2017 CX-5 AWD Touring - transmission replacement at 1000 miles

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yzhng117

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2017 CX-5
I know there is a separate thread on a transmission-related whistling sound, but thought I'd create another thread to inform others and help us track the various transmission issues reported by this community.

In a nutshell, noticed my brand new car having a high pitch whistling sound at 40+ mph. It's independent of throttle, brake, or steering, and starts as soon as the speed reaches 40 mph. Dealer gave me the update today that they have traced the noise to the transmission. I pressed them on their diagnostic and suggested maybe it's axle seal as reported by a few others on this forum, but they claimed they were very thorough with the diagnostic (run the car up to speed on the jack, used various stethoscope and sound devices, and had Mazda corporate tech support on the phone together).

Mazda corporate has given the authorization for a transmission replacement, and I plan to press on this issue to figure out exactly what was wrong with my original transmission that had less than 1000 miles on it!

I really love this car and had planned to keep it for a long time, now I'm not sure how I should feel. It had a separate alignment issue that was adjusted by the dealer as well (they claimed it was probably due to the shipping process). Now I'm wondering if this is just an one-off issue, or my car somehow didn't go through the quality control process.... Questions to others:

1. With a transmission replacement, should I view it as "this is just like brand new" or "crap, my car is tainted/cursed"? I guess should I worry about the quality/reliability of a transmission replacement job?

2. My carfax is probably now filled with records and will likely affect my resale value (regardless if I decide to keep it long term or not). With that, should I ask the dealer/corporate for an extended warranty as a compensation?
 
Very sorry to hear that and I’m with you if I had the same situation like yours. On the other hand I’m not surprised that a few 2017 CX-5 owners will encounter some major issues like you or like many 2016 CX-5 owners with early failures on transmission. The latest Consumer Reports have rated Mazda’s reliability at #12, dropped from #4 at the time we bought our 2016 CX-5. This’s a clear indication that Mazda’s quality and reliability is going to the wrong direction!

2018 Consumer Reports Reliability: Spoiler Mazda #12

I’d call Customer Experience Center at Mazda North American Operations and discuss the situation of yours, and ask for an extended warranty as a compensation if you want to. I’d also pray and hope the tech at the Mazda dealer do have some experience replacing the SkyActiv-Drive transmission. Depending on your financial situation, one member here found out his less than a year old 2016 CX-5 required a new tranny, he was upset enough that he picked up his CX-5 with replacement transmission, drove it right into a Toyota dealer nearby, and traded it in for a brand new Prius!
 
Carfax is hit or miss. It's only as good as the information entered to it and not everybody reports problems, including body repair from accidents. I'm surprised this whistling problem still exists.
 
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madar said:
Carfax is hit or miss. It's only as good as the information entered to it and not everybody reports problems, including body repair from accidents. I'm surprised this whistling problem still exists.
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If you read reports that how those big and reputable Japanese companies are cutting corners and dont care the quality and reliability like they used to be, you wont be surprised. Honda is the other example in auto industry.
 
yzhng117 said:
I know there is a separate thread on a transmission-related whistling sound, but thought I'd create another thread to inform others and help us track the various transmission issues reported by this community.

In a nutshell, noticed my brand new car having a high pitch whistling sound at 40+ mph. It's independent of throttle, brake, or steering, and starts as soon as the speed reaches 40 mph. Dealer gave me the update today that they have traced the noise to the transmission. I pressed them on their diagnostic and suggested maybe it's axle seal as reported by a few others on this forum, but they claimed they were very thorough with the diagnostic (run the car up to speed on the jack, used various stethoscope and sound devices, and had Mazda corporate tech support on the phone together).

Mazda corporate has given the authorization for a transmission replacement, and I plan to press on this issue to figure out exactly what was wrong with my original transmission that had less than 1000 miles on it!

