New 2012 mazda5, Steering vibration?

Went to the dealer yesterday, they "loaned" me a set of Mazda 3 16 inch wheels with the Bridgestones. I had to give them back after the test drive! Honestly, it was much better, but not perfect, I believe they will probably get better with some more miles though. At highway speeds however, the middle row seats were not shaking all over the place. That at least was way better.

One basic problem has been the lack of establishing a base point, no matter what I say. They just take tires from a random vehicle, don't even check the balance etc... then tell me about run in, and that the tires have been tied down on a boat etc... have flat spots! They assume the factory balance is spot-on!!

So what makes you think these random tires are going to fix anything??? I tried to get tires off the rack, they wouldn't do that. I can only do so much.


This is their last offering, I either have to be happy with this or nothing will be done. They (dealer and corporate) said the vibration is inherant in the Mazda5, always been there. I say this is a load of bull, but I'm stuck. I'm going to assume the higher profile tire will be better and give me something better to work with. Low profile tires don't do well in New England, the roads are lousey up here.


So there you have it, this pretty much shuts the door on ever buying another Mazda product! I hope the car holds up until I can replace it in a few years. I can't believe the thrill is gone already with a car now 4 weeks old!

I'm waiting to hear from the dealer whether corporate will agree to swap the rims and tires, so I'll have one more trip back, my fourth!
 
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mether said:
i. That's the way the car is made.
ii. It's a utilitarian vehicle
iii. It's not a $35K van, it's a mini-mini van
iv. Not made to drive at those (highway - 65-75 MPH) speeds.
v. Do what I can, but I can't redesign the car
vi. It's basically a car for young women with children, they drive around the city, not much highway driving.
vii. Re-call? There are not that many sold, and no one has experienced this problem
viii. It's stupid that Mazda puts low profile tires on this car (Mazda5)
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Unbelievable! Have you contacted corporate with these comments? I'm sure the engineers would love to know the dealer's insults to their design.
For what it's worth, I have stock 16" Toyos on mine, and it drives perfectly smooth at highway speeds. Sorry to hear about your experience.
 
dieseldriver said:
Leaning towards the Yokohama Ascends (LRR) for the warmer months.
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I had a set of Ascends in my previous car before the 5 (a 2007 Civic Hybrid). I loved those tires, very smooth ride, relatively quiet. I'm not sure if LRR's made any difference to fuel economy though. But I would happily get another set for the 5 once the stock tires wear out.
 
I opened a "ticket" with corporate, which seems to tie the hands of the dealer, at least that's what I'm told. You only report an issue to an information gatherer at corpoarte when you report an issue, no one technical to talk to. They take the information and give it a case number and say good bye!

This has not been a good experience, I'm walking a fine line trying to get the car to run correctly and fixed by the dealer. Not too impressed with the Mazda feel, as that's what they say it is I'm experiencing with the vibration! I wasn't born yesterday!!!!

I wish these posts were reaching a larger community.
 
Trust me, I know how you feel. But I had similar experience with Honda with PAX run flat fiasco. This is not just with Mazda, this is with just about all car manufacturer.
 
Mether, what that Mazda dealership, specifically the service manager said is ridiculous. I'd be all over them. Call corporate thell them what is happening and how it has been handled so far. This is not a Mazda reputation issue, its a poor service issue handled by someone who doesn't seem to care.

Luckily, the Mazda near my place has been amazing for the past 10 years.

I'd go back and debunk him:

i. That's the way the car is made.
if it were, then everyone would be returning their 5's.

ii. It's a utilitarian vehicle
what?

iii. It's not a $35K van, it's a mini-mini van
it's $25K spent at your dealership, I need it fixed.

iv. Not made to drive at those (highway - 65-75 MPH) speeds.
so the 260KMPH speedometer is for show then? false advertising.

v. Do what I can, but I can't redesign the car
you don't have too, just fix the issue.

vi. It's basically a car for young women with children, they drive around the city, not much highway driving.
I'll let you talk to my wife about that comment.

vii. Re-call? There are not that many sold, and no one has experienced this problem
doesn't matter if 10 are sold, fix the issue ...and refer to comment "i and iii".

viii. It's stupid that Mazda puts low profile tires on this car (Mazda5)
nutcase.
 
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Received the car back from the dealer yesterday, they replaced the OEM Toyo tires with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S tires - what a difference!! These are a very nice tire, good ride and quiet. Vibration almost totally gone or hardly noticeable. Still the 205-50-17 size. I truely wish we'd get away from low profile tires, they don't do well in the NE, roads stink up here! Give me the classic Cragar! :)

Corporate would NOT put 16 inch rims and 205-55-16 tires on the car, no way, no how! Too bad.

