Recall #1

[rockett]

I need to vent some frustration so here goes...

The dealership that I purchased my M5 is called Crain Mazda. Now Crain is a very large dealership which includes many other makes and models of cars. Their slogan is "The Crain Team's Got'em" with a bit of a twang to it coming from the south. (blarf) As I was helping with a home remodeling project today, I got to hear their comercial all day on the radio since they were advertising this huge sale that was going on. I came up with a new slogan for them. It should be "The Crain Team's STILL GOT MINE".

I want my car back dang it. (bicker)

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

I need to vent some frustration so here goes...

The dealership that I purchased my M5 is called Crain Mazda. Now Crain is a very large dealership which includes many other makes and models of cars. Their slogan is "The Crain Team's Got'em" with a bit of a twang to it coming from the south. (blarf) As I was helping with a home remodeling project today, I got to hear their comercial all day on the radio since they were advertising this huge sale that was going on. I came up with a new slogan for them. It should be "The Crain Team's STILL GOT MINE".

I want my car back dang it. (bicker)

Did they give you a loaner in the 5's absence?

 

[rockett]

Did they give you a loaner in the 5's absence?

Yeah, they gave us an MPV. They first gave me a choice between a Mazda 3 4 door or Mazda 3 hatchback. They said the hatchback was bigger and would fit a family better. In the end I asked them for an MPV and so they pulled one off the lot and let me use that. It had less than 50 miles on it. On my way home, all interstate and in a hilly area, the MPV struggled with just me in the vehicle going up the various inclinations. The M5 didn't give me a bit of trouble with me, my wife and baby in the car, along with two strollers and various other items in the car. Those who say the M5 has power issues, I have to disagree. The MPV has "more" of a power issue. This MPV has a V6 3.0 litre engine. Not sure if there are other larger engines in the MPV but I would guess not.

In the end, Crain Mazda has been a great experience overall. I just don't like their slogan at the moment. Its always nice hearing about a problem with a vehicle coming from the dealership first than from reading it on a forum and then calling up the dealership finding out they have no idea of the issue. The Friday that the problem was announced, I heard personally from my salesman that afternoon asking that I bring it in right away. Later that Friday I called the service manager to find out more details and he was very honest with me that I shouldn't bring the car in until that Monday as during the weekend he wasn't going to have any good loaner cars to put me in. (I should mention here that I live aproximately 1 hours and 15 minutes away from the dealer) He said for me to wait and that he would have more choices to offer me and in the end, that was very true.

That's my story for anyone who cares to know. (yawn)

 

[fam]

Uhmm the mpv i had for a rental just beat a v6 accord today with a very pissed off punk driving it! lol. Likewise im thinking if it had trouble then you something is wrong with that motor as it is ALOT faster than the 5. Im willing to bet its quicker than my 3s i had. Anyways, the MPV i have is a hertz rental 05...when you turn the AC on it smells like wet cigarettes really bad so I am returning it tomorrow ASAP.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Uhmm the mpv i had for a rental just beat a v6 accord today with a very pissed off punk driving it! lol. Likewise im thinking if it had trouble then you something is wrong with that motor as it is ALOT faster than the 5. Im willing to bet its quicker than my 3s i had. Anyways, the MPV i have is a hertz rental 05...when you turn the AC on it smells like wet cigarettes really bad so I am returning it tomorrow ASAP.

I wouldn't say the MPV could beat my 3S, but it is probably a bit quicker than the 5. For the short time we had our 5 I would describe it's power as smooth and progressive and maybe- just maybe, slightly underpowered. But that's after a day of driving and before the motor was broken in. I think the 5 speed is defintely a better choice with this motor, though I was surprised at how ballsy the 6i we had was with the sport-shift 4 speed auto.

We took the MPV LX on a 100 mile trip Saturday and while it defintely could get up and go, it wasn't all that excitign to drive. I also thought the interior plastics were on the cheap side. The upolstery was defintely high quality though.

I miss our 5 :-(

 

[miatafied]

Wow, didn't realize how accustomed I had already become to driving the 5 around! The loaners - no matter what they give me all suck in comparison!! The 5 was FUN to drive - and it fit the kids sooo easily. Yikes, what a chore to drive around in a boring car all the time! I guess I should be happy that I don't have to PAY for a rental - but still, it's not fun. They should have given us equally FUN cars to drive as loaners. I'd gladly take an 8!

