MSP Hesitation: Compiling list for Mazda USA

[ping]

Please vote and briefly post here if you've experienced the MSP acceleration hesitation problem. Enclose a BRIEF description of the problem so we can be sure to document it fully. I'm closing the poll in 30 days and will email/write Mazda then (if we don't have answers by then).

Please also email (or call) MazdaUSA to inform them of the problem if you've experienced it.

This thread is intended to get a list together of those who've had the problem - I'll forward a listing to Mazda of the NUMBER of MSP owners who post to this thread. I will NOT forward your name or VIN (you have to do that yourself). To allow confidentiality, I've attached a POLL to the top of this thread - if you don't want to give your name, please at least vote (only one time each so we get good data).

Thanks!

L. Dixon "ping"

[ping]

Oh - I just entered the first "yes" vote. Mine hesitates between 2500 and 4500RPM, doesn't do it all the time.

[Aaron]

mine stumbles from about 3k to 5k and after 5k it really hauls till redline

[BremertonMSP]

Same as Aaron, around 3-5k and seems to get better after that. Most noticable in 5th gear.

[trekv2]

Mine did it, the first time yesterday around 4-5k in 3 gear. its like it lost power for a couple of RPM's

[funnylittlman]

Here's what my response said:

Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate
the opportunity to respond to you.

In regards to your question, please understand I'm not technically
trained and therefore not in a position to diagnose or instruct on
repair procedures for your MAZDASPEED Protegé. For these matters, Mazda
relies on the factory-trained technicians at authorized Mazda
dealerships to diagnose and repair concerns that may arise with a Mazda
vehicle.

I have contacted our Technical Department regarding your inquiry.
Without having to diagnose your vehicle, they can not determine the
source of your concern. However, they were able to tell me that there
are no recalls or technical service bulletins at this time.

If you feel this is not normal characteristic of the vehicle, please
have a Mazda dealership diagnose your vehicle.

If you would, take a quick moment to give us your opinion about our
e-mail service. The survey is only five questions, and your feedback
is important! Just click this link:
http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?5TYD85TYCGRDSLWVFE7RJ6R9

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. It has been my pleasure to
assist you. If for any reason this response has not completely
satisfied you, please feel free to reply to this message. You may also
contact our Customer Assistance Center toll-free at 1-800-222-5500.

Regards,

Charlie Kim
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business




Original Message Follows:
------------------------

[unwrittenLaw]

:bs:

[Limited Edition]

Hesitations are felt when accelerating onto a freeway from city streets. It's most noticable b/t 2500-4000rpm range, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it does happen, i'm usually in a situation where i need the power. It can be dangerous at times if you're trying to over take someone, but all you get is stumbles.

It's only felt when the throttle position is around 50-70% applied. At WOT, it never shows signs of hesitation but simply power. Although i hate the dip in power after 4500rpm - 5500rpm. It's just not the same feeling as peak torque running at 3500rpm.

5th gear cruising along and suddenly, you want to overtake or bring up the speed from 100km/h to 140km/h. When you back off the throttle to maintain the post limit, you will feel a 'jerk' in the car.

[Fëakhelek]

In case nobody thought of this, the 12 people who voted so far constitute abou 1/4 of a million dollars in revenue for Mazda. Hopefully this means something to them.

[tekkie]

I wish I could tell you when my hesitates, the problem is it does not seem one bit consistent to me, it drives me nuts. Couple of things I have noticed though is that when I start my car from cold and then go drive it there are no problems, after 5 - 10 minutes or so thats when the problems start. When I first start my car it will idle at 2000rpm's and thats when it runs fine, after 5-10 minutes it then idles at about 500rpm and you have to be careful or it will stall if your not careful with the clutch and gas. Overall I love the car but I can't wait until they come up with the ECU fix for these problems.

[scapamouche]

The only time I've seen hesitation is in 1st gear when turning. ie, the start of most autox courses...

[z00mer]

I`ve noticed the hesitation between the 2K and 5K, in fourth gear. It seems to be some sort of flat line or lull.

[Dexter]

i think i know what you guys mean, .. iwas in fifth, down shifted to fourth..a.nd the car wouldnt go....it just sorta...sat there w/o power.

[ARunto]

my thought on the stumble is that it's caused by heatsoak. mine only does it when i'm driving in the city. lots and stop and go. when i'm on the freeway in 4th and 5th gear i usually only feel turbo lag.

once my front mount is on i can give you all a better idea if it is truely a heatsoak issue. if some of the other members with FMIC could chime in on if they have the hesitation or not would help.

