSB for a different but quasi-related problem (jerkyness in low gears) that called for a software update, presented it to a local dealer who didn't know me from Adam, and they applied the software update (often a $200 charge) for free, no questions asked. Perhaps that was because I was under 12.000 miles, not sure--when I get the answer I want I stop asking questions.

What is the 12/12k adjustment warranty? I don't see it on Mazda's website

Mazda Warranty Information | Mazda USA

Every new Mazda comes with a limited warranty that provides coverage in the unlikely event a repair is needed in the first years of ownership.

www.mazdausa.com

Oh, and in my opinion that 36psi is bs, just like 0w-20 is bs. Oh and putting cylinder deactivation on a bulletproof 4 cylinder is bs also. These are self serving actions taken by car companies to increase their CAFE numbers. None of these things increase reliability or drivability. If I had a non-turbo CX-5 I would be running 32 psi in my tires and 5w-30 full syn in my engine. Crazy huh? But I chose not to buy a CX-5 this time because the normally aspirated had cylinder deactivation. I won't own a car with cylinder deactivation.

36psi might be BS, but I drove my older cars under and overinflated on occasion, never felt any one of them drive like this. Overinflated tires usually give bumpier ride, that's less connected on uneven roads, but it will drive fine, unevenly inflated tires will pull one way or another (again from my experience, I may not have the extensive experience some veterans here have). I just double checked, all 4 tires were under 36-38 psi. I dropped them all to 35-36 to be even right now.
I will keep everyone posted with updates.

 

[dunhillmc]

What is the 12/12k adjustment warranty? I don't see it on Mazda's website

Mazda Warranty Information | Mazda USA

Every new Mazda comes with a limited warranty that provides coverage in the unlikely event a repair is needed in the first years of ownership.

www.mazdausa.com

36psi might be BS, but I drove my older cars under and overinflated on occasion, never felt any one of them drive like this. Overinflated tires usually give bumpier ride, that's less connected on uneven roads, but it will drive fine, unevenly inflated tires will pull one way or another (again from my experience, I may not have the extensive experience some veterans here have). I just double checked, all 4 tires were under 36-38 psi. I dropped them all to 35-36 to be even right now.
I will keep everyone posted with updates.

https://www.mazdausa.com/siteassets/pdf/owners-optimized/optimized-warranty-booklet/2023-warranty-information-mazda-usa.pdf

Pages 4, and 13

 

[HardRightEdg]

https://www.mazdausa.com/siteassets/pdf/owners-optimized/optimized-warranty-booklet/2023-warranty-information-mazda-usa.pdf

Pages 4, and 13

Your first link does not mention it but the second one does, to wit:

"Service adjustment is covered for the first 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. Service adjustment means minor repairs not usually associated with the replacement of parts, such as wheel balance and alignment, tension adjustment of automatic transmission throttle cable and V-belt, fitting of engine hood, trunk lid, or rear hatch, etc."

This kind of adjustment warranty is common in the industry.

For those who think wheels can't come out of the factory out of balance Mazda evidently disagrees.

 

[HardRightEdg]

@Diver34

One more note. If you can recreate the problem on a road near a second dealer which evidently was not practical with the first one, then there is no doubt the problem should be investigated on Mazda's dime once you get a tech or service manager in the car and show him how it behaves. I would make every effort to pursue this with Mazda rather than getting an alignment and/or wheel balancing with an outside shop. What if the alignment / balancing did not solve the problem? You take two steps back in getting it resolved under warranty.

 

[chickdr]

@Diver34

One more note. If you can recreate the problem on a road near a second dealer which evidently was not practical with the first one, then there is no doubt the problem should be investigated on Mazda's dime once you get a tech or service manager in the car and show him how it behaves. I would make every effort to pursue this with Mazda rather than getting an alignment and/or wheel balancing with an outside shop. What if the alignment / balancing did not solve the problem? You take two steps back in getting it resolved under warranty.

Agreed and if you have work done out of the dealership, who knows, a dealer may deny any additional work relating to balance/alignment. I would stay inside the dealer network for now. I do agree with going to a second dealer. I bought my Frontier at a dealer 35 miles from my house but have it serviced at a closer dealer and they have been fantastic about warranty stuff. They even give me loaners (which is not common for Nissan).

 

[ctbale]

@Diver34

One more note. If you can recreate the problem on a road near a second dealer which evidently was not practical with the first one, then there is no doubt the problem should be investigated on Mazda's dime once you get a tech or service manager in the car and show him how it behaves. I would make every effort to pursue this with Mazda rather than getting an alignment and/or wheel balancing with an outside shop. What if the alignment / balancing did not solve the problem? You take two steps back in getting it resolved under warranty.

Here is my reason for getting the alingment done outside of the Mazda network. If you try to have the Mazda dealership aling the vehicle and the adjustments are within the green but right on the edge of the green Mazda corporation won't pay the dealer to fine tune his alignment because it's considered within spec. I have been through this with Ford and Mazda. The acceptable range is huge. And if it's on the edge of the green it'll drive horribly. For me it was just easier paying $125 bucks and getting it to drive perfectly and precise. 125 bucks is nothing when you're talking about hours and hours of trying to get a Mazda dealership or Ford dealership or any dealership to put the alignment perfectly in the middle. My CX-9 and my CX-5 and my Ford fusion drove amazing after I got the alignments centered.. but at the end of the day it's your time and money. And there's no way the dealership is going to void your warranty by bringing it to an outside shop. Google Moss Magnuson act.

 

[Diver34]

How would they even know that I brought it to an outside shop? As of now, they are "too busy" with prescheduled service appointments, and they also don't have loaners, the service advisor also said there is an adjustment warranty up to 12000/12mo. I will keep you guys posted. He strongly suggested (for some reason) that I keep pushing the dealer where I got it from if I am still not satisfied after the tires are broken into.

 

[dunhillmc]

Here is my reason for getting the alingment done outside of the Mazda network. If you try to have the Mazda dealership aling the vehicle and the adjustments are within the green but right on the edge of the green Mazda corporation won't pay the dealer to fine tune his alignment because it's considered within spec. I have been through this with Ford and Mazda. The acceptable range is huge. And if it's on the edge of the green it'll drive horribly. For me it was just easier paying $125 bucks and getting it to drive perfectly and precise. 125 bucks is nothing when you're talking about hours and hours of trying to get a Mazda dealership or Ford dealership or any dealership to put the alignment perfectly in the middle. My CX-9 and my CX-5 and my Ford fusion drove amazing after I got the alignments centered.. but at the end of the day it's your time and money. And there's no way the dealership is going to void your warranty by bringing it to an outside shop. Google Moss Magnuson act.

Mazda pays dealers a fixed rate for a warranty alignment, regardless if it takes them 20 min or 40 min. Not getting the numbers close the center of the spec is just laziness

 

[ctbale]

If its in the green its " no fault found" and the tie rod wrench never leaves the tool box.. total waste of time. Ask me how I know.