2016 CX5 LED headlights
- Thread starter gazelle
- Start date
- :
- 2014 CX-5 Touring
The LED's themselves don't go out (or "burn" out). If they did, you'd see individual LED chips failing. With LED units, the weak link is the driver, which is like a ballast for HID lamps. If an entire LED unit went out, the problem is either the driver or some other electrical fault in its vicinity.
- :
- 2014 CX-5 Touring
You're seeing individual chips/diodes failing? Or the whole LED backlight array, or portions of the array?
- :
- Plano, Texas, USA
Are you saying one of the tubing segment of LED DRLs went out like odin's and you're out of the warranty?
LED headlights will be expensive to replace
It will be expensive to replace LED headlights because the entire headlight assembly will need replacing and this will be costly to buy, even for DIY mechanics. The LED bulbs will last much longer than the vehicle will and it is highly unlikely the LED bulbs will fail. It is more likely the power supply needed to provide electricity to the LED bulbs will fail. The power supply is part of the headlight assembly and itself is not an expensive item, but when you add all the pieces that go into the headlight assembly plus the labor to build it, plus the high profit margin added to OE replacement parts, this will cost $$$.
It will be expensive to replace LED headlights because the entire headlight assembly will need replacing and this will be costly to buy, even for DIY mechanics. The LED bulbs will last much longer than the vehicle will and it is highly unlikely the LED bulbs will fail. It is more likely the power supply needed to provide electricity to the LED bulbs will fail. The power supply is part of the headlight assembly and itself is not an expensive item, but when you add all the pieces that go into the headlight assembly plus the labor to build it, plus the high profit margin added to OE replacement parts, this will cost $$$.
boandlkramer
US Specs in Europe
- :
- '17 CX-5 GT AWD; '18 BMW X3
.
Haha, ironically mine has failed. Same as @Sandrock - the driver side DRL (half circle) started to flicker, then it just went dim.
Dealer is replacing the $1k unit.
The car is one and half years old, 18k on odometer.
If I'm the third one on this forum - I really should get rid of the car as soon as the warranty expires.
Dealer is replacing the $1k unit.
The car is one and half years old, 18k on odometer.
If I'm the third one on this forum - I really should get rid of the car as soon as the warranty expires.
Its an industry problem. LEDs used in DRL's have always had problems since the days of when Audi made them popular in the 2010's or so. I read posts from Audi forums how Audi refused to change their LED DRLs under warranty. The solution would be to have the LEDs and their chips replaceable without having to replace the whole housing. I know they're trying to save money. As consumers we have to complain to force them to spend even more money to keep replacing these whole units. Even complain on JD Power Associates surveys...and people know how much I hate JD.
- :
- Plano, Texas, USA
May be people did. That's why the rating on initial quality for CX-5 from JD Power Associates is dropping recently...
This LED headlight issue is not going to help Mazda to raise the very low customer retention rate as Mazda has intended to do!
We decided to get a CX-5 GT AWD this May and I reviewed the comments on this site before purchase to try to identify reliability issues. There have been some, but from my reading, Mazda has tried to make things right when there was a problem. Like the transmission issues that showed up in some of the 2015/2016 vehicles. Very limited number of vehicles and from the posts here, the customers were treated very well. We have the LED lights also, so thanks to the poster here, I will monitor to see if there is a problem. But I am developing confidence in Mazda's customer focus. (look at the hazing issue withe the first LED headlights on this site).
I too don't like the module approach to headlights. And BMW is also a $1k replacement for our 2006 325i, and the turn signal contact corrosion is the problem. And BMW doesn't care (on this and breaking head bolts - both design failures).
I too don't like the module approach to headlights. And BMW is also a $1k replacement for our 2006 325i, and the turn signal contact corrosion is the problem. And BMW doesn't care (on this and breaking head bolts - both design failures).
You see, I would totally expect this kind of thing from BMW or Mercedes. I think reliability for a good price is the number one factor people choose Japanese cars vs the rest.
Also I guess it took more than 18k for your 2006 BMW to corrode.
That's right. Mazda better listen too. The sound deadening complaints are an example. The new 17 CX-5s are supposed to get more deadening than the 2016 models which were supposed to be quieter than the 2013-2015 models. This is actually an easy fix.
The LED housing on the other hand is a bit more complicated and is not confined to just Mazda. Just about everyone is using housing units with non-replaceable LEDs. That said the problems seem to be the batches used for CX-5's. I haven't seen issues on Mazda6's such as clouding or LED flickering. Mazda needs to ensure the QA and failure rates with Stanley is keep in check for the CX-5 batches.
Last edited:
- :
- 2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD
I'm going to preface this by saying that I've not seen or driven a 2015 or 2016 CX-5, as I started my vehicle search well after the 2016 models were gone and the only CX-5s on dealer lots were the 2016.5 models.
I really don't have any complaints about cabin noise in the 2016.5 I just purchased, manufactured in October of 2016. It's something I noted in my research, as every reviewer on YouTube mentioned it. I'm not experiencing it myself. Is it air-tight levels of quiet? No. But it's quiet enough to get on the highway, turn the radio off, not be annoyed, and be able to have a normal-volume conversation with a passenger.
