Stalling Issue

SteviePT

Member
:
2008 CX9 AWD GT & 2007 Mazda 3 GT
I have had 2 instances, approximately 5 months apart, where my CX 9 abruptly stalls while moving. The most recent episode happened today as I was approaching a turn and luckily nobody was approaching me in the other lane or I would definitely have had an accident. I ended up on the other side of the road as I could barely steer the vehicle. I managed to get to the shoulder of the road where I noticed that the oil indicator light was illuminated. I immediately recalled my previous incident when I was able to restart the engine immediately afterwards. I was able to do the same today.

I brought the vehicle to the dealer when this first happened in January and they told me there weren't any codes produced and to let them know if it happened again. The conditions today were very wet and when this stalling occurred in January conditions were also very wet with much slush and snow hitting the underside of the vehicle.

Does anyone have any ideas? I am now wary of driving the vehicle any distance. I just returned from a road trip this weekend with my family and am so thankful that this didn't happen on the winding, treacherous roads that we were traveling.
 
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Just my opinion? Try a different gas station and better yet, a corporate owned one or at least a franchise such as Shell, Sunoco or Valero.

Stations that are not part of a true oil company, don't bother with their junk gas. Not worth it and usually contains a high level of water (which can easily cause your out of the blue stalling)
 
hi steve
we have had the stalling issue as well, it happens about 2 times a month....usually when we pull up to a stop light while standing it just stalls out....same story with dealer.....they checked 2 times now and can find anything while hooked up to the computer.....now we have had a dead throttle pedal as well....engine running but no response to stepping on the gas pedal... its going back on monday the 8th....i hope they are related issues. the dead pedal has been posted and it seems mazda tech knows about the problem....seems it is related to the throttle body and the throttle body actuator.....hopefully the dealer will dig a little deeper and not just rely on the computer scanner.... ill post results after we get it back

ken
 
Just my opinion? Try a different gas station and better yet, a corporate owned one or at least a franchise such as Shell, Sunoco or Valero.

Stations that are not part of a true oil company, don't bother with their junk gas. Not worth it and usually contains a high level of water (which can easily cause your out of the blue stalling)

You do realize that gas is gas. All stations get their gas from the same pipelines. Each refinery puts X gallons into the same pipe, so then they are allowed to take X gallons OUT of the pipe at the other end. Independents buy their gas from whichever refinery gives them the best deal.

Stations are also strictly inspected and tested to insure the quality matches set standards. They do not water the gas down, or they would be shut down.
The biggest companies are the ones 'watering down' their gas. Chevron and Shell are the worst offenders, because they dilute their gas with extra 'cleaning agents' beyond the required detergents. They are just adding cheap filler that puts more money in their pockets.
Every car I've had ran poorer with Chevron than any other brand because you get less gasoline per volume than other brands.
 
Sports,
You are right in your points, however, you overlooked one thing, the gas storage tanks at the stations. Some stations are old and have leaky storage. Ground water can get into the gas storage through seams. Older storage tanks also could have lots of dirts accumulated at the bottom.
I can confirm that all gas is equal at refineries (heard it from many places) when they go put into the gas trucks. After that, they differ. Some companies add additives to their gas. Once the gas got put into the gas storage tanks and got pumped out, the quality is different.
The point still stands. Choose gas station carefully, not by brand names, but based on how new the gas stations are. That is what I do.

I add my own STP gas treatment every few gas fills. I don't need nor like the additives from Shell or Cheveron either.
 
When I bought my BMW 540ia in 1998, it stalled on two occasions. Both happened when coming to a stop. However, it never happened again for the rest of ten years I owned it. However, I did have the CPS (cam position sensors) replaced at 3 yr old. That might be related. Who knew?

With CX9, there are several instances that the throttle body are faulty. Keep an eye on this stalling issue of yours. Make sure you visit the dealer before your OE warranty expires. If it gets worse AFTER the OE warranty coverage period, you get to fight with the dealer to claim warranty coverage since it started BEFORE warranty expires.
 
Try Costco gas

Not only are they cheaper generally than surrounding gas stations, I find I get better MPG with my cars.

Been tracking my gas consumption (not the CX-9) for the past 4 years and I consistently achieved better MPG when I pump gas from Costco, as opposed to say Shell, BP, Clarks.

Unfortunately I didn't note down the competitors' brand at that time :(
 
You do realize that gas is gas. All stations get their gas from the same pipelines. Each refinery puts X gallons into the same pipe, so then they are allowed to take X gallons OUT of the pipe at the other end. Independents buy their gas from whichever refinery gives them the best deal.

Stations are also strictly inspected and tested to insure the quality matches set standards. They do not water the gas down, or they would be shut down.
The biggest companies are the ones 'watering down' their gas. Chevron and Shell are the worst offenders, because they dilute their gas with extra 'cleaning agents' beyond the required detergents. They are just adding cheap filler that puts more money in their pockets.
Every car I've had ran poorer with Chevron than any other brand because you get less gasoline per volume than other brands.

Gas is not gas and saying that puts a bad perspective in peoples minds. As another poster stated, storage of the fuel in gas stations is critical and can be a serious problem as well as the testing of the fuel to make sure it is truly the proper octane and water free. Shell happens to be the top notch fuel I use in my SRT 10 and as well as BP Ultra and the 500 ponies in my SRT10 are quite happy.

I only by from company stores like Shell, Valero, Hess and BP as they are tested regularly and spot checked without warning. Could not say the same for the independents and would not trust them. ( yeah I have stories I was first hand to witnessing in the past)

As far as the quality of the fuel, give me ultra refined Shell or BP (there are other good brands as well such as Hess and Valero) who refines the oil themselves into fuel as opposed to Joe Whacko delivering a tanker of fuel from so crap hole depot who buys waste fuel (although legally acceptable to a point) from refineries to cheapo mart station who could care less if it has proper additives or not or even if it is the right octane. Also, additives are required to run today's cars so don't say they are bad or used wrongly just to line the pockets of the oil companies. They line it themselves just by inflating oil prices.