Now to get rid of the squeak in the passenger rear (rolleyes) when going over speed bumps, dips etc..., and It'll be all good.
 
Wow, all that and it was the tire after all. I put the snow tires on (Pirelli's) on mine and it actually runs smoother than the stock Toyo Proxes. Them tires give good car a bad name!
mether said:
Received the car back from the dealer yesterday, they replaced the OEM Toyo tires with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S tires - what a difference!! These are a very nice tire, good ride and quiet. Vibration almost totally gone or hardly noticeable. Still the 205-50-17 size. I truely wish we'd get away from low profile tires, they don't do well in the NE, roads stink up here! Give me the classic Cragar! :)

Corporate would NOT put 16 inch rims and 205-55-16 tires on the car, no way, no how! Too bad.

Now to get rid of the squeak in the passenger rear (rolleyes) when going over speed bumps, dips etc..., and It'll be all good.
Click to expand...
 
mether said:
Now to get rid of the squeak in the passenger rear (rolleyes) when going over speed bumps, dips etc..., and It'll be all good.
Click to expand...

Mine had that exact issue. I thought it was the spare tire that was loose or rubbing on the shell of the car so I cut a old mat and put it underneth and tightened down the spare. Turns out it was the bushings in the right rear. Service took care of that and all the squeak/rubbing sound is gone now.

dieseldriver said:
Wow, all that and it was the tire after all. I put the snow tires on (Pirelli's) on mine and it actually runs smoother than the stock Toyo Proxes. Them tires give good car a bad name!
Click to expand...

When I first picked up the 5 I was worried the stock Bridgestone Turanza EL400 were going to be like the stock Dunlop SP40 (frightening in the rain!) that came on the 03 MPV. So far the Turanzas have been great in dry or wet. 8)
 
I have had great experiences using Yokohama Avid Envigor tires on my cars. They don't break the bank, they have "A" ratings for traction and temp, treadwear rating above 500, and perform awesome in rain. I ran a set of 205/60/15 on my old 2004 Corolla for 5 years before they wore out. I'm running a set of 215/45/17 on my wife's 2008 Mazda 5 stock rims and they've been great. I will install a set of 225/45/17 on aftermarket rims for my new 2012 Mazda 5 this coming spring or summer.
 
Well my problem is back

Car has 15,000 miles. The vibration in the steering wheel AND the floor baord is really bad at 65mph and at 85 mph. Nowhere else is there a noise.

Car going back to dealer this weekend.
 
My 2012 Mazda5 has about 1700 miles on it as of today, has been to 2 different dealers for the exact same issue you guys have already described, I don't need to write anything in about the problem because it is an exact "carbon copy" of what you all have experienced (yes, even the Toyo tires). At this point I am going to give the dealer one or two more opportunities to repair the defect before I move to other options. The first dealer (which was the sales dealer) was a horrible service experience and treated me as if I was piece of garbage since it wasn't a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz they were servicing, that was Sansone on Route 1 in Avenel, NJ. The second dealer, thus far, has been much more receptive and concerned about the matter, but I don't know how far I will be getting with them. My next appointment is for Monday, December 3. Wish me luck!
 
Sorry to hear your steering vibration is back... looks like you've put a lot of miles since the tires were changed... you didn't run over anything like a huge pothole did you? I think your wheels maybe lost a balancing weight, even if you didn't run over anything in particular. Also, with very few exceptions, the 4 cyl engines all do the "chug-chug-chug" dance at idle, THAT IS INHERENT in its design (not steering vibration LoL). You have only 4 pistons vs. 6 or 8 to do the same work, and makes it harder to balance internally, so all I-4s will appear to be rough when in fact they are perfectly calibrated.
 
^^we have 4 other 4 cyl cars in the garage, and 2 V8, but none of the issue, so I don't think its normal for a 4 cyl.

That said, got the car back. Dealer rebalanced, didn't work, same issue. We test drove a new one, didnt have the issue.

So for the second time they decided to give me brand new wheels and tires again. Problem for now is gone.
 
90210 said:
^^we have 4 other 4 cyl cars in the garage, and 2 V8, but none of the issue, so I don't think its normal for a 4 cyl.

That said, got the car back. Dealer rebalanced, didn't work, same issue. We test drove a new one, didnt have the issue.