[CRDMS1]

FWIW, I get it all the time between 2500 and 4500 rpm. I've only had the car 2 weeks...still being nice on the throttle, but it's driving me crazy! (rant)

CRDMS1

2003 MAZDASPEED Protege
Black Mica #718
Stock

[boostisgood]

My dealer said that mazda knows about the issue, and that they are in contact with callaway about it. There probably will be a flash fix for the ecu when the exact issue is found. This was 2 weeks ago, so we will see.

Craig

[dominoy2k1]

hah i dont have that problem....oh yeah i dont have a mazdaspeed....

[rodslinger]

I test drove two MSP's and they both had it between 2500 and about 4500rpms. It was annoying enough for me NOT to buy the car. The experience I had with them dragging the ball on the Protege engine rattle made me weary about taking delivery on the car until they have the fix. They might be telling you they are looking into it but they won't do anything until you really start riding their ass about it. Nothing really happened with the cold engine rattle until I started e-mailing and calling pretty much every single person in MazdaUSA on a daily basis. If you need, I'll be glad to post the e-mail addys of the corporate and engineering personnel that I had dealt with. I think they need a good bashing every now and then.

[ForceFed]

I was not able to vote in the poll?Don't know why?But yes,my car does the hesitstion at around 4500 RPM's at partial throttle.Mazda MUST start adressing our(protege)concerns as they are not isolated cases.They are occurring in a lot of MSP's and making for a lot of un-happy Mazda owners!If they don't start adressing our concerns,I'm sure there will be a lot of customer's who will not be repeat Mazda owners!
Thanx,Matt:cool:

[DaKidd]

I too can not tell which rpm this happens because it varies from time to time. I think it mostly in 2nd and 3rd. I would also like to hear from any of u who have a FMIC to see if heat soak is the issue. but it feels more like the ingine is just gasping for more air as if the turbo isnt pushing hard enough!? i dunno... just want it fixed! Mazdaspeed just simply needs to live up to its name, and give my "mazda" a lil more of that "speed" stuff that they plasterd all over my car!!!

HATE the hesitation ( A LOT!), but still love my MSP!

[OrangeMSP]

starts in 2nd gear mostly step on the gas and no zoom-zoom feels like im towing a 48 foot boat behind me

[DaKidd]

One more thing I would like to add... When I first got the car it ran GREAT! seemed a lil bit faster then too! but after about 700 miles the hesitation issue seemed to be more obvious. It also doesnt seem to have the same power that it had from 0 to 700 miles. its only at 1480 on the ODO now! so I say :wtf: ?

[ping]

Keep those cards and letters coming....

I got the same exact letter from MazdaUSA.

Posting the email addresses would be great, but we do NOT want a flamewar going on with Mazda engineering, we just want due attention. Money talks - with 36 MSP owners having this problem (IF we can trust our poll) that's almost $750,000 in top line revenue to Mazda. They'll notice, especially since the Mazdaspeed buyer is also an "influencer" in the marketplace - typically an enthusiast who refers others to (or away from) a brand, and one who, once happy with an "entry level" car, will tend to stick with a brand.

Bringing our concerns (and clout) tactfully to their attention should do the trick. Mazda has made good on a lot of things, warranty wise, and their market reputation and handling of many issues has been pretty fair (save for a few specific issues). I've noticed on MPVclub.com and here that they have worked with people on specific (and endemic) problems. Hey, Mazda's a car company, not Dr. Feelgood, but they're better than most.

We'll see where this takes us...

(in my best John Belushi Animal House roar) "Who's with me??!?"

[alldat1111]

Happens to me almost once everyday, in 2nd and 3rd at about 3k to 5k rpm

[MSP Pro]

Mine has a mild surge sometimes between 3k and 4k rpms in second gear at partial throttle (estimate 40% to 60%). However, under full acceleration (100% throttle), the car performs fine. Bone stock, no mods.

[spoolboy]

yup 2nd and 3rd pretty much all the time when I push it hard. Kinda feels like I'm driving directly into a really strong wind.

[oliver2000]

Happens everyday for me....from 3000-4500 in 3rd,4th and 5th gear.....the car stumbles, hesistates and then goes...is dangerous if you need the power and it is not there. I have changed my air filter to a K&N drop in and it made a small difference.

