My Mazda6 GT : issue with the automatic shift lever getting hung up

So I've mentioned this in a couple other posts now but basically, after a month or so of driving my new M6GT, I started noticing that when I shift from Drive up to Park, something was getting hung up underneath the plastic trim and the car wouldnt shift fully into Park. This gets frustrating since it needs to be in Park to shut the engine off. I didnt have time to take it back to the dealer so my work around was to push my finger down into the plastic and it would allow me to shift correctly. It has since gotten worse and the plastic dust cover/sheet under the shiny black trim of the shift gate now bubbles out and it's just about impossible to shift... and so it's undriveable.

Took it to the dealer and after 15 minutes, the technician let me know that they need to replace the plastic dust cover and some other parts which I didnt get too much info on. They called in the service manager who advised me that they are replacing the parts with some new parts designed by mazda to correct the issue.

No one else seems to have this issue but I'm not a heavy handed person, and the CX-5 I'm driving now as a loaner has a similar shift gate and I've had no trouble with that whatsoever. In fact, in the CX-5, the shift gate trim seems to be much much thicker and robust and the shifter feels like it moves more smoothly. That wasnt how my 6 felt... So, I'm hoping this solves the problem because it's the only stain on an otherwise perfect driving machine. Take that BMW!

Anway, I thought I'd share this in case anyone does experience the same problem. I havent seen a service bulletin on this issue so I have to wonder if the shop was pulling my leg. Honestly, as long as they fix it for good, I'm gonna keep raving about my new ride...

Hope it fixes your issue. My shift lever works smoothly with no issue - knock on wood.

Ok, so day 7 of my 6GT still sitting at the dealer lot, waiting for the stupid plastic piece from my shift lever. The car is not driveable since you cant reliably shift into drive or back into park. In the meanwhile, I'm cruising around in a new CX-5, which is, well, not my 6GT. The dealer says the part is on back order but I wish I had a contact at Mazda who might be able to speed things up. I'm told it's another 10-15 days... WTF?!!!!

If anyone has a contact they think that might be able to help... that would be great. Otherwise, it's mostly good to know not everyone is having this funky problem.

Got my 6 back! The dealer offerred to detail the car for me since I got there quicker than they expected... I said screw that, I'm taking my car back. After about 2 weeks, I've had enough waiting and a little dust is fine. Feels good and my shifting issues are a thing of the past... hopefully!

Strange that you mention that, the shifter was working perfectly for me until today for some reason. I went to place it in park and it seemed to be stuck or jammed - not sure what the cause was. Kinda annoying that I need to go to the dealer to get that taken care of. I've been driving the car for a couple weeks now so it sounds like we are about on the same timeframe.

The original plastic cover under the shift gate was a bit too short so once it’s broken in (1500 miles or so…) it bows up in the middle making it even shorter and the ends of it can get hung up on the shift gate corners. Long story short, there’s a new wider plastic cover that replaces the old and I haven’t had any issues so far. It actually feels smoother when shifting now. The only real pain was that I had to wait a little over 2 weeks for the part to arrive. I think it had to come from Japan and there was a national back order.

Hopefully you wont have to wait as long as i did. If so, make sure they give you a loaner...

If I had access to a CNC machine, I’d make a thicker brushed aluminum shift gate to replace the cheap glossy black plastic trim on it now. If it were just thicker to begin with, the plastic underneath would have nothing to snag on… Plus the metal trim would just look nicer…

I've had the same problem! And the window switch panel is rattling with certain low bass frequencies.

Gotta love 1st year models, eh? Still worth it though... it's a great car.

mazdaddict said:

I've had the same problem! And the window switch panel is rattling with certain low bass frequencies.

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A lot more than that rattles. Depending on what song i'm listening to, the wheel well rattles as well.

trueace said:

A lot more than that rattles. Depending on what song i'm listening to, the wheel well rattles as well.

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I don't notice that in the cabin if it is. Outside I just notice the mirror which I don't care about. You have the BOSE audio?

I've just picked up a used M6 GT and have the exact same issue. Fingers crossed it's still under warranty