2014 CX-5 Interior Rust

S

stylez123

Member
:
2014 CX-5
Hello all,

This is my first time posting on this forum. Last year I purchased a 2014 CX-5 from a dealers auction. I felt like I was screwed over after realizing that the interior of the vehicle was not as described. Below each of the front seats is severe rust, which is extremely noticeable. The entire frame of the seats are rusted. On the carpet there is also what looks to be mild signs of mildew. Aside from that, the car has no issue and runs very smoothly. The engine looks like its in good shape. My question is, are these guaranteed signs that the car was a flood car? A buddy of mine who took a look at the car stated that it could be snow + salt damage given the car came from the Northeast. However, I am skeptical given the extensive nature of the rust. I tried to look at the other parts of the car (like the spare tire compartment), but there was no signs of flooding there. Any ideaS?

I attempted to start an arbitration process at the auction, suspecting the car could be a flood vehicle. The Auction ultimately stated that the car was not a flood vehicle so there was nothing they could do.

My problem is that I am now looking to sell the car but would am apprehensive given the rust. Is it possible to get the rust taken care of? I am guessing perhaps it would require removing both front seats? Looking forward to your thoughts.

Thanks!
 
It could be that the car has leaked in water, and gone unnoticed.

I've read of only one uk owner with this problem, who quickly got rid. The posts are buried in the UK thread, "anyone fancy a cuppa".
 
Purchased from dealers auction whom stated it was not flooded? Either they are lying or maybe a previous owner was transporting those large multi-gallon containers and water spilled? How much was the car?
 
I purchased it last year for $15,750 with about 34k miles.

From the damage it seems as though it was contained to the front two seats. Aside from that there is really no damage to the other parts of the car which is really odd.

I'll post pictures later today. Thanks for the help everyone!
 
Those bare metal parts do always rust which shows on their surface. Some of the front frame behind dashboard is made of this too. If you look underneath the dashboard it is also visible. Pictures would help a lot here to determine if this is normal or not.
 
stylez123 said:
I purchased it last year for $15,750 with about 34k miles.

From the damage it seems as though it was contained to the front two seats. Aside from that there is really no damage to the other parts of the car which is really odd.

I'll post pictures later today. Thanks for the help everyone!
Click to expand...

There are several culprits that come to mind...

Previous owner accidentally leaving the window/s down or sunroof/moonroof open.
Windshield replacement done, but bad sealing job.
"Normal" surface rust for untreated metal in a moist/corrosive geographic area.
 
Hard to tell. If it was only partially flooded, I would think there would be a level below which there is rust and none above. Salt fog is another good rust agent, but that doesn't explain the mildew.

Did it have a clean title? If it was flooded, and it was declared a total loss by the previous insurer, and it occurred in one of the states that have flood titles or salvage titles with a flood indication, then the auction house should have known and presented it as such. However, there are several other possibilities. It could have been flooded, but the previous owner never made an insurance claim, and just traded it in. Or possibly an insurance claim was made for flood damage, and it was inspected and declared road worthy so not a total loss. Either way it would have kept its original clean title. Or it could have been "laundered" by selling it into one of the many states that don't track flood damaged cars.
 
Red MC said:
Hard to tell. If it was only partially flooded, I would think there would be a level below which there is rust and none above. Salt fog is another good rust agent, but that doesn't explain the mildew.

Did it have a clean title? If it was flooded, and it was declared a total loss by the previous insurer, and it occurred in one of the states that have flood titles or salvage titles with a flood indication, then the auction house should have known and presented it as such. However, there are several other possibilities. It could have been flooded, but the previous owner never made an insurance claim, and just traded it in. Or possibly an insurance claim was made for flood damage, and it was inspected and declared road worthy so not a total loss. Either way it would have kept its original clean title. Or it could have been "laundered" by selling it into one of the many states that don't track flood damaged cars.
Click to expand...
Or it could be something Mazda didn't do a good job to prevent the rust from interior?