I took my car to my dealer and they noted the issue however the could not reproduce it....they blamed turbo lag....they do not drive it everyday so the 5 minutes they took it for a spin does not equate to everyday driving.

The checked the computer for updates, these updates are supposed to contain fixes for " drivability " issues like this...they told me even if they verified the hesitation they could do nothing about it until a update comes out.

[TURBO3WAGON]

I just submitted my complaint to Mazda.

I own a Mazdaspeed protégé, and am quite concerned about the Hesitations, which are felt when accelerating, it is most noticeable between 2500-4500rpm ranges. It appears to be intermittent, however it usually occurs in situations where power is needed most. This can be quite dangerous in situations where you expect the car to go and all you get are stumbling hesitations. At WOT it shows less signs of hesitation then under mild acceleration. I love the car but am very disappointed with the unrefined power delivery. Perhaps Mazda needs to look into reprogramming the SPEED ECU?? The jerky feeling has become such an annoyance.

Any help in resolving this problem would be greatly appreciated.

(mspb) (scratch)

[LBS]

IM RECIEVING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH MY MSP. IT SEEMS THAT IN 1-2 GEAR AND SOMETIMES 2-3 GEAR AT 3500 RPM APPROXIMATELY THERES JUST NO GET UP. BUT AS SOON AS I HIT 5000 IM OFF AND RUNNIN. I THINK AS SOON AS MY CAI AND NEW FILTER COME IN ALL WILL BE BETTER. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE MY ENGINE IS NOT GETTING ENOUGH OXYGEN TO GET IT GOING.

[jroof]

Same deal...seems to mostly happen 3k-4.5k. It seems to be most apparent when I get on the accelerator and then back off a little in this range. As I understand it, an aftermarket intake/filter will help this problem dramatically. Can anyone confirm this?

[chwood]

Yep - the effect is most pronounced for me in 2nd/3rd at probably 60-75% throttle, between say 2500-4500 rpms. The power isn't gone for me, but it wavers and undulates as it accerates. Under a constant throttle position, you can feel the car's pull surge/lull/surge/lull/surge/lull until prob 5000 rpms.

Not "dangerous" in my case exactly, but kind of disappointing.

[TURBO3WAGON]

I got a diffirent reply from Mazda.

Mazda's goal is your complete satisfaction. We certainly appreciate
hearing from you and will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Note: Our normal business hours are Monday through Friday 6:00am to
4:00pm PT.

Please understand, this system cannot accept attachments.

Thanks!
Mazda's Customer Assistance E-Business Team

P.S. Have you checked out the all-new MAZDA6 sports sedan yet? See it
at www.MazdaUSA.com/newMazda6. Then... Drive it. You'll know.




:bs:

[OrangeAppeal]

Originally posted by boostisgood
My dealer said that mazda knows about the issue, and that they are in contact with callaway about it. There probably will be a flash fix for the ecu when the exact issue is found. This was 2 weeks ago, so we will see.

Craig

Exactly what my dealer told me. I don't remember exactly when my hesitation started, but I do know it started before I hit 1000 miles (now I have about 5300 miles). Like I stated before, it's most noticable in 2nd gear, where it feels like:

a) While accelerating (full or partial throttle) it feels like I am feathering the clutch in and out, and it kinda jerks at times then smooths out around 5500 rpm.

or

b) While accelerating (full or partial throttle) it feels like I am applying the brakes and there is a flat no power feeling and it sometimes stumbles/jerks. Then around 5500 rpm, it feels like vtec kicked in, or I hit the "NOS" button, or I got rear ended....it's a definite jump in power that throws me a little into my seat.

I'm also noticing similar things in 3rd, 4th, and 5th gear, just not as pronounced.

When I took it to the dealer for service about a month ago, they said that Mazda knows of the problem, it's not just my car. They don't know whats causing it or how to fix it, but they are in contact with Callaway to see if they can figure out what is going on and possibly come up with a fix. Then he told me that I would more than likely be notified of a fix directly from Mazda.

I understand that a dealership service dept can only do soo much, and thats about all I expected from them....when the dealership called me up a week later to ask how everything else was (had my bushings replaced that day too), I told him I hadn't hear anything from the bushings, but the stumbling issue seems to have worsened. He then said, "well, if it becomes a drivability issue, then bring it back in and we'll do what we can" (soo far, this is the best dealership experience I've encountered)...soo, my car is going back in on Monday (5/19).

I'm going to wait for the outcome of that before I e-mail Mazda to find out what they are gonna do.

