Front-end vibration coming through the steering wheel on 2012 Mazda5.

I thought some ppl on here would be interested in this issue. I just got an official statement from Mazda N.A. Operations on this issue, I have to scan the docs to PDFs, at this point I can publish what I have. I will blacken out the personal info parts obviously...

Here is the record of the first repair attempt:

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa321/blopez1979/firstrepairattempt_1_zps875c0a70.jpg

This was the first time I complained about the vibration, after they balanced my front wheels only, they also scratched the alloys with the impact wrench. I pointed that out to the service manager, who looked at me in disbelief as if he was already doing me a favor by allowing me into his shop. This was also the sales dealer.

Here is the record of the second repair attempt:

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa321/blopez1979/secondrepairattempt_1_zps5f9fdb05.jpg

This time the tech felt the problem himself. Unfortunately they could not road test the vehicle after they re-balanced the tires due to "unsatisfactory road conditions." I did not want to go back to Sansone's, the service manager had called me up and asked me why I gave him unsatisfactory marks in the email survey... I thought that was unprofessional, he started to tell me how that "goes against his pay." I didn't even know that, but maybe he should have helped me out a bit more if he wanted all "5 stars".

Here is the record of the third repair attempt:

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa321/blopez1979/thirdrepairattempt_1_zpsc9728fe0.jpg

At this point, they just wanted to get rid of me, so they had one of their "techs" drive the 5 with me. First thing I asked him was, "We are going onto the interstate, right?" He said, "No, absolutely not." He then proceeded to talk about how the Mazda5 inherently has vibration problems, which stem from several sources: The road crown, the aerodynamics of the vehicle he said were not that great because it was a wagon body, he also said that the Toyo tires were infamous for road noise (which I didn't even complain about to begin with). He refused to take it out on the highway, therefore the problem was never duplicated.

Here is my certified mail letter to Mazda North America:

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa321/blopez1979/finalrepairdemandletter_1_zps6453debd.jpg

They called me up Monday, December 17 (yesterday) from Mazda in California, and, in a nutshell, told me that they were not going to perform a final repair because there was not enough evidence to warrant a final repair attempt. I politely requested that that be sent to me in writing, I explained to him I would need that on paper so that I could move on with the process. 15 minutes go by, my friend calls me back, saying that there would be a regional Mazda tech in the area this week, in fact, I could even bring the Mazda 5 down tonight, and they had a free loaner waiting for me, he confirmed that this would qualify as a final repair attempt. I said fine, and I was there last night to drop off the 5 after hours.

I picked up the 5 today, this is what the regional Mazda technician says:

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa321/blopez1979/finalrepairattempt_1_zps62fe73f2.jpg

As you can see, I am back to square 1. I don't know what to do next, but, I think I will reach out to the tire manufacturer tomorrow and see what happens. I can still file for a lemon law hearing if I want, but what I really want is for this problem to be fixed.

Mazda is saying, if you buy a 2012 Mazda5 and you have steering vibration, your out of luck, buddy. That's "how they roll." LoL All-in-all, this outcome is exactly what I expected, I am not one bit surprised, I would've been surprised if they did fix the problem actually. So now I move on to the next phases. Thought this info might interest anyone else out there with the same problem.

Oh.... and don't feel bad if you do own a SHAKEY SHAKE Mazda5 because.....

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa321/blopez1979/2012-07-21175014.jpg

Gotta have an account at Acrobat to view that document. Until you can scan it in, what does the statement say?

Yeah, hosting a PDF file (or files in this case) is not easy. All I had to do was scan them as .jpg files LOL. I'm still trying.

Ah, forgot I had a quick PDF utility, I can convert to .jpg, but it loses resolution, hopefully it's readable for everyone.

Just got off the phone with Toyo Tire Corp in Cali. Spoke to a rep, she said that they get phone calls from Mazda owners all the time, and that the Mazda5 is a vehicle they know well because of it's odd camber setting, she said the manufacturer's camber setting can be rough on any tire, BUT, because I explained to her my plight, she said she wanted me to contact either Mazda N.A. or even the dealer, Toyo is prepared to ship out a set of 2 or 4 new Proxes A18s in order to figure out if this is a tire issue or is there a quirk in the suspension system. Basically Mazda is pointing the finger at Toyo and Toyo is kinda doing the same thing back at Mazda. Their # listed in the Mazda Warranty manual is: 1-800-442-8696 (West Coast), 1-888-444-8696 (East Coast). Looks like this might drag on for a while, hopefully not though.