Going out to get some fuel now..! :p
 
I think what he was referring to with the additives is yes they are required, but those stations that purport to have better gas have the same gas they're just putting more additives than are required. They then use this fact to jack up their prices more than the guy down the street who's selling the same gas with fewer additives. They all burn the same....
 
Exactly vikefan. Shell and Chevron charge you more, and give you less, bottom line.

The-9: Spoken like a Shell executive trying to purport that lie that Shell, etc is actually better gas. Only a few companies refine the gas, and all to the EXACT same specifications. ALL stations and their gas are inspected the same, too.

Hamproof: You got better mileage from Costco gas because they don't add all that extra filler that the big companies do to thin out the gas. More gas = better combustion = mpg.


Yes, it's theoretically possible to get some bad gas with water or sediment from the tanks, but ALL stations are regularly tested for that, among other things.
 
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Yes, it's theoretically possible to get some bad gas with water or sediment from the tanks, but ALL stations are regularly tested for that, among other things.

I believe pumps at gas stations are regularly tested for accuracy. However, I don't know how often the EPA tests the underground gas storage.
 
I am not speaking like a Shell Exec but rather someone who was around that business for years, so you might say, I am speaking with experience.

Shell is one of the companies that refine crude into fuel and they (like other oil companies)have grades of fuel and if you feel the grade of fuel is based on Octane then you are missing something.

Saying the fuel is the same or (what you said) better in the local quick mart, then be my guest and use it. But for me and people who can look past the hate for oil companies, that is like saying Pep Boy branded tires are the same or better then Uniroyal who makes them for Pep Boys.

As for testing pump accuracy, that is complete by weights and measures of the state the station is in. s far as water in the fuel, it is the responsibility of the station owner to check it and then do something about it. Shell, BP, Valero, Hess all have site techs that travel to the stations to check for water and most importantly the quality of the fuel(is it shell or bootleg in the tank)
 
Off topic question here.. Has anyone heard of adding acetone to gas for better MPGs? Seems like a lot interests on this topic if you do a google search. Interested to hear Mr. 9's opinion on this matter. Thx :)
 
Acetone works!!!
However, the catch is that it corrodes rubber tubes and parts in the engine.
In the end, it probably causes more damage ($$$) than the money you saved from better MPG. Besides, it easily voids your warranty if the dealer knows you used it.
 
hi steve
just got our 9 back from the shop we had the stalling issue (usually when stopped at a light) and a dead throttle pedal with the engine running....this was the 3rd time.... the dealer spoke to the mazda tech line and they determined that we had a faulty throttle body and changed it out...under warranty....seems to be running fine last 2 days
 
Thanks for the info. I haven't had the problem since but will certainly refer to your issues if I have another occurrence.

Thanks again.

Stephen
 
I believe these issues have nothing to do with the gas. Odds are the dreaded throttle body issue rears its ugly head once again. Mazda should really step up to the plate and issue the TSB (if not recall). Most dealers just scratch their ass and comment that that the car is not storing any hard codes, while I know Mazda had authorized enough of these now that they can't deny it's a known issue (thanks to the Ford Edge throttle body on our cars). I hate dealer service departments, and especially Mazda. Man, I'm starting to sound like a broken record, even to me!
 
Recalls can be voluntary or not. Involuntary recalls are forced by NHTSA, usually when the automakers refuse to do so while the defects are severely safety-related. This rarely happens since automakers care about their PR image. As for voluntary recall, the automakers have to consider how much it would cost them. In this case, replacing throttle body on all sold CX9s (estimated to be 2,000x12x3=72,000 units) will cost them an arm and a leg plus labor cost.
This defect is no doubt safety-related since losing power while driving is dangerous. However, NHTSA will look at a defect more serious if it had caused more accidents.

The best that could happen is a class action law suit to force Mazda to extend the warranty on the throttle body unit beyond 3yr/36K (hard to argue throttle body is part of powertrain). A few years ago, Honda had the transmission issue. The warranty was extended to 7yr/80K miles as a result of class act lawsuit.

However, since most CX9s are still under warranty (3yr/36K) miles, there are very few people that have had this issue out of warranty. Therefore, we probably have to wait.
 
I agree with Ceric's take on the matter.

Does anybody know the list price of the throttle body and the labor time involved?

This issue is cropping up more and more as our cars get more use. Undoubtedly, there will come a time when some owners will be faced with the issue out of warranty. It is certainly to Mazda's advantage to authorize goodwill repairs on a case-by-case basis vs instituting a recall or even making the information readily available in the form of a TSB. But, as Ceric said, it IS a safety issue, and there is no guarantee Mazda will treat everyone who asks for goodwill consideration fairly and uniformly.

I can see this matter eventually evolving into a class action; unfortunately, I believe some of us will have to suffer and show financial harm (if not bodily harm) for such a lawsuit to hold water legally.
 
I am experiencing similar problems again. In 2006, Mazda replaced our 2005 Mazda 3 with a new 2007 Mazda 3 for stalling problems that they could not solve. They blamed it on the computer program that they were developing a patch to fix. Now we have another Mazda 3, a 2008 and it is doing it again. Nothing shows on the computer. It stalls when pulling out into traffic. Dash goes black. Nothing electrical works until the car is stopped, put into park and then it will restart. Happens about once per thousand miles on average. Car has about 15000 miles on it and started when it had about 9000 miles on it. Mazda is again at a loss at what to do about it. So they are trying to ignore it.
 
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