I dont' want it to come to this, but if worst comes to worse...if they can't fix it in 3 or more tries, I can always play the "Lemon Law" card:(

I'll keep everyone updated on my situation next week.

EDIT: on a side note: A cold air intake might solve this problem as others have stated...but it's not a problem WE should have to solve...so I say, why not get Mazda to pay for our CAI systmes to solve the problem?

[TURBO3WAGON]

GREAT IDEA, I WOULD LOVE A FREE CIA.

:cool: :cool: :cool:

[funnylittlman]

MMMM CAI and an ECU flash! :D What a great deal that would be! :D

[servoeyes]

I'm in! Where do I sign?

Product ID......QTY......Charge
Injen CAI........1........- 0 -

Hey OrangeAppeal...which dealer do you go to? Sounds a lot like an answer my dealership would give?

[funnylittlman]

Hey Servo,

I'm guessing since yours came off right after mine, we have the same issue, eh?

[OrangeAppeal]

Originally posted by servoeyes
I'm in! Where do I sign?

Product ID......QTY......Charge
Injen CAI........1........- 0 -

Hey OrangeAppeal...which dealer do you go to? Sounds a lot like an answer my dealership would give?

Mazda of Newport, RI...all around great dealership...run all by younger mid - late 20's people for the most part. I'm impressed by them soo far (I should be to drive an hour to a dealership, when I have 3 others closer by about 1/2 hour each).

[JMS'sMSP]

Mine has never stalled to the point of shutting off but on many occasions it has come really close. Like 200 rpms close mabey even lower while sitting at a redlight or stop sign it will just shutter and almost cut off.

I also notice a hesitaion in the low rpm's in all gears.

[Grimace]

I have the hesitation once in a while, but not the stalling problem.
The worst time I experienced the hestitation was accelerating semi-hard in 5th gear, and when the tac hit ~3500 RPM, it felt for a moment like when my drivers ed teacher used to hit the passenger side brake... :rolleyes:

[Emode]

No stalls, but definite stumbling around 3.5 to about the high 4's. It also doesn't happen consisitently enough to pin it down to one situation. Very sporadic, and upsetting.................

[funnylittlman]

Originally posted by Grimace
I have the hesitation once in a while, but not the stalling problem.
The worst time I experienced the hestitation was accelerating semi-hard in 5th gear, and when the tac hit ~3500 RPM, it felt for a moment like when my drivers ed teacher used to hit the passenger side brake... :rolleyes:

I've had this as well... It felt like the 1st time I drove a stick :mad:

[Sloop]

Yeah,

Mine is doing the same thing as everyone else's. It almost feels like the ecu is adding too much fuel to the engine. Does anyone know if our cars are running to rich? I for one love my car but that beast called the EVO VIII is calling and if Mazda can't get there stuff together I will have no problem switching brands. My IS300 had a nice big hesitation like the MSP and they flashed the ecu and all was fine. Of course we should check if the 2003.5's do it as well. Saw a yellow one in Galveston, TX last weekend.

[Aaron]

Below is the E-mail I recieved from MAZDA usa. :

Dear Aaron,

Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate
the opportunity to respond to you.

In regards to your question, please understand I'm not technically
trained and therefore not in a position to diagnose or speculate as to
the operational condition of your vehicle or its relationship to
conditions experienced by other owners. For these matters, Mazda relies
on the factory-trained technicians at authorized Mazda dealerships to
diagnose and repair concerns that may arise with a Mazda vehicle.

Each Mazda dealership has access to Mazda's Quality Assurance
Department via a technical hotline. This is offered to each dealership
should they need assistance from Mazda with diagnosing or repairing a
Mazda vehicle. By contacting Quality Assurance, a dealership (as you
inquired) can also receive any information about a model-wide concern,
if applicable. Again, I can not speculate as to whether this actually
is just a characteristic, or if it is indicative of a defect...that is
the role of a Mazda dealership and their Mazda resources outlined
above.

Therefore, I recommend contacting a Mazda dealership regarding this
matter. You may locate your nearest Mazda dealerships online at
www.mazdausa.com/dealers/default.asp.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. It has been my pleasure to
assist you. If for any reason this response has not completely
satisfied you, please feel free to reply to this message. You may also
contact our Customer Assistance Center toll-free at 1-800-222-5500.

Please take a moment of your time to give us your opinion about our
e-mail service. Click the link below to complete a brief, online
survey.

