Leaking Shock?

[miatafied]

Hi Gang -

About a month ago we loaded up the 5 with 6 adults and went into NYC for a concert - sure we hit a few potholes and at one point it sounded like the rear suspension or exhaust was rattling. Once the 6 adults were out, couldn't replicate the noise - I thought that maybe it was just the noisy bushings that others have talked about.

Then, a few weeks ago, I started to notice a few drops of liquid on my driveway - just on the inside of the driver's side rear wheel. I thought that it was maybe my emergency brakes, as at around the same time, I noticed that with my ebrake on it would start to roll when I pushed the clutch in to start the car. I had the dealer look at the brakes and they re-adjusted the ebrake and it now holds fine, but the leak on the driveway remained. So, I brought it in today for an oil change and asked them to look into the leak - they said that my shock is leaking? Never heard of this happening before - they said that they had to order the part and they'd call me when it came in.

I'll keep you posted.

[theweev]

read: blown shock. the seal is shot. probably due to the 6 people. which isn't good news.

[Wuster]

Were you carrying 6 NFL linebackers in the 5?

;)

[miatafied]

Hmm, not good news if everytime I wanna carry 6 adults - I have to worry about blowing the shocks! No NFL linebackers - 6 avg american adults - probably ~ 150lbs each (avg).

[the_saint]

150 each? That's not the average american adult! (outie) lol

[miatafied]

I guess I'm a little low:


Average height (male & female): 5'9" / 5'4"

Average weight (male & female): 175 / 150

Male weight chart:

Age: 20 to 29 yrs 30 to 39 yrs 40 to 49 yrs 50 to 59 yrs 60 to 69 yrs

kilograms: 76 81.3 82.6 84 83.5

pounds: 168 179 182 185 184

Female weight chart:

Age: 20 to 29 yrs 30 to 39 yrs 40 to 49 yrs 50 to 59 yrs 60 to 69 yrs

kilograms: 59.8 65.5 67.7 71.7 68.9

pounds: 132 144 149 158 152

[da1nonly]

does anybody got any updated information on this??? or info about blown shocks???

I have the exact same problem now... I was hearing a large crunching noise/rattling in the rear suspension near the exhaust and I assumed it was the bushings thing... I then started noticing drops in my garage in the same area when parked... I have an appointment with the dealer next week... but I wasn't sure if I should tell them its the bushings tsb replacement thing or a leaking shock....

hey miatified, did they fix the problem?

I never had more than 2 adults and 3 kids in the car... is this a blown shock and broken seal just from day to day use??? my commute is mainly highway driving and I usually avoid most potholes when driving in the city...
whats up???

[joeboy]

I had the same problem with mine. My dealership said it was a blown rear strut and replaced it right away. Problem is gone...no noise.

[da1nonly]

I had the same problem with mine. My dealership said it was a blown rear strut and replaced it right away. Problem is gone...no noise.



wow! at least I'm not alone... is this covered by warranty? I only have 5500km on the vehicle....

did they tell you what might have caused this??? i like to think i'm a pretty safe driver and honestly don't think there's anything I would've done to cause this... I'd hate to think that this can happen again after they replace it...

[MD5]

Hmm, not good news if everytime I wanna carry 6 adults - I have to worry about blowing the shocks! No NFL linebackers - 6 avg american adults - probably ~ 150lbs each (avg).


I'm at 6'1 and 220. I guess I'm not "average".

[ladygrey]

I had a leaky shock way back a year ago just after I bought mine. They fixed it and I've never had another problem despite horribly blizzard ravaged roads that still have enormous potholes in April. I hit at least one a week.

[da1nonly]

I had a leaky shock way back a year ago just after I bought mine. They fixed it and I've never had another problem despite horribly blizzard ravaged roads that still have enormous potholes in April. I hit at least one a week.


was it covered by warranty???

the dealership says i need to pay an inspection fee for them to determine what the problem is... and if it's a manufacturers defect then it can be claimed by warranty... they said it's possible that I could've caused the problem by driving over a curb or driving to fast over potholes.... I'm pretty careful with the way I drive. How can they tell if it was caused by me or a manufacturers defect?

[zoomzoom mazda5]

Go to another dealer, you should not pay them a penny. It should be cover under warranty. good luck

[joeboy]

Hey da1,
I can't believe your dealership wants to charge you for a warranty inspection!! All they have to do is look at the shock to see that it's leaking...and it simply shouldn't. Mine was drenched in oil when my dealership took a look at it. There was no question in their minds that it was warranty regardless of driving style or passengers. It's a passenger vehicle afterall (seats 6).

I'd put up more of a stink if I were you...but just stay on their good side and don't be one of those customers that become a hassle (like me ;)

Good luck!

[da1nonly]

thanks for the feedback guys...

hey joeboy... what dealership did you have yours done at? I want to reference it as an issue with other customers before and not have them pin it on my driving style... i figure they can just call that dealership to confirm that it is something that's happened before

[joeboy]

My dealership is Angevaare Mazda in Peterborough. They've been great to me.

[ladygrey]

was it covered by warranty???

Yes, they found it during my first tire rotation, told me about it and ordered the parts. I even told them I had hit a pretty good pothole, though with a different tire.

I agree that you should find a better dealership. Inspection fee my ass.

[da1nonly]

So here's what happened...

I brought it in to the dealership for the noise (crunching, loose end clanging) and leak I was hearing/seeing in the rear side suspension behind the driver 5 days ago...

They replaced the front bushings according to the TSB. I told them my issue was in the back but they said the technician heard it in the front.