I wish I knew what this vibration was like, so I could see if mine experiences it, too. I'm going on a 1,000 mile trip tomorrow, which includes the first real highway driving with my new wheels and tires. I'll see what it's like, but I don't think I have this issue. I had the 16" wheels with Bridgestone tires previously.

Orangutan - I think this is mabe be an issue with the 17" tires only (Touring and Grand Touring models). I have Toyos on my Sport and have not had any issues with high speed vibration. That said, I'm glad I have a pair of 205/55/16 Michelins sitting in the crawlspace just in case.

ukulele - sorry to read about your troubles. I used to live in central NJ (Princeton), but don't recall if there are any better Mazda dealers near you.

JMJ

If they send the tires out, you might want to check into what equipment the shop has for tire balancing. Hopefully a roadforce balancer like the Hunter GSP9700.

Not to discourage you, but I once had the Tire Rack go through over 2 dozen Dunlops. Apparently a bad batch. Will Toyo inspect the tires they send out?

Look for mether in this link http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123800956-New-2012-mazda5-Steering-vibration/page4

They ended up replacing 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 really had to fight with them but they did make it right. The Toyo's get flat spots from being pulled down to the deck in shipping, at least that's what I'm told.

Hope this works out for you, I was told it wasn't a problem, just the way the car is, what the heck?!?!?!? You can read my journey in the link.

Thanks for all your comments and feedback you guys. I'm not big on "hear-say" but I have to tell you, did you ever call someone on the phone and as you started talking to them you could tell that they already knew what you were going to say before you even finished?? Well that's what it felt like, the lady at Toyo basically was finishing all of my words for me LoL. Can't help but feel they are getting MANY calls from pissed off Mazda owners, one thing that grabbed me particularly strange, she had no problem saying that the tire itself is probably bad, she said it can be "out of round" and the human eye cannot see it, BUT, she added that "It doesn't help that Mazda's camber settings are rough on the tires" so I take this to mean that Mazda's factory spec sheet for the Mazda5 has the front wheels set either too + or too - (I honestly forgot which is + and - camber from school, I remember positive caster is setting it forward, negative is setting it back). Would make sense because one of the service advisers at Crystal told me on the phone they slapped a set of 16" inchers and there was no problem, BUT to show how crappy they are, they just slapped my 17s back on and said, "Here's the key, the problem is all yours, it's the 17 inch tires."

I will keep you guys posted, according to Toyo they reimburse the dealer for the mounting as well, but they don't cover the alignment (if it's deemed necessary) however according to the Mazda Warranty manual the first 12K miles of adjustments are included in the new car warranty. I just don't get it, if it's a tire issue, why won't you make a customer happy and try out different brand of 17 inchers and if that fixes the problem..... WTF???

When you enter New Jersey they should install a new sign on the Turnpike that should read: "Welcome to New Jersey! You are now leaving the United States."

Orangutan said:

I wish I knew what this vibration was like, so I could see if mine experiences it, too. I'm going on a 1,000 mile trip tomorrow, which includes the first real highway driving with my new wheels and tires. I'll see what it's like, but I don't think I have this issue. I had the 16" wheels with Bridgestone tires previously.

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I'll give you an idea. Say your driving on the interstate at 65mph. Your hands are set on the steering wheel, and as long as you keep it perfectly centered, like your not moving the steering wheel either left or right, you will feel no vibration or almost none. As soon as you begin to slightly tug either left or right, just a few degrees, the vibration starts and it jerks the steering wheel, when you re-center it perfectly, it goes away. That is exactly what I have. Also, in my 5, when you do tug on the wheel in either direction, the floor shakes too, which is expected if you have a really screwed up tire or suspension component.

You know, when you describe it that way, I have had bad halfshafts/cv joints do that. Hope that's not it.

torquelover said:

If they send the tires out, you might want to check into what equipment the shop has for tire balancing. Hopefully a roadforce balancer like the Hunter GSP9700.

Not to discourage you, but I once had the Tire Rack go through over 2 dozen Dunlops. Apparently a bad batch. Will Toyo inspect the tires they send out?

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My first question to the lady at Toyo was, "Are they going to send me the exact same model tire?" She's like, "Yes, it's the only tire the manufacturer has approved for this vehicle" so they can't even sub it with something else, has to be the Proxy A18s. She said they normally only approve up to 3 replacement tires to be sent out, but, when she called the dealer the dealer service dept., at this point, wasn't clear which tires could be bad because they had been flipped around so many times, so she got me 4. I have to say, I am impressed with Toyo's customer service, I really am, they gave me 0% hassle and had no problem basically telling the dealer off, that's what it felt like. She's like "Don't worry, have the dealer give me a call, and we will send these replacement to them, and they WILL INSTALL THEM FOR YOU, I was like..... "Okay."

