Water Pump failure led to need for new engine - Mazda not helping at all

If the temp gauge didn't go past the half way point you don't need a new engine. I had the same problem. I noticed that the coolant level went down a bit on the overflow I filled it back up then I heard a leaking sound when I was filling up at the gas station. I filled it back up with the anti freeze that I had bought from the dealer and took it to them. The first question they asked me was did it overheat and I told them no. The water pump was replaced and so far it has been okay. I am still not happy with this design as the engine has to come out for this to be done.
 
Thanks, and thanks everyone for the advice.

The update so far is that Mazda did not reply to my email sent around a week ago at this point, and it was a polite one. No reply is hardly the answer you want to see.

This should be a word of warning to those that are looking at Mazda. Luckily I think for the most part the vehicles are solid, however this is no Infinity or similar in terms of taking care of the customer. It is a lower cost brand, and I should have known that and will be more careful in the future with extended warranties, etc.

The need for the new engine is that once coolant is mixed into the oil you can try and fix the issue (gasket, etc) and flush out the system and put new oil however it may fail soon thereafter. It certainly will never run the same again.

IMO it is a bit silly to rag on Mazda here. Yes, you were only a couple thousand miles outside the powertrain warranty but you had years to consider the consequences of repairs after that point. Extended warranties are expensive but for today's complex vehicles and $125/hr labor charges make sense to many folks. The real lesson here is not that Mazda was cheap but rather that a buyer who intends to keep his/her vehicle for more than four or five years really should consider future repair bills either by investing in an extended warranty OR simply putting that money (about $2000) into a rainy day maintenance fund and hope you don't need to use it.
 
Thanks for the link. No way a recall will come of it. Its not a safety issue. Keeping a close watch on my 08 with over 100k now. Eyes on the overflow bottle lol.
 
e temp gauge. I took it right away to the dealer and the extended warranty saved the day. I had coolant service done at the dealer also. They put some water with the coolant and was told by the tech that mazda said it was okay. That was 2 years before the failure. When you look at the coolant it specifically says do not add water.
This depends totally on how the antifreeze coolant is formulated. I don't know what the Mazda branded coolant label says.* Among aftermarket brands, read the label. For example, Prestone brand antifreeze coolant is available in both a 50/50 prediluted mixture which already has the added water and a concentrated formula which requires the addition of water.

*Here's one...https://tinyurl.com/y94chex3
It says, "A 50/50 mixture of Premium Gold Coolant and water is recommended for year round protection." It also says to keep the proportions between 60/40 (for the coldest frigid winters) and 40/60 (OK in mild winter places).

There is no way to "extend the warranty." It is possible to buy an extended service contract which is not a warranty. This may pay off, but usually doesn't. The Mazda Extended Service Plan is commonly sold as an extended warranty, but that word isn't used by Mazda.
 
Last edited:
I hope this lack of good will from Mazda for this water pump engine failure is due to this being Ford/Mazda issue and Mazda will stand behind their non-Ford "Mazda" product.

I hope the lawyers get a better settlement than what Nissan Xterra, Frontier, Pathfinder owners got from Nissan for the SMOD (Strawberry Milkshake of Death) and timing chain tensioner failures. Nissan just extended the warranty a little for the SMOD failure knowing full well the automatic transmission fluid cooler in the radiator WILL eventually fail/leak and kill the automatic transmission. Nissan should have replaced the radiators for affected years once they realized the designed flaw in the radiator. Nissan basically testified in court in the timing chain tensioner lawsuit that their engine is only designed and expected life is 100,000 miles to justify why that pro-rated extended warranty settlement only goes up to 100,000 miles. I've sworn off all Nissan products. Not even using any Nissan parts or fluids for maintenance. One of the reasons Nissan was not a consideration when we eventually bought our 2016 CX-9 GT.
 
Thanks for the link. No way a recall will come of it. Its not a safety issue. Keeping a close watch on my 08 with over 100k now. Eyes on the overflow bottle lol.

The only people who will benefit from this are Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check.
 
Just happened to my family...

My 2010 CX-9 with 95k miles overheated on a Thanksgiving trip from NC to Florida and my family was stranded on the side of I-10. Long story short..got it to a dealer to diagnose and they said it needs a new engine due to the water pump failing and coolant leaking into it. First and last Mazda.
 
Sorry to hear it! I am curious if you had monitored your overflow bottle prior to this? From what I have heard, a sudden uncontained pump failure and coolant in the oil are not mutually exclusive. Rather, the pump begins to allow coolant into the oil before it fails, and a sign of this is low coolant in the bottle before obvious signs of engine damage. You might buy a low mileage engine complete from a salvage yard. That would save money. Look on www.car-part.com for motors in your area. Also, you might want to join that lawsuit.
 
Sorry to hear it! I am curious if you had monitored your overflow bottle prior to this? From what I have heard, a sudden uncontained pump failure and coolant in the oil are not mutually exclusive. Rather, the pump begins to allow coolant into the oil before it fails, and a sign of this is low coolant in the bottle before obvious signs of engine damage. You might buy a low mileage engine complete from a salvage yard. That would save money. Look on www.car-part.com for motors in your area. Also, you might want to join that lawsuit.