I really love this car and had planned to keep it for a long time, now I'm not sure how I should feel. It had a separate alignment issue that was adjusted by the dealer as well (they claimed it was probably due to the shipping process). Now I'm wondering if this is just an one-off issue, or my car somehow didn't go through the quality control process.... Questions to others:

1. With a transmission replacement, should I view it as "this is just like brand new" or "crap, my car is tainted/cursed"? I guess should I worry about the quality/reliability of a transmission replacement job?

2. My carfax is probably now filled with records and will likely affect my resale value (regardless if I decide to keep it long term or not). With that, should I ask the dealer/corporate for an extended warranty as a compensation?
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Condolences on being at the front of the MTBF bell curve. Pretty rare air there. Other folks that have had replacements don't seem to report abnormal numbers of future issues. It's a mostly self contained part.

I doubt you'll learn what the issue is - Mazda will send it to their rebuild center.

As much as we'd like our new cars to be perfect they are indeed complicated machines and early issues are not necessarily indicative of later problems. This is true across the board for all manufacturers. You could push them for an extended warranty if it makes you feel better.
 
1. Your tranny replacement should not affect anything else. There are 16 owners who have had bad tranny's but got it replaced and are still running it around.
2. Never hurts ask for something / anything from Mazda. As for your resale value - you were not in an accident. The repair was done and inspected by a Mazda dealer. It should not affect your resale. Resale is affected by post accidental repair primarily. Not your fault the factory transmission had an issue.
 
Thanks all for your responses. I still have some faith in Mazda and my particular car, and hope this is just a random occurrence. Still intend to keep this car for a long time unless more issues come up over the next couple of years. I will update this thread when/if I learn more about my repair and the underlying issues.

Regarding extended warranty requests:

Do people know what's the duration of Mazda's extended warranty (Total Confidence and Powertrain Confidence)? The website doesn't show any plan details, so maybe there is flexibility in it. Is a 5 year/60k miles bumper-to-bumper and 10 year/120k miles powertrain a reasonable request?
 
yzhng117 said:
Thanks all for your responses. I still have some faith in Mazda and my particular car, and hope this is just a random occurrence. Still intend to keep this car for a long time unless more issues come up over the next couple of years. I will update this thread when/if I learn more about my repair and the underlying issues.

Regarding extended warranty requests:

Do people know what's the duration of Mazda's extended warranty (Total Confidence and Powertrain Confidence)? The website doesn't show any plan details, so maybe there is flexibility in it. Is a 5 year/60k miles bumper-to-bumper and 10 year/120k miles powertrain a reasonable request?
Click to expand...

Extended warranty terms from Mazda varies and is almost always bought from the dealer- any dealer, price is always negotiable.
 
Kaps said:
1. Your tranny replacement should not affect anything else. There are 16 owners who have had bad tranny's but got it replaced and are still running it around.
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If I remember it correctly, the replacement transmission madar had started having whistling sound again and he simply just traded it in and got a brand new 2016.5 CX-5!
 
I don't imagine you have an audio recording of the whistling sound, do you? Are you able to elaborate on what it sounded like? I've had a few whining sounds that don't sound quite right to me, but the dealer has suggested that it's probably "normal powertrain noise" after not being able to replicate the noises I've heard.
 
yrwei52 said:
If I remember it correctly, the replacement transmission madar had started having whistling sound again and he simply just traded it in and got a brand new 2016.5 CX-5!
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Incorrect, second transmission refused to shift out of one of the lower gears until I pulled over and restarted it, all at around 30k miles on the second transmission...then I traded it in, but mostly due to age related issues.
 
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I think you should be happy that they are so willing to replace the transmission under warranty without you having to ask them to do so. If you're still worried about your car, then do your best to pay it off asap then trade it in for something else.

I've had the transmission and headlights replaced on our 2016 CX-5. At this point I recognize that our car might not be as reliable as our other Mazdas in the family. My plan is to trade it in for a newer one after we pay it off, but I'm not losing sleep over the transmission and headlight replacements, especially since they were all taken care of by the warranty.
 
Puyapