not as impressed with Mazdas 'initial quality' as I used to be

[ta240]

Our old Protege5 was pretty much free of little annoyances, especially early on.

But so far my CX5 has had the seat leather come loose from the drivers seat at the front and the hood latch wasn't adjusted properly causing the hood to rattle at the front.
My wifes Mazda3 (9 months old) had a bad rattle on the passenger side where a plastic panel under the dash was only insulated with very thin foam where it slid over the bolt that held it in place. And we had to have the battery replaced already. And a little piece of insulating foam worked its way out from between the rear spoiler and the hatch, just came unglued and slid out.

I know, all covered under warranty but my time also has value. I also know that the problems could have been worse and at least the battery only left the car stranded in the garage but I had come to expect more and avoided some other car brands for fear of problems.

 

[Lando]

Ta, what was your build date? It is on the drivers side door panel. I am wondering if there were some early assembly line issues that were addressed in later productions. My 02 Altima was one of the first off the assembly line and was plagued with build quality problems so much so that when I even mention Nissan to my wife she spits on the floor of our living room.

My build date was April 2012 and has been excellent so far. Aside from the dust magnet dash and piano trim, I am very pleased with the attention to detail of this car.

 

[nation845]

I'm sorry you had problems, but it happens with every brand. I had a Nissan Maxima (reliability right?) that had the transmission die after only 4 years. And as for "initial" quality, I had a brand new Audi that cost much more than the Mazda that in the first week left me stranded on the highway because a coolant hose came loose and let all the water or coolant leak out and the engine temp spiked to max and I had to get towed....

 

[CX-SV]

Yes, even though the problems are minor (other than the battery), I can understand the concern. Unfortunately batteries on new cars can be bad, my wife had a leased Jag that had a dead battery in first year.

I have over 5500 miles on my CX-5, zero problems found so far. Initial quality is more like Lexus/Toyota.

 

[hotrabbitsoup]

Ta240, I've the same issue with the driver side leather. It has come off at the front of the seat (under your legs), like it was never tucked/tacked in correctly.

Also the hatchback is just a little off center

Someone mentioned the dust magnet dash.. I had to lol at that, I've taken a lint roller to the dash...