 

[fam]

Oh no doubt the 5 is fun to drive. The mpv blows in interior materials, suspension, and tranny. The 5 lets you feel the road and shifts beautiful. THe mpv shifts like crap,cant decide what gear to be in. But auto to auto, the mpv would beat the 3S I owned (04 HB)in a 0-60. It sucks on gas as well though. Ahh well, Im not really standing up for what I have nicknamed "The Big Blue Tank".

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Oh no doubt the 5 is fun to drive. The mpv blows in interior materials, suspension, and tranny. The 5 lets you feel the road and shifts beautiful. THe mpv shifts like crap,cant decide what gear to be in. But auto to auto, the mpv would beat the 3S I owned (04 HB)in a 0-60. It sucks on gas as well though. Ahh well, Im not really standing up for what I have nicknamed "The Big Blue Tank".

Remember the MPV has been around for the better part of 5 years- so it maybe unfair to compare it to the newer, cooler designs of the 3, 5 and 8. The MPV interior reminds me of the 2001 Protege ES I traded in for my 3s stick: decent, but not "cool".

Mazda better stop overachieving with these new designs or they're liable to create a population of loyal users who will KILL to be without their cars. (gun) I'm certainly reaching that point. I've gone to visit my 5 after the dealership closes just to makes sure it's safe. :'(

Boy we humans are a sorry bunch (freak)

 

[REMillers]

Wow, good luck guys. Maybe now us 8s will get a break on all the recalls

If Mazda does not come out with a fix within a month of your Mazda5 being out of your hands then least in Virginia you can file for Lemon Law.

"

1. The motor vehicle is out of service due to repair for a cumulative total of thirty calendar days, unless such repairs could not be performed because of conditions beyond the control of the manufacturer, its agents or authorized dealers, including war, invasion, strike, fire, flood or other natural disasters.

"

Good luck everyone.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Wow, good luck guys. Maybe now us 8s will get a break on all the recalls

If Mazda does not come out with a fix within a month of your Mazda5 being out of your hands then least in Virginia you can file for Lemon Law.

"

1. The motor vehicle is out of service due to repair for a cumulative total of thirty calendar days, unless such repairs could not be performed because of conditions beyond the control of the manufacturer, its agents or authorized dealers, including war, invasion, strike, fire, flood or other natural disasters.

"

Good luck everyone.

Yeah Massachusetts is around 15 days. But then I ask myself what would I get in place of the 5? There's nothing that even comes close to it. The only reason we even considered the 5 in the first place is because it was smaller, more fuel efficient than our Pilot and had the option of a 5 speed.

 

[fam]

Thats what youre going to find in here. No one wants anything but their 5. The 5 is such a perfect fit glove for the people that bought it that they are dependant. Id like to buy an extra 5 and put it in vacuum storage to preserve it for when my 5 starts getting old.

 

[perfecto]

After a weekend of driving a Matrix around ... I like it. It's not a 5, but the engine feels like it has more power. It feels very cheap inside though, not nearly as plush and comfortable as my 5.

 

[the_saint]

Thats what youre going to find in here. No one wants anything but their 5. The 5 is such a perfect fit glove for the people that bought it that they are dependant. Id like to buy an extra 5 and put it in vacuum storage to preserve it for when my 5 starts getting old.

LOL!! I hear that!

 

[5thAve]

Thats what youre going to find in here. No one wants anything but their 5. The 5 is such a perfect fit glove for the people that bought it that they are dependant. Id like to buy an extra 5 and put it in vacuum storage to preserve it for when my 5 starts getting old.

Yep... we placed our order in August and now with production in hiatus we're guessing delivery can't possibly happen before Jan or even Feb... But what would we buy in its place? We can't find another vehicle in the price range that is the right combination of size, fun, features, and economy. So we'll just wait it out, as I suspect will many other 5 owners.

 

[isda65]

Design Problem?

Here's something interesting from the Edmunds Mazda 5 forum:
"And he could puchase something else. I'm glad I didn't fit in the 5 or I would be in this mess. Where/How much R&D did they do to miss the chance of fires. Nissan made the same mistake though with the Van. They took a car that wasn't necessarily meant for the U.S. and installed a U.S. friendly engine in it. The engine bay wasn't designed for that amount of heat generated by the larger engine though and caught fire. They had to buy em all back."

