Ordered a Mazda 6 with the 2.5 engine in Sweden before seeing this thread but after going through the posts thought it was better to ask some questions, namely if they had a procedure in place to check if the PCM had the correct programming. The dealer replied:
"I*m not sure if this car has the old or new program at this time, but i*m sure it will be reprogrammed before delivery if it*s the old one."
Which sounds like: be sure that if there is a procedure in the system we will apply it. So I decided to check with Mazda Sweden if the procedure was in place because SA-041/18 and SA-015/19 only check if the rocker arm already has fallen. The answer was:
"All of Mazda*s cars are checked in japan before shipped to each country,
And all specs arent the same all over the world , therefore a fault found in another region may not be applicable all over the world.
Issues may or may not be the same in all regions.
Mazda usually don*t need to upgrade any units after leaving the factory, the latest software are quickly implemented at the factory to avoid customers to need to come to the workshops."
This is worrying because there is no guarantee cars were imported to Europe before the issue was found and a preventive solution was in place. Even worse, it doesn't confirm (or deny) that a procedure exists in Sweden to check if the rocker arm has fallen if the customer complains about the same things as in the US. Great car to drive, beautiful design, but very poor attitude, it sounds like they don't care and don't want to know. For what can result in a fatal accident when overtaking this is far from being a reassuring answer.
Does anyone know if this issue affects European models as well (the engine seems the same but power is different, probably only software)? And if there are any procedures in place, namely in Germany where Mazda Europe is based, to check if the rocker arm has fallen, or even better, preventive procedures to solve or mitigate this issue?
"I*m not sure if this car has the old or new program at this time, but i*m sure it will be reprogrammed before delivery if it*s the old one."
Which sounds like: be sure that if there is a procedure in the system we will apply it. So I decided to check with Mazda Sweden if the procedure was in place because SA-041/18 and SA-015/19 only check if the rocker arm already has fallen. The answer was:
"All of Mazda*s cars are checked in japan before shipped to each country,
And all specs arent the same all over the world , therefore a fault found in another region may not be applicable all over the world.
Issues may or may not be the same in all regions.
Mazda usually don*t need to upgrade any units after leaving the factory, the latest software are quickly implemented at the factory to avoid customers to need to come to the workshops."
This is worrying because there is no guarantee cars were imported to Europe before the issue was found and a preventive solution was in place. Even worse, it doesn't confirm (or deny) that a procedure exists in Sweden to check if the rocker arm has fallen if the customer complains about the same things as in the US. Great car to drive, beautiful design, but very poor attitude, it sounds like they don't care and don't want to know. For what can result in a fatal accident when overtaking this is far from being a reassuring answer.
Does anyone know if this issue affects European models as well (the engine seems the same but power is different, probably only software)? And if there are any procedures in place, namely in Germany where Mazda Europe is based, to check if the rocker arm has fallen, or even better, preventive procedures to solve or mitigate this issue?