New 2024 CX-90 PHEV is officially a lemon. Researching what to do next

[RobertJT]

Why would a Mazda dealer try to unload the car without performing the recalls/updates? They left a lot of money on the table and potentially soured the image of the brand by releasing the car like that. Doesn't make sense. But their loss is your gain.

That's a good question. I bought the car in December AS-IS. I don't know if the recalls were issued back then. I did not find out about them until May when a message started flashing across my infotainment screen via Mazda Connect. Prior to that I followed the dealers advice and replaced the 12 volt flooded battery with a AGM type. That made the low-batt message go away buy the transmission still made wacky noises and the car was jerky.

 

[kornholio]

PHEV CX-90 is not a turbo. It has the same 2.5l NA four popper from the other Mazdas. The MHEV CX-90s are all (2 variants) turbos.

I thought that all of the cx90's were inline 3.0 litre 6. Are you serious that this is the 2.5 litre that they might have used in previous models?

 

[youri]

The plug in hybrid version has a 2.5L inline 4, paired with an electric motor. Combined total output is 323hp, 369 lb*ft of torque, and it can also drive on electric power alone

So you have 3 engine choices:
- Low output 3.3L turbo inline 6 : 282hp, 332lb-ft
- High output turbo 3.3L inline 6 : 340hp, 369lb-ft
- Plug-in hybrid 2.5L inline 4: 323hp, 369lb-ft

 

[RobertJT]

My car is a MHEV turbo with the inline 6. After the recalls were done the car runs well. It was built in August of 2023 so it was one of the earliest. These are the recalls done on my last visit to the dealer back in March 2025.

 

[lc2025]

Hi all. I am not a car expert so bear with me. About 5 weeks ago my husband and I purchased a 2024 CX-90 PHEV Premium. A little over a week later, while at home after charging it, I go to start the car and it won't start, and I get the following errors: "Charging System Malfunction, Unable to Charge, Critical Vehicle Malfunction, Hybrid System Electrical Leakage Detected". Dealer comes and tows it, after two days they tell us it needed a new 12v battery, so that was replaced.

About a week and a half later, the issue happens again, won't start, same errors, gets towed back. This time we get on the internet and start researching this more deeply. We learn that the water heater needs to be replaced, and sure enough, dealer calls us back, and that was the issue. They replaced it, we get the car back.

Another week later... you guessed it. Same thing happens, same errors come up- 3rd time in 5 weeks. We send it back with the keys and the cord knowing in my gut I am not getting back in that car again. We've been lucky that it's only happening at home and that we haven't been majorly stranded somewhere. We have young kids, we both work full time--- this has been a major pain the @SS. Our dealer has been really good to us, and they seem as pissed as we are. They don't want to put us back into this vehicle, and neither do we want it back. In our state they only have one more chance to fix it before the Lemon Law kicks in.

So now we have to decide on what we want to ask them for- another Mazda, and which one, or look elsewhere. We researched for a while, and we really like this car. We were set on either a PHEV or a Hybrid, and we wanted three rows. Under $60k there aren't many options on the market from brands we like. Within Mazda's lineup, it's the only option. Plus, their financing was the best out there.

The service manager admitted there have been issues with the CX-90 PHEV for a particular build range (2024s assuming) and then after a certain date (I don't know the date exactly), the issues tapered off. They said this is the first time they've had a lemon in the CX-90 PHEV, but they admittedly hadn't sold many of them. We're trying to weigh our options here-- if we go with a 2025 CX-90 PHEV or take the check and keep shopping. I would love more insight from this community. I got the sense that Mazda corporate is not always transparent with the dealers. TIA!

TLDR: Our '24 CX-90 PHEV has had the same critical error 3 times and dealer is taking it back; do we risk getting in a newer one, or take a check and get a different car?

OP here with an update.

We ended up getting the car back in April from the dealer; we had hired a lawyer but they took so long and the dealer ended up fixing the car before we could demand a payment from Mazda. But in the end, they did appear to fix the issue. It was coding as opposed to mechanical. So far, our PHEV has been great since, and we're happy with it.