I know officially, on the books, the only change Mazda mentioned in PR as to the 2016.5 model year was that Navigation now comes standard. But I noticed that every review on YouTube is for a "2016 CX-5", and not a "2016.5". Savagegeese even mentioned in the comments of his review that he specifically reviewed a 2016, and not a 2016.5.
Could it be possible that additional sound deadening materials were installed during the half-model year? I've not yet looked around at all of the nooks and crannies of my vehicle, but I did notice there appears to be attempts at adding it. Specifically, the underneath edge of the hood is lined in weather stripping material that creates a really nice seal when you close the hood. The doors have a nice heft to them as well, and "thunk" and seal very nicely when you close them, although I couldn't tell you if that's just normal for this type of vehicle or what. I've noticed on these forums, reddit, and other places, people even with 2016 CX-5s are noting that their doors feel like "tin cans".
Basically, I'm noticing little inconsistencies with what I have versus the information from forums and YouTube, so I'm honestly wondering if the 2016.5 change brought some attempts at quieting the cabin. I find it surprisingly quiet, moreso than any review or forum post would have lead me to believe.
The 2013 model had very minimal to NO sound deadening in certain sections. No sound deadening to the metal under the spare tire for instance. I've seen this myself as I added sound deadening materials to all doors, hatch, trunk floor, and below rear seats. I also added additional door seals. Its my wife's daily driver and she tells me there's a noticeable difference. The doors and quarter panels no longer have the "tin" can sound when you tap it with your hand. The only section I need to access is under the front seats/floor and the firewall. Perhaps another project in the future for me although my wife says its fine.
The change in adding additional sound deadening from the factory came in 2016. The 2016.5 I'm assuming were more cosmetic changes and additional features. The 2017 model I'm assuming has even more deadening material and more door seals from the factory.
Last edited:
Good sound comment. But I would like to add some info here as I design LED product for industrial lighting and now recently, the driver circuitry for train/rail headlights.
Remember, LED lifespan is based on not when they fail, but when they reach typically 50% of there brightness. As an LED ages, its output diminishes. Its not constant. So way before the expected lifespan approaches, you may find them getting a touch too dim.
The big factor that dictates lifespan is temperature. If LEDs run too hot, lifespan is reduced. The design needs to ensure that the LEDs are properly heatsinked to maximize lifespan. Problem here is that a designer is always trying to maximize lumen output which results in hot LEDs. Some of the LED product shown in the modification threads looked horrible. Cant see how they going to last.
LEDs have come a long way. LED failure used to be pretty common in products. A lot of LED product has probably got a bad reputation because of this. However, LEDs have improved a lot over last couple of years. In my experience, the issues that kill LEDs of late is still plentiful. I look at a lot of failures to determine the cause. The most common failure is the LED driver which in turn can destroy the LEDs. Voltage surges is a big issue. Strangle enough, component failure in the LED driver is not something I see very often. Electrolytic capacitors used to be an issue, but not so much anymore.
The next major cause is water. Water and moisture can be a menacing problem in that moisture can creep down a wire between the copper stands and the outer plastic insulation. I have seen moisture travel through 100 meters plus of cable to LEDs and then destroy the LED PCB board. LEDs are small and the anode cathode connections can be very close together unlike a bulb with a much bigger gap between contacts. The reduced connection gap of LEDs means a much shorter distance corrosion must travel on a PCB to become a problem. I have seen LED product catch fire because of water and corrosion!!!
Then there is vibration which leads to a bad connection that makes and breaks. This eventually leads to failure. But this applies to any electrical item.
Now the companies I do work for are always trying to up the warranty period or guaranteed life cycle of the product. You know what ... 9 times out of 10, it bites then in the butt. With LEDs, something always goes wrong. A warranty of 2 years is reasonable. Beyond that, you must specify what kind of fault you will cover.
Just out of interest, a common problem is that the end user expects the product to last a long time with no maintenance. ... so they install it in places that required a crane or cherry picker to access which results in huge costs just to change a LED bulb.
If Mazda need to replace an entire fitting as the LED bulb cannot be accessed, it a huge mistake. There is no need to do that. Sound like a money making racket. For me. I am happy with my HIDs. They are fantastic.
Brian
Allow me to be the fourth. 
My DRL on the passenger side was dim/flickering. Unfortunately, since I drive a lot, my car was out of warranty (40k miles) even though it was only 17 months old. The extended warranty does not cover these since the entire headlight assembly has to be replaced and they don't cover headlights and the dealer wanted $1500 to replace it. After many phone calls and letters to the dealership and Mazda USA, I finally got them to replace it at no charge as a "good will" gesture.
My DRL on the passenger side was dim/flickering. Unfortunately, since I drive a lot, my car was out of warranty (40k miles) even though it was only 17 months old. The extended warranty does not cover these since the entire headlight assembly has to be replaced and they don't cover headlights and the dealer wanted $1500 to replace it. After many phone calls and letters to the dealership and Mazda USA, I finally got them to replace it at no charge as a "good will" gesture.
