Weak 2016 CX-5 Vents
- Thread starter bbtfastback
- Start date
This. It is normal for there to not be much airflow until the blue coolant light goes out. That's because warm coolant is used to provide interior heat, so it would otherwise be blowing cold air. Afterward there should be plenty of airflow.
I see, but that's not what you actually said. You said there weren't any rear vents.
In the winter the rear foot vents are key to drying out cold/wet shoes. I can't say I expected to see a center rear vent in addition but I guess your expectations are higher than mine. I could see additional rear vents if there were three rows of seating but the front vents and the two rear vents heat the entire cabin very evenly.
bbtfastback
Member
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- 2016 CX-5 GT Tech
Sick today so didn't go into the car. But hopefully tomorrow.
bbtfastback
Member
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- 2016 CX-5 GT Tech
Thanks to everyone for their help too -- appreciated.
frenchbiker
Contributor
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- 2016 CX-5 GT AWD w/ Tech
Knowing that hot air rises and the foot vents are pretty much entirely covered by the front seats, I don't think this design is the most effective. It's even worse with cold air. As you know, cold air goes down, and cold air blowing at feet level doesn't provide much cooling for the rear passengers.
Like I said earlier, I don't think my expectations are unrealistic, talking into account that my car had a $32K+ window sticker.
1 week after taking delivery of my car this past summer, and noticing that the AC wasn't working too good for the rear passengers, I decided to put darker tint on all windows. This helped.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Rear "AC" vents are available on CX-5 competitors such as CR-V, RAV4, etc and Mazda6.
The floor "heater" vents under the front seats for rear passengers are standard equipment since 1960s...
To OP, if you have this problem since recently, open the hood and check blocked inlet between hood and the base of the windshield such as leaves. If you have this issue since new, take CX-5 to your dealer for warranty service. Don't think the cabin filter is the culprit as your CX-5 is so new!
bbtfastback
Member
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- 2016 CX-5 GT Tech
Rear "AC" vents are available on CX-5 competitors such as CR-V, RAV4, etc and Mazda6.
The floor "heater" vents under the front seats for rear passengers are standard equipment since 1960s...
To OP, if you have this problem since recently, open the hood and check blocked inlet between hood and the base of the windshield such as leaves. If you have this issue since new, take CX-5 to your dealer for warranty service. Don't think the cabin filter is the culprit as your CX-5 is so new!
Good call - thanks.
The problem is "recent" only because the frigid temperatures have started in the last few weeks. That said the way I operate the cx5 like a regular heating system, manually adjusting the heat, may be the issue. I'll try the automatic setting and see how that works.
I agree that I don't think it's the cabin filter but you never know.
Dealer is on Wednesday if needed.
If you bought a car that did not claim to have a center/rear heat vent, and did not look like it had a center/rear heat vent, but you expected it to have one, then I think your expectations were unrealistic.
That is the beauty of competition. Manufacturers can woo their customers in different ways. This means consumers have choices to make. If a center/rear heat vent was important to me (and it's not) I wouldn't have bought a CX-5. Personally, I can't stand the way the CR-V and Rav4 drive which on an importance scale is about a 9.5/10. A center/rear vent is so far down on my scale it doesn't even show up. Everybody has different priorities and they should shop accordingly.
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- 2014 Mazda 6 GT with MRCC
I think everyone here is right about the cabin air filter as a big possibility. The coldest mine as seen is 0F, and I haven't had any heating issues. However I do keep in mind these cars run fairly cool 172F thermostats that can make the car seem to take longer to warm up than a Chevy or Ford that runs 195F thermostats. I have a 26 mile 40 minute commute and I am usually getting toasty within 10 minutes and my cabin is fully warm in 15-20min. I usually keep the HVAC set on full automatic 68-70F and do just fine unless trying to thaw the windshield.
frenchbiker
Contributor
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- 2016 CX-5 GT AWD w/ Tech
Frankly, I didn't do a thorough due diligence prior to buying my CX-5 and it looks like I should have. I expected it to have adequate heating and cooling capability for the front and the rear, and I didn't think I would have to perform these checks prior to buying. I also expected the seats heating system to be more powerful, the trunk to open from inside the car and the glove box to have a light. I guess, based on your post, I might be too demanding of a $32K+ vehicle.