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?5TYD85TYCGRDSLWVFE7RJ6R9

Regards,

William Zdan
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business

[MikeyG_U2]

My car hesitates, usually when it's very humid or rainy outside... It's like the car stutters, you know how when you were first learning to drive a stick and wouldn't give it enough gas and the car would kind of jerk back and forth, that what I get, except at about 3-4K RPM. It's rare, but annoying, it seems to happen in all gears when the car is doing it. I pretty much have to baby the engine when it's in this 'mood'.

[Notorious]

I get MAD hesitation especially in second gear. It's getting old... really fast.

[billinsf]

My experience is very similar to many of yours: obvious hesitation between about 3000 and 4000 rpm. It's pretty frustrating. Sometimes I'm exiting a turn, hitting the gas and getting virtually no response.

The car's handling is indeed exceptional--even better than I expected after reading all the car magazine's reviews. But. . . this hesitation leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

thanks,ping for starting this thread, doing the poll and encouraging us to contact Mazdausa!

[oliver2000]

It is raining here in TO.....today was a very bad day for hestitation even thou I dropped in a K&N drop in filter...was great for a few days but not I think the ecu has adjusted the fuel mix to the new amount of air...so back to the drawing board

[unwrittenLaw]

I don't think the K&N is anything more than a slight improvment over the stock airbox if that...It's pulling in more air, but it's hotter air. I think I'm gonna put the stock box back on and see the difference..wish i had a heatshield or something..
I unplugged the battery to reset the ecu for more airflow after i put in the k&n..but didn't seem to help much..

and i'm getting sick of the damn hesitation...

[TURBO3WAGON]

I’ve noticed that the stumbling becomes more evident when it’s humid out, which really suck for us Florida residents. I’ve also noticed that while the car is hesitating, If I hold it at about 3k in what ever gear then flush it to 5k – 6k it actually clears up. Once I have it cleared up It runs fine. It turn what this equates to is that I have to flush the engine a few times to get it to run better. I hate to have to dog the car out every time I drive it, but it seams to clear it up after a while.

Has anyone else has this experience?


(bang) (mspb)

[unwrittenLaw]

Haven't tried that..I'll give it a whirl...

[funnylittlman]

yeah I have Turbo3wagon,

When i get pissed at the head banging it does to me, I just mash the gas for a little bit, then start to drive normal. It's feels like you "burped" the baby after a meal ! :D

[TURBO3WAGON]

I believe that our cars are running supper rich, which would explain why the CIA helps remedy the stutter. I also fell it could be a timing issue. Has anyone tried a set of 1 step colder plugs???

All this equates to poor ECU map.

[funnylittlman]

There is no way, (w/o a piggy back) to dyno tune our cars, eh?

[TURBO3WAGON]

What? You don't need a piggy back to run 1 step colder plugs. I've done it on most of my turbo cars, especially when running up the boost.

[Grimace]

Originally posted by oliver2000
It is raining here in TO.....today was a very bad day for hestitation even thou I dropped in a K&N drop in filter...was great for a few days but not I think the ecu has adjusted the fuel mix to the new amount of air...so back to the drawing board

Yep, its a rainy, humid day. I'm taking my car out after lunch so I'll pay special attention to see if it hesitates worse.

[funnylittlman]

Originally posted by TURBO3WAGON
What? You don't need a piggy back to run 1 step colder plugs. I've done it on most of my turbo cars, especially when running up the boost.

No no no... I meant Dyno tune the car.. not anything about 1 step colder plugs (people w/ higher boost should do that.. which will eliminate that pinging noise)

But I said is there a way to Dyno tune our cars w/o the use of a piggy back?

[TampaBlackMSP]

I think everyone seems to have about the same symptoms. Without reiterating or restating anything, mine acts like this between 3000 - 45000, and only sporadically...very weird, and most annoying.

I hope the fact that our cars are limited prod. vehicles won't hinder a possible fix in the near future - at least it better not...keeping fingers crossed.

Good luck to us all!

[I EAT Z3]

Mine does it too. I think it can be attributed to poor ECU tuning by Mazda and Callaway. Seeing the A/F ratio when this happens the thing goes WAY rich at that point. I also just ran some 94 Octane in it as opposed to the 93 I normally run and it seemed to help. Could the knock sensor be picking up detonation and then dumping fuel AND retarding timing together in response to knock?

