For several weeks my 2012 Mazda5 Sport has been making some odd sounds from the rear of the vehicle when driving over some, but not all, uneven surfaces. I've been trying to isolate and eliminate potential sources of the noise, best described as clunking, and I think it's down to three culprits: the sway bar, the exhaust, and the shocks. Why the exhaust? I had a hitch installed months ago and the shop had to remove the pipe from the hangers, forgetting to reattach them all after they were done. However, if this were the case then I should've heard the noises long before I did. Why the sway bar? Mazda5s have historically suffered noisy sway bar bushings in particular and mine might be a little loose from when I attempted to install a 2010 Mazdaspeed3 sway bar (not compatible it turns out). However, I've tightened and checked things and the noise is still there. Which brings us to the shocks. Well, the left rear shock really, since the noises don't seem to come from the right side. I've been reading about the first generation's troubles with the shocks and it sounds like things have not been solved. The second generation Mazda5 still uses the same basic structure as the first generation, unlike the redesigned Mazda3. I'm leaving on a long road trip first thing in the morning so I can't get it in to a dealership/shop right away but once I do I'll post the results. On the one hand, I hope it's something stupid and not the shocks because I like to think Mazda would have addressed such a serious flaw. On the other hand, rear shocks are relatively cheap and easy.
Anyway, until I get more definitive evidence keep your ears out for your own suspensions.
Anyway, until I get more definitive evidence keep your ears out for your own suspensions.