"Nissan van class action settlement.
February 11, 1994

Nissan must buy back all that remain of the 33,000 fire prone mini vans it sold in the U.S. between 1987-1990 after pressure from a safety research firm and the NHTSA. The California class action agreement only gave van owner a $500 credit toward a vehicle brought from a Nissan dealer. "

It's curious how a seemingly simple thing as "installing a heat shield" (this is according to the rumors running around the discussion boards), could take at least 30 days to fix. A nagging thought in me persists that this is something more complex. Could the whole of the Mazda 5 been designed so tight that all available spaces have been used and adding what could be such a simple "add-on" "heat shield" could compromise the efficiency factored into the exhaust system?

Or, could this be a case similar to the one mentioned above? Why are they recalling only the 2700+ units in North America?

 

[rockett]

I just called Mazda's Customer Service and the person who I spoke with apparently had the inclination that the problem may actually turn out to be with a sensor. To correct the problem it may only turn out to be a firmware update. In the end, there may not be any parts that are being developed, instead a piece of software is being developed to correct the sensor. Once it is written, it has to be approved by the governing body and then sent out to the dealers. I think this is actually a good thing since they won't have to modify any parts in the car. Anyways, that is what the customer service rep said. How much you can believe in this is up for debate, but I do think its a whole different approach from what has been said lately. In the end, the M5 may be very well designed, just faulty software and software is easily fixable (most the time).

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

I just called Mazda's Customer Service and the person who I spoke with apparently had the inclination that the problem may actually turn out to be with a sensor. To correct the problem it may only turn out to be a firmware update. In the end, there may not be any parts that are being developed, instead a piece of software is being developed to correct the sensor. Once it is written, it has to be approved by the governing body and then sent out to the dealers. I think this is actually a good thing since they won't have to modify any parts in the car. Anyways, that is what the customer service rep said. How much you can believe in this is up for debate, but I do think its a whole different approach from what has been said lately. In the end, the M5 may be very well designed, just faulty software and software is easily fixable (most the time).

That would be good news as long as the update didn't adversely affect fuel economy or performance.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Here's something interesting from the Edmunds Mazda 5 forum:
"And he could puchase something else. I'm glad I didn't fit in the 5 or I would be in this mess. Where/How much R&D did they do to miss the chance of fires. Nissan made the same mistake though with the Van. They took a car that wasn't necessarily meant for the U.S. and installed a U.S. friendly engine in it. The engine bay wasn't designed for that amount of heat generated by the larger engine though and caught fire. They had to buy em all back."

"Nissan van class action settlement.
February 11, 1994

Nissan must buy back all that remain of the 33,000 fire prone mini vans it sold in the U.S. between 1987-1990 after pressure from a safety research firm and the NHTSA. The California class action agreement only gave van owner a $500 credit toward a vehicle brought from a Nissan dealer. "

It's curious how a seemingly simple thing as "installing a heat shield" (this is according to the rumors running around the discussion boards), could take at least 30 days to fix. A nagging thought in me persists that this is something more complex. Could the whole of the Mazda 5 been designed so tight that all available spaces have been used and adding what could be such a simple "add-on" "heat shield" could compromise the efficiency factored into the exhaust system?

Or, could this be a case similar to the one mentioned above? Why are they recalling only the 2700+ units in North America?

I think you're overexamining the issue. It could easily take a month to figure out a fix even if it was a heat shield. If you consider that Mazda pulled the 5's before having a fix then the month timeframe is plausible. I'm in software development and it easily takes a month to find/fix/verify a major issue in software. Imagine the added complexity of a product with as many parts and systems as an automobile. Yes the timeframe is realistic especially if Mazda wants the fix to apply to several thousand 5's that are yet to be built.

 

[miatafied]

So, what's the concensus on "worst case scenario"? It takes them longer than a month to figure out? They offer to buy them back? I don't know - never had a car that was recalled like this - just wondering if anyone knows what's happened in the past and what kind of remedies the Manufacturer was willing to do for the unlucky saps stuck in our position. I'm hoping that it quickly and fairly quietly gets fixed and we're all back on the road again.

 

[boogaboo]

The Mazda5 makes national news

I heard on NPR "All Things Considered" today that: "Mazda has halted production of its newest crossover vehicle, the Mazda5, its is pulling all Mazda5s off the dealer floors, recalling all sold Mazda5s, and suspending all sales of the vehicle, after a significant enough percentage of these vehicles erupted in flames"

A local network affiliate covered the story ever-so-briefly as well.

The NPR story is upsetting me because it is vague and has a finality to it... (burn)

Did Mazda go fully public today with this?

I guess its nothing we didn't know...but...