I really appreciate the response. I regularly monitor the fluid levels in my vehicles and hadn't seen the overflow level decline at all so it appeared to be a 'sudden' failure. I'll definitely take a look at the link for used motors around here and just registered for the lawsuit. Its unfortunate because we really enjoyed the vehicle for the two years we had it (bought it used). Again, thanks for the reply!
 
I hope this lack of good will from Mazda for this water pump engine failure is due to this being Ford/Mazda issue and Mazda will stand behind their non-Ford "Mazda" product.

I hope the lawyers get a better settlement than what Nissan Xterra, Frontier, Pathfinder owners got from Nissan for the SMOD (Strawberry Milkshake of Death) and timing chain tensioner failures. Nissan just extended the warranty a little for the SMOD failure knowing full well the automatic transmission fluid cooler in the radiator WILL eventually fail/leak and kill the automatic transmission. Nissan should have replaced the radiators for affected years once they realized the designed flaw in the radiator. Nissan basically testified in court in the timing chain tensioner lawsuit that their engine is only designed and expected life is 100,000 miles to justify why that pro-rated extended warranty settlement only goes up to 100,000 miles. I've sworn off all Nissan products. Not even using any Nissan parts or fluids for maintenance. One of the reasons Nissan was not a consideration when we eventually bought our 2016 CX-9 GT.

In my experience, *dealers* are the ones who can make or break your chances of getting a goodwill repair. If you didn't buy the vehicle there, and especially if you don't have it serviced there, dealers have little incentive to help you out. That has been my experience across domestic, European, and Japanese brands of vehicles. The dealers, of course, will try to tell you that they have little influence and the customer has more leverage with the manufacturer directly, but that makes zero sense and is not consistent with my personal experience.

I had (and still have) a Nissan product which qualified for the timing chain issue and the SMOD. I don't recall the timing chain issue resulting in any failures, but it did generate a notable whine in affected engines. I experienced that one, and even though the dealer "couldn't hear it," they agreed to do the work right before the warranty ran out. I did *not* have the SMOD, but again the dealer helped me out and replaced the radiator proactively before the extended warranty ran out (around 80k miles, IIRC). I still had the transmission fail at 145k miles for undetermined reasons, which I pretty much had to have replaced at the dealer due to nuances with that particular transmission. And yes, I had all of the ATF and driveline fluids changed at prescribed intervals by the dealer. Still, our two Nissan vehicles have better service records than our previous Jeep, Audi, Honda, and Subaru vehicles.

My observation is that pretty much all manufacturers treat customers as a whole about the same. Class action lawsuits rarely provide any material benefit to consumers, but almost always provide a nice payday for the lawyers; that's not an indictment of the lawyers so much as it's the nature of that type of litigation. I wish that I could rely on manufacturers to fix their defects on vehicles sold, but none of them do a great job in that regard, though some (such as Honda and Toyota) seem to do better than average. Those folks who will "never buy that brand again" are simply going to move to another brand where they likely will be treated approximately the same under similar circumstances.
 
My observation is that pretty much all manufacturers treat customers as a whole about the same. Class action lawsuits rarely provide any material benefit to consumers, but almost always provide a nice payday for the lawyers; that's not an indictment of the lawyers so much as it's the nature of that type of litigation. I wish that I could rely on manufacturers to fix their defects on vehicles sold, but none of them do a great job in that regard, though some (such as Honda and Toyota) seem to do better than average. Those folks who will "never buy that brand again" are simply going to move to another brand where they likely will be treated approximately the same under similar circumstances.

That is exactly the experience I have had with vehicles from other manufacturers as well. They all talk a good game but when the rubber hits the road you will likely find yourself on your own.
 
What I got out of this is, don't have a flush done and change the coolant yourself. They probably put the rooky mechanics on coolant and oil changes.
 
The dealer wants 11k to put a 'new' engine in. But I found a place that will put an engine in with 74k miles for $3200. New water pump, belts, etc. Best deal I could find with a reputable place.
 
Put me on the list....just happened. 2011 with 143K. Very well maintained.

It happened 3 miles from home thankfully, and not yesterday when we were 120 miles away.
 
Just happened to my 2015 CX-9 with only 52k on the ODO. There is a class-action lawsuit that I've found on line. many on this thread may be able to be compensated.

So far, the dealer is saying they're working with Mazda NA to see what they'll do. I'll be contacting the law firm who brought the suit if they don't give me a new engine.

 
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. This is a ford engine, which is found in tons of ford vehicle and had a similar lawsuit against it. That lawsuit was just dismissed:

Close to the end of the warranty period mazda may bless you with a warranty replacement, but i don’t think it is common practice.
 
Not surprised, but also reads like the lawyer did a crappy job.



"One Ford Edge owner said the engine in their vehicle failed, and it cost $7,600 to replace the engine. "
This guy needs his own lawyer and go sue the shop that ripped him off.
 
Well, good news is Mazda and the dealership came through! They replaced the engine and only charged me $500 (kind of as a co-pay) and gave me a 12 month warranty. The dealership really went to bat for me.
 
Back