I get better response from my Link in my Turbo Miata, and I tuned that myself. I'd think Mazda or any manufacturer could do better than that. I keep asking my dealer if they have new software yet and they still say no. We'll have to keep waiting.

Maybe if a few people give theirs up under the lemon law they'll get it fixed...:'(

[Newf]

all the responses your getting from Mazda is the typical, copy-paste, blow them off responses. they see your request, barely read it, probably put some quick and very brief summary of it in a computer somewhere, and move on to the next complaint.

It's a start of getting something done, and it needs to be done, as you need to show them how many cars are effected. The more cars, the more personal complaints sent in, letters, emails, call whatever.....all good. But, to get something done, I learned it takes more then letters, and it takes someone to sacrifice a lot of personal time, and I'm not even sure that works yet. Good luck guys. Hopefully you'll have this thing cleared up before I get mine :)

for the record, the one here in town does NOT hesitate, or at least he doesn't notice.

[Aaron]

I have gotten another reply from Mazda: Basically they said the dealership will be the one to state if this is a problem or not. What a waste of time. Well My MSP will going in Monday morning for this as well as a ticking like a lifter in the morning when started it seem to get quieter when the motor is nice and warm. I will be have the sevice guy drive my car with me and show him the hesitation issue.

from Mazda:

Dear Aaron,

Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate
the opportunity to respond to you.

Again, understand that all technical matters are, indeed, handled
through a Mazda dealership. We do not perform any repairs or
inspections from this office nor any of our corporate facilities or
factories. If there is ever a matter that requires technical
assistance, research, or corporate action in the form of a recall or
Special Service Program, all circumstances that involve a customer
vehicle will be handled through a Mazda dealership. In the event that
there is ever a model wide concern with any vehicle, Mazda dealerships
do receive all needed information, training, tools and support to
address any matters.

At this time, I have confirmed that there are no Special Service
Programs, recalls, or Technical Service Bulletins. If there is any
matter that requires repair, this may, as always, be addressed at a
Mazda dealership. They will be able to distinguish any problems with
your (or any) vehicle from normal operating characteristics. They may
enlist the assistance of Mazda Quality Assurance technical information
as needed. Therefore, your point of contact for any of these matters
remains to be the Service Manager at your dealership.

Rest assured, you have been heard and your comments have been
documented for corporate record. I have, further, forwarded them for
review by our Product Planning department.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. It has been my pleasure to
assist you. If for any reason this response has not completely
satisfied you, please feel free to reply to this message. You may also
contact our Customer Assistance Center toll-free at 1-800-222-5500.

Please take a moment of your time to give us your opinion about our
e-mail service. Click the link below to complete a brief, online
survey.

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?5TYD85TYCGRDSLWVFE7RJ6R9

Regards,

William Zdan
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business

[ping]

...just so you guys remember the calculation, here it is again:

At the time of this writing, 67 poll respondents have indicated a problem with hesitation. That's 67 times $20,000, or a top-line revenue impact of $1,340,000. If all 2000 MSP's have this problem, that's over FORTY MILLION in top-line revenue. Considering that these cars typically sell for above sticker, that's a lot of DEALER revenue as well.

Mazda does not want PO'd dealers. They don't want PO'd customers. What they REALLY don't want is to PO the type of customer who buys a MSP. Here's why:

The MSP, as a Limited Edition car, is attracting the market demographic that Mazda needs. I'd guess our typical Buyer is in their 20's, buying a car early in their car-buying life, and is an "enthusiast" enough to influence the purchases of others. If Mazda treats us well, to Mazda's way of thinking we're Mazda buyers for life. We'll also influence others to consider Mazda.

We're a powerful group, us MSP buyers, and need to wield that power in our communications with Mazda. Two ways to do this:

1) EVERYONE who has this problem, visit the dealer, get it documented, and (importantly) write Mazda. Tell them you're in touch with a large number of MSP owners who share this concern, and that there's a strong movement afoot to approach Mazda as a Group (that's the group of people on this post).

2) Call Mazda and reply to their response, indicating the above, again.

3) Be professional and courteous for now. We want to develop a GOOD rapport with these guys, not a negative one. Anything we do that gets this publicized negatively hurts the resale value of OUR cars as well as hurting Mazda. We both lose. We want a win for both of us, and Mazda (from reading other posts) may be able to provide.

Still tabulating... I've already responded to their email response to me as follows:

a) Thank you for your time and attention.
b) I'm part of a large group of Mazdaspeed enthusiasts and am aware that this issue exists in over 98% of the MSP's in this Group (check the poll results).
c) We are anxiously awaiting Mazda's formal response
d) I will be visiting the Dealer to further document this issue.