Went home and still heard the clanging noise in the back but no crunching noise... so I brought it back to the dealership and told them to look at it again... i had to leave it there for a couple days so they could diagnose the issue... i pointed them to it probably being a blown strut (based on what I've read from other owners) ... they loaned me a mazda6 in the meantime... and finally called me today to pick up my mazda5.

The problem they said was a defective left rear strut... it was blown and they ordered parts to replace the defective part... they said everything is ok now.

Hopefully everything works out... but you can add me to the list of owners with blown/defective struts...

Thanks for the information on this issue everyone... it was very helpful...

[babelbox]

Does the 5 sold in Canada have a rear strut? When I looked at my 5's rear suspension, the shock is separate from the coil spring. Isn't it that a strut is a shock absorber mounted inside a coil spring.

I'm also hearing 'thud' noises in the left rear (driver side). It feels like there's no shock at all. I have an appointment at the dealership this Thursday. I hope it's just the same problems as listed below.


So here's what happened...

I brought it in to the dealership for the noise (crunching, loose end clanging) and leak I was hearing/seeing in the rear side suspension behind the driver 5 days ago...

They replaced the front bushings according to the TSB. I told them my issue was in the back but they said the technician heard it in the front.

Went home and still heard the clanging noise in the back but no crunching noise... so I brought it back to the dealership and told them to look at it again... i had to leave it there for a couple days so they could diagnose the issue... i pointed them to it probably being a blown strut (based on what I've read from other owners) ... they loaned me a mazda6 in the meantime... and finally called me today to pick up my mazda5.

The problem they said was a defective left rear strut... it was blown and they ordered parts to replace the defective part... they said everything is ok now.

Hopefully everything works out... but you can add me to the list of owners with blown/defective struts...

Thanks for the information on this issue everyone... it was very helpful...

[babelbox]

Add me to this list. Just got back to the dealer and was told that the rear driver's side shock was leaking. The dealer said that the part is on backorder and will call me when the part goes in. Thank God it's still covered under warranty.

[da1nonly]

i've gotta go in to get the other rear strut replaced now... defective part again... on backorder...

[babelbox]

So the shock came in and took the car back to the dealer. After waiting for a little more than an hour, I was 'shocked' (how ironic) when they told me that they replaced the right side. I earlier reported the noise coming from the rear driver side but the mechanic said he heard it from the right rear (which was the passenger side). The mechanic said that he road tested it and it was fine. At this point, I was hesistant to take back the car because I know that the noise would still be there. So after I drove it, the noise is still there. So I told them about it and they said they will order the shock for the other side. They estimated another two weeks to get the part.:mad:

[isda65]

I've had the crunching noise on the driver's rear side since day one. Same with the clanging noise when it's filled up with either gear or people or gear and people (kids and small adults) going over a road bump in our complex in a crawl. I haven't noticed any leaks though. But the dealership has bullshitted me everytime saying they couldn't find anything wrong. I was probably the first who complained about this type of problem (mine is a 2006 model). So I'm a little relieved that I wasn't imagining things. I'm going back to the dealership again and once and for all point this out to them. If they continue to play f* dumb again I'm going to take my friend's offer to replace my warped rotors and shocks himself. He does these things himself. I've had it with these con men.

[Benfolio]

We've had a couple 5's in for blown shocks. Hasn't happened to mine... yet. Due to the backorders, I'm thinking this is a more common problem than we think.
Time for a recall, Mazda?

[AIMWO4]

I had a popping noise going over speed bumps and through dips between streets where I live. I just had them re-torque my cowl panel bolts.


I've had the crunching noise on the driver's rear side since day one. Same with the clanging noise when it's filled up with either gear or people or gear and people (kids and small adults) going over a road bump in our complex in a crawl. I haven't noticed any leaks though. But the dealership has bullshitted me everytime saying they couldn't find anything wrong. I was probably the first who complained about this type of problem (mine is a 2006 model). So I'm a little relieved that I wasn't imagining things. I'm going back to the dealership again and once and for all point this out to them. If they continue to play f* dumb again I'm going to take my friend's offer to replace my warped rotors and shocks himself. He does these things himself. I've had it with these con men.

[afticarab]

Noticed a clunk in driver's rear for past few weeks and finally got a chance to take a look. Drivers rear strut/shock is covered with oil and when the car is on the jack I can recreate the clunk by raising wheel with prybar. Will be speaking with dealer tomorrow, should I be looking to get both done on warranty. Vehicle has 42000km. A number of suspension forums highly recommend replacement of both.

1) If one is done the other is probably not far behind.
2) By only replacing one it will adversly affect the handling dynamics
3) The new shock will wear out faster as it will be taking on some of the work that the weaker one should be doing.
4) Its also suggested that tire wear may be an issue if only one is replaced.

Benfolio suggested that the problem my be wide spread as the availability of parts is slim. Any thoughts on how to influence dealer to replace both, has anyone had both done?

[WRXedUSA]

Bit of a bump from the dead here.

I have adopted mechanics duties on a coworkers '02 MP5.

She is complaining of a rear clunk in the back (similarly described by the OP). The car has about 60k on it. I've driven the car several times and can confirm.

Without inspecting the shock/strut tubes for obvious damage/leaks, is there indeed a history of defective struts on these cars? Does the tophat need to be done too?

If so, point me in the direction of a thread that has play-by-play DIY pictures to change the struts. (ie what plastic interior parts do you need to get to the top hats, O-drive socket set needed, etc)

Subaru's have a similar defect on the STI strut, but it is because of a bad tophat.

[kyoshiro]

i hear clunk sound when i stop during reverse from the passenger rear side, is that normal? lol