All these items don't make me regret my purchase because I like my CX-5 but it has several shortcomings that are annoying nonetheless.
All these items don't make me regret my purchase because I like my CX-5 but it has several shortcomings that are annoying nonetheless.
You should always demand good value for your vehicles and shop accordingly. My point was that everyone has different needs and wants. Mazda chose to put more money into the technology that is embedded into the vehicle. The CX-5 is loaded with lots of amazing safety and reliability technology that cars like the Rav4 and CR-V don't have. The basic chassis is also more expensive to make. Mazda is not aimed at someone who wants all the bells/whistles at the expense of driving pleasure.
Modern cars are (thankfully) not your grandfathers Chevy or Ford. It's more necessary than ever to be an informed consumer with the cornucopia of features, options and technologies available in the various offerings.
There are no vehicles out there that check off every single quality and amenity available. The quietest car with the smoothest ride, most powerful engine and the most bells and whistles is never going to be the most reliable car available nor will it be the best driver's car or have the highest MPG. It's all depends on what you want.
I'm glad you don't regret your purchase (that shows that no other car out there offered a significantly better blend of value and features for you). I predict if you had chosen a car with a center/rear heat duct you would have been annoyed about other things.
I'm not sure if this has been asked....Have you checked to see if the vents are actually set to the open position? My wife frequently turns one or two vents off in my CX-5 and sure enough, it takes me days to notice.
My system warms very well and once there is warm air available, the fan kicks in strong--as if I reached over and turned it up to full.
My system warms very well and once there is warm air available, the fan kicks in strong--as if I reached over and turned it up to full.
bbtfastback
Member
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- 2016 CX-5 GT Tech
Yeah they are set to the open position for sure. I've closed the passenger vent for even more power in the Center and driver vent.
Maybe some mice built a nest in there. They should blow strongly, this isn't normal.
bbtfastback
Member
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- 2016 CX-5 GT Tech
Did my automatic test this morning. Not good. First, it is -17 this morning and with the windchill felt like -28. Yeah seriously.
When I ran the automatic setting (ie press the circle button closest to the driver), it started very slow and actually automatically ran the ac, I'm assuming to not fog up the windshield. For the next 30 minutes, it just stayed at the feet setting and never moved to the body. I waited the entire time, but nothing.
Very concerned here. I think it's dealer time. I drove with one hand under my thigh, I was so cold. Heated seats were on.
Shouldn't he automatic setting move to the body at some point??
When I ran the automatic setting (ie press the circle button closest to the driver), it started very slow and actually automatically ran the ac, I'm assuming to not fog up the windshield. For the next 30 minutes, it just stayed at the feet setting and never moved to the body. I waited the entire time, but nothing.
Very concerned here. I think it's dealer time. I drove with one hand under my thigh, I was so cold. Heated seats were on.
Shouldn't he automatic setting move to the body at some point??
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- 2015 CX-5 Touring 2.5L FWD
Yeah, my 2015 Touring FWD 2.5L takes forever to warm up and never really does seem to put out a lot of heat. It does eventually warm up, but, it takes longer than past cars I've had.
bbtfastback
Member
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- 2016 CX-5 GT Tech
To reiterate, my car is kept in a garage and I've never had this kind of issue with any car I've had in the past. This is majorly worrying to me. It's a 2016 car, dammit!!! Man - I really hope there is something my dealer can do. Otherwise, not sure what my options are. Can't drive like this to work for 3-4 months of the year.
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- 2014 QX70 AWD
I use the Auto Climate Control most of the time. I can say with certainty that its never switched to the dash vents when I'm using the heater during really cold days.
The only time the system has switched to the dash vents was when the AC was running and trying to cool the vehicle down. It makes sense to me. Warm air rises, so the vehicle uses the bottom vents when heating (excluding the defroster). And when its time to push cold air out it uses the dash vents.
The only time the system has switched to the dash vents was when the AC was running and trying to cool the vehicle down. It makes sense to me. Warm air rises, so the vehicle uses the bottom vents when heating (excluding the defroster). And when its time to push cold air out it uses the dash vents.
bbtfastback
Member
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- 2016 CX-5 GT Tech
That definitely makes sense actually. But man, why is it not achieving the goal of warming up the car quickly? Or even after half an hour?