Have at it!

[girth]

Hey guys. NOOB here -- been visiting the forum for a month or so and owned my Spicy Orange Speed for about 3 weeks.

Anyway, yup, I have the EXACT same hesitation problem that you all have. So frustrating. I cannot pinpoint a typical scenario when it happens -- but probably most often in 2,3,4 between 2k and redline. It's extremely unpredictable. Mine also seems to "stumble" on occasion under light acceleration (almost like a backfire without the noise).

Man I hope a fix is found for this! It's ruining my experience with the car!

[mtbjedi]

i am getting the hesitation when I punch the throttle, back off, then punch again in 3-4 gear...its almost like the ECU's control is getting "confused" about what I am doing..

Also when I punch at low rpm..I get the stumble girth just commented on.

[mtbjedi]

I see a ECU flash recall in our future......

[TampaBlackMSP]

Well, just got my first oil change/tire rotation/minor warranty work (driver's side window trim needing replacing)...and of course the dealer couldn't find anything wrong...yet. No bad codes, and no 'updates' from Mazda, as the Svc. Mgr. called them. But they were nice, and it seems as long as I'm a little patient, they'll fix it as soon as someone figures it out - he said he'd call me when word on a fix gets to them...

I'm at 5K now, and it still doesn't run as smooth and strong as it should all the time - minor stumbling/surging...But I can wait, it's only a matter of time. He also said I should call Mazda Cust. Svc. if for no other reason than they log all calls, and if enough of us get the word out to them (like we're trying to do now), something will happen...who knows...

Just a little update, as I just got it done yesterday.

[OrangeAppeal]

Went back to the dealership today for the bushings and clunk and dimming lights. Was told the bushings were "for some reason, defective" so they went ahead and replaced those again (we know where that leads). The dimming lights: "we found that the alternator belt was loose, soo we tightened it".

Now, the clunk..."Mazda is aware of the problem, but unfortunately they still don't have a fix. I will mark it down that you were in again for it." I will be talking to the Service Manager tomorrow morning (he was out today) to explain to him my unhappiness about it.

I also just got off the phone with a very polite customer service rep from Mazda Corporate, USA (Mazdaspeed - Rebecca, ext. 1148). She was unaware of the problem and said she would research it and get back to me...I also brought up the clunking issue, and she said she would look into it.

As soon as I hear something, I'll let you all know.
Peace,
Jesse

[twiztedjeckel]

mines the same as everybody elses. not much to add or tell

[ping]

Hmmm, back from a weekend away and I find... more of the same! Looks like this hesitation is endemic to the MSP (like we didn't know that).

Personal thought - dimming lights is probably an undersized battery - anyone replace theirs with a larger/higher capacity model? (OK, that's a subject for another thread). No response to my second communication with Mazda, I'm planning on summarizing this thread (no specific names mentioned, just the data) and sending to Mazda, working on getting a contact there who's higher than customer-service-rep level (no offense intended to anyone who's in Customer Service, of course) or who will champion our cause with MazdaUSA.

Thanks for the responses, all - thread and poll still open.

[TURBO3WAGON]

HALTECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D :D :D :D :D :D :D


Keep up posted, everyone is going nuts with this crap.

[DaKidd]

same f'n responce I got when I called mazdaUSA... "problem?... what problem?... we do not have any record of such complaints from any other msp owners... :bs: ... Have u told ur dealer?"
I mean :wtf: ??? does their right hand even know what the hell their left hand is doing??? (scratch)

(rant) (flame) (argh) (pissed)



(mspb) (piss)


J/K i still love my shit!... just want them to admit that there is actualy a problem here!
boost good, hesitation bad.... mmmmkay?

[Turbo Matty P]

I had to nickname my car " The 'Ole Bump&Stumble" because of it's horrible display of factory tuning. This car runs pig-rich at part throttle. I hope Mazda gets these posts in their entirity. I ran my car on a chasis dyno with wideband air/fuel metering and the other guys were all laughing at me. They've seen 16yr old kids come in who could tune a fuel curve better. I'm buying an APEXi S-AFC and fixing this crap myself. Mazda will just have to maintain my factory warranty AND reimburse for my parts and labor.