Heritage07 said:
Go over to Miata.net, they are finding rust all over their shinny new RF's and MX5's hidden under the seat pans. I had to replace my side mirror last month because my wife hit a mail box. When I took it off the entire inside housing was rusted out. I have replaced mirrors on 10 years old Nissans without any rust on them. Go to the dealer with a flashlight and you will find rust on the seat hardware and seat pans. How is Mazda's steel of less quality than the big 3 Japanese makes?
Click to expand...
nubbers said:
Yup - spots of corrosion on the floor plates of my back seat (where they fold) and on the bottom bar of my passenger seat...very concerned.
Click to expand...
gova said:
That was my post...

Illinois weather. It looked bad in some spots. Metal bracket in the middle of car where it is mounted to under-body, rear sway links - threaded part, some nuts, even galvanized ones looked very rusty. Large rust spots on lower control arm.

Hard to imagine this will look good in 5+ years.
Click to expand...
 
That doesn't answer how it got wet.

Seriously, you expect Mazda to rust-proof their interiors now? Who does that?
 
Red MC said:
That doesn't answer how it got wet.

Seriously, you expect Mazda to rust-proof their interiors now? Who does that?
Click to expand...
Yeh nobody treats the interior metal like the under-chassis. But according to those complaints and there're more, they have never had any flooding issues but found interior rust nevertheless and the condition is worse than other vehicles they've owned. It seems Mazda didn't do a good job preventing the rust with standard sheet metal treatment and paint, when you compare this to other makes. I've seen plenty of complaints here on rust under the front seating area, hence OP's rust issue could be just "normal" for CX-5.
 
Mazda exhaust certainly looks like its a lower grade than my Nissans , still good at 4.5 years, both Mazda's were / are rusting after only two years, Audi one was like new at 4.5 years.
 
So from this conversation, i'm gathering that it's entirely possible that it's not a total flood vehicle and that its normal rust from snow/rain. It was from the northeast, and was around the time we had a really bad winter one of those years.

As for the title, completely clean -- no reported flood damage, not a salvaged title, no accidents.

I'm going to try to clean the rust off this weekend. If anyone has suggestions on best methods, please let me know! Thanks a lot guys.
 
gova said:
Those bare metal parts do always rust which shows on their surface. Some of the front frame behind dashboard is made of this too. If you look underneath the dashboard it is also visible. Pictures would help a lot here to determine if this is normal or not.
Click to expand...

Yep. Built my first car in the early 2000's, and there is a ton of rusty metal on the interior that is "normal".
 
sand, clean and then apply BoeShield and put the carpets back where required. It's something I do to a car, even new after purchasing it within couple of months. Winters in NJ are unforgiving.
 
I'm skeptical. I've lived in the Northeast US for most of my life and have never seen rust like that on a vehicle that's just a few years old. I don't know why there would be mildew either.
 
Red MC said:
I'm skeptical. I've lived in the Northeast US for most of my life and have never seen rust like that on a vehicle that's just a few years old. I don't know why there would be mildew either.
Click to expand...
That's why I feel Mazda's quality is a hit-and-miss: some people have no issues but others have issues in the same area.

My 2001.5 VW Passat has flooded many times in the cabin due to poorly designed moonroof drains. But I don't see any rust issue on the floor pan after 16 years. Brother's BMW 2012 520D wagon has flooded the battery in the spare tire well for more than a year without knowing due to panoramic moonroof drains too, and I don't see any rust issue in the area either.
 
I suspect flood car. Lift the carpet if you can and look for mud, also check the undercarriage for mud on or in horizontal flat areas. This has nothing to do with "Mazda quality". Auction cars are notorious for being flood cars.
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
2016 CX-5: Water keeps dripping out of tailgate handle area
Replies
5
Views
2K
MTBingNinja
M
M
Rust issue on inside of both front doors (2019 CX-5)
Replies
4
Views
1K
Conrad 16.5
Conrad 16.5
F
2024 CX-5 Select Trim Interior Plus Aftermarket Upholstery?
Replies
4
Views
1K
RedBaron
RedBaron

Latest posts

Back