Well honestly so much going on at 65mph, could be tires all the way up to the rack, even the electric assist motor or sensor could be bad I suppose. At this point I just want to know what it is, so I can fix it, either on Mazda's dime or my dime, I can always take Mazda to superior court and file a suit to be reimbursed, depending on how much I shelled out, court fees are costly. I still have the BBB mediation, the Lemon Law, and, if they pissed off enough ppl and there is enough evidence that they are concealing a known defect, there's always a class action lawsuit, which are fine, but the defendants always deny any wrongdoing, and by the time they split the settlement amount, you end up getting a check for like $5.13.

I really hope the new tires help, they most likely will. Like I've posted, even a brand new set off another Mazda5 shook, exact same issue! And the weight to balance some of the tires was crazy - 5 oz.!!! YET! this vibration/tire issue is not a problem! nothing to see here, like Jedi mind thicks. I feel your pain, keep us posted.

I visited my buddy's shop today, told him everything that happened so far, his take on the whole thing is that even if every Mazda5 out there with the 17 inchers had this problem, but none of the 16 inchers (sport) have it, then that's how it has to be. I shook my head. I said, "What?" He's beginning to sound like the dealer now. There must be a bacterial infection that affects mechanics brains caused by the bacterium, I. Dontgiveashitococcus. Is this what we have come to expect in this country as far as what we drive?? Just because it's not a Mercedes-Benz or a BMW?? So I get it now, when you pay $75k for a Lexus or a BMW let's say... the car really costs $45k, the rest is just a really fat tip to the dealer to give you good service, right?? Try that crap in Germany or Australia, you'd see how fast the guy drives his car into the dealer's showroom.

Drove 18 hours on the interstate Thursday. Lots of road noise and wind noise from that storm but no identifiable vibration on my 18" wheels and tires. I'd say get new wheels and tires.

Orangutan said:

Drove 18 hours on the interstate Thursday. Lots of road noise and wind noise from that storm but no identifiable vibration on my 18" wheels and tires. I'd say get new wheels and tires.

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Actually I think i'm going to copy you and get MS3 wheels anyway, just have to save up. I'm 99.9% convinced it's bad tires, and probably will need an alignment as well. Our Mazda dealer network also needs an "alignment."

In the meantime go drive another 5 with the 16s and see what it feels like then repeat with a version with 17s.

Orangutan said:

In the meantime go drive another 5 with the 16s and see what it feels like then repeat with a version with 17s.

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That's what everyone has told me, and I can maybe squeeze out the time to do so, but in reality, I'm convinced I have a flaw in either the manufacture of the tire, or in the vehicle itself, so even if I did drive a 16 inch wheel Mazda5 and it didn't do the vibration, what does that mean? That I have to settle for 16 inch wheels on a Touring even though I paid for 17's? Or am I to keep driving Tourings and GTs until I find one that doesn't vibrate and then it proves my point even further. You get me?? It's not like I can drive another one, find one that doesn't have that problem, and switch the vehicle for mine, you know. If that was the case, then yeah, I'd be at like 3 different dealers a week looking for the "golden nugget."

My wife is expecting, she's actually due Jan. 4 but looks like it will be sooner, the last thing I want to hear is, "While you were out looking at STUPID CARS that you already own, my water was breaking!!" you know, I'd never heard the end of that one. As it is, I gave my aunt a 3 pack of these nice cutting boards for Xmas, my wife said, "Are you seriously going to give your aunt cutting boards for xmas" I said, Hell yeah, she's a germ freak and probably goes thru a cutting board every week. I was the laughing stock last night for giving cutting boards, hey, I'm a practical guy you know. If you gave me motor oil for xmas, and as long as it was Mobile 1 I would probably give you a hug and a kiss. (dunno)

Orangutan said:

Drove 18 hours on the interstate Thursday. Lots of road noise and wind noise from that storm but no identifiable vibration on my 18" wheels and tires. I'd say get new wheels and tires.

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Did the same on a very windy day yesterday. Smooth as silk, but definitely a "both hands on the wheel at all times" drive. Also, the MZ5 is seriously lacking power at highway speeds.

There are stock 16" alloys with tires for sale all the time for this platform. Maybe pick up a set for winter?