So for the second time they decided to give me brand new wheels and tires again. Problem for now is gone.
Click to expand...

Well, 90210, like I said with few exceptions, 4 cylinder engines will have more vibration than their larger V-block 6 and 8 cylinder counterparts, that is just internal combustion science. You might get a really well designed, well-balanced German 4 cylinder that runs "smooth like puddin'" but you "get what you pay for" and last time I checked German cars made in Germany weren't cheap (compared to comparable North American made makes/models). There are a few things you can do to minimize the rattle, but in the end it will always be there to some degree.

Hey, you should be so lucky you got new wheels and tires, I have Mazda North American operations looking at my Mazda5 tomorrow, they sent a "regional Mazda tech" to the dealer to investigate the problem, all they have done so far is balance my tires 2 times and only because I'm filing a Lemon Law application are they now doing something. At least I got sent home in a free rental, I am surprised.

IF they don't fix it tomorrow or the day after, I have other options but I can't discuss it here, at least not yet, I can only inform of the fact and what HAS transpired until now.

Forgot: I had an independent mechanic look at this vibration issue, he test drove it, he says, in his opinion, working on cars for many many years including Mercedes-Benz, he said could be: Bad tires (very likely), bad/poorly forged wheels (highly unlikely), bad wheel balance job (maybe), bad shock/strut (quite possibly), bad engine mount (also possible), bad rack/pinion assembly (also quite possible).

Let's see what they find out tomorrow.
 
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i too have this vibration. i purchased the vehicle in 11 2012. its been back several times with no results. going back today. thanks for all the good info.
 
The 2013 that I test drove a week ago also had a steering vibration on the highway. I assumed it was flat spotted tires but this thread has me thinking it would've been a hassle if I had bought that one.
 
jerseywhitetail said:
i too have this vibration. i purchased the vehicle in 11 2012. its been back several times with no results. going back today. thanks for all the good info.
Click to expand...

1.) do the bumper-push test just to make sure a shock isn't totally blown out or something. 2.) make sure your tires are aired up exactly as called for on the door, WHILE COLD. 3.) if the issue is still present after #2, have a trusted tire place road-force balance the tires with a DSP 9000 or newer balancer. It's totally OK to call and ask if they have those machines. 4.) if still present after #3, you may want to start looking at the floor braces that go under the seats. YOu'll have to search around, but we've discussed this at length around here. The rear seats shaking have to do with the long 3-frame stretched out and natural frequencies that result. The brace will tighten it up and stop some of the body shimmy.

I have a bit of wheel shake after countless balances, but the interesting thing is that the speeds at which is shakes after each balance will change. I think the car is just extremely finicky about tire balance due to the stretched frame and that the braces are the best bet at fixing the problem.

Let us know if you find out a way to fix it.
 
Hello
I just want to make a input in this tread.
My Mazda 5 Sport 2009 model, diesel 143 hp suffered from a terrible shake/vibration from around 80 Km/h
Like the car jumped up and down and a terrible shake in the whole car.

I had new wheels and rims but after 3 visits to the wheel shop for a balance it didnt get fixed.

After some testing i found it to be more like a rpm case. It always started around 2000 rpm. Regardless of speed. But best felt when cruising at higher speeds.

Then i went to my local Mazda dealer for a service.
Mentioned the vibration/shake and they found a flaw in the ECU. Or engine control system. Not sure of the correct name in english :)
The mechanic pointed out that this was a vibration best felt at higher speeds

They installed a new firmware and made som adjustments to the fuel system.

Like night and day.
Finally fixed :)

I know this was a diesel engine but i bet this also goes with the petrol engine.
4 cylinders and if one is out of sync same problem

Just a tip from my side.
Best regards

Alsomme
 
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There was a TSB on the first Generations about stumbbling due to noise from the coil packs which indeed an ECU fixed for me.

Strange though that others above are in the 2nd Gen with the vibrations. Could it be a possible issue with Engine mounts given that it is speed related? For those that had wheels re-ballanced... did they use a Hunter Road Force Ballancer?

Does the problem still exist if perhaps a different set of wheels like winters are used?

I drove an 03 SVT Focus a ways back and they were all known for issues with the wheels as they were chained down too tight on the transports. Shouldn't be the case for the Mazda 5 as we've all seen the pictures of them stored on the transports by the tow hook attached to the frames.

I suspect there is just a bad run of the Toyo tires causing the greif everyone is reporting here combined with issues with the rims.
 
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