MAZDA OFFICIALS: start reading, comprehending and taking to heart what the automotive journalists tell you about your cars. The MAZDASPEED would own the sport compact market if you would just admit your ECU sucks and bump the horsepower where it needs to be 200-225+. Do this and you'll rule market you've sucked at for so long.

[mtbjedi]

I dropped my car off in the morning to the dealer for the clunk. I was called later at work and told that they drove the car and did not hear a clunk.

I told him I know I thunk I heard a clunk..I know the bushings are junk you punk!

I said I'd come down there to drive this dude around and he'd hear more clunk than he thunk. But he left at 3....

[Turbo Matty P]

hahaha

[ping]

A pop to the top as we sort out this slop
be writing to Mazda before the month stops

The stumbling and grumbling of all us here Whos
as we stumble along like our cars are on booze

The clunking and stumbling make us feel like buffoons
Talking to Mazda USA like they're a bunch of Baboons!

But we'll get this sorted, this bucking and snorting
this clunking and stumbling (but hold the match-porting)

I'll write then to Mazda, and you write them too
with numbers, and dollars, and persuasiveness poo
and respond they must, for we represent
Bunches and Bundles of dollars well spent

We're enthusiasts, and persuaders, and buyers of cars
who won't recommend any more of thars
'til this stumbling and bumbling and clunking is Fixed
Flash our ECU's, and get our Clunks nixed!

(any more votes, get back to me soon - this goes to Mazda this Saturday at Noon!)

-L Dixon ("ping")

[trekv2]

Originally posted by ping
A pop to the top as we sort out this slop
be writing to Mazda before the month stops

The stumbling and grumbling of all us here Whos
as we stumble along like our cars are on booze

The clunking and stumbling make us feel like buffoons
Talking to Mazda USA like they're a bunch of Baboons!

But we'll get this sorted, this bucking and snorting
this clunking and stumbling (but hold the match-porting)

I'll write then to Mazda, and you write them too
with numbers, and dollars, and persuasiveness poo
and respond they must, for we represent
Bunches and Bundles of dollars well spent

We're enthusiasts, and persuaders, and buyers of cars
who won't recommend any more of thars
'til this stumbling and bumbling and clunking is Fixed
Flash our ECU's, and get our Clunks nixed!

(any more votes, get back to me soon - this goes to Mazda this Saturday at Noon!)

-L Dixon ("ping")

LOL good job thats funny
BTW this is my 100th post lol

[servoeyes]

Ok...so here's my .02:
Driving to car show yesterday (icky day...but no rain.) Take wrong turn...flooring it in 2nd to find a spot to turn around...3.7k-4.2k car starts bucking and acting like it's gonna stall...this is no longer the hesitation, but the stumble. Holy shit I almost crapt my pantalones! I thought i threw a rod or something(never happened so I didn't know)...that is not a safe/good feeling. Today it was pouring outside...and a little cool, but it did it again a couple of times. Problem is I can't recreate it after it's just been done. Now...it's also been doing the almost stall where you punch it, then depress the clutch, and warning lights come up. Anybody know why that one happens? I have a theory, and it's something I should be able to figure out but just need some back up. What ever the case...these issues are being passed onto Mazda and my dealership. I have to drive down to TN 6/6, so it may have to wait until after that...but this is getting rediculous!!!

[mtbjedi]

Originally posted by ping
A pop to the top as we sort out this slop
be writing to Mazda before the month stops

The stumbling and grumbling of all us here Whos
as we stumble along like our cars are on booze

The clunking and stumbling make us feel like buffoons
Talking to Mazda USA like they're a bunch of Baboons!

But we'll get this sorted, this bucking and snorting
this clunking and stumbling (but hold the match-porting)

I'll write then to Mazda, and you write them too
with numbers, and dollars, and persuasiveness poo
and respond they must, for we represent
Bunches and Bundles of dollars well spent

We're enthusiasts, and persuaders, and buyers of cars
who won't recommend any more of thars
'til this stumbling and bumbling and clunking is Fixed
Flash our ECU's, and get our Clunks nixed!

(any more votes, get back to me soon - this goes to Mazda this Saturday at Noon!)

-L Dixon ("ping")

When stepping on the gas our cars may stumble and shake
To mazda our case we soon make
Despite the little bugs these cars have
-The clunk, the little freeze when I hit the gas
I can admit a few issues my car has...

...I still think MY CAR KICKS ASS!!!! :D

[servoeyes]

here! here! Just a little scary sometimes...with all of these silly rhymes...doh!

[ping]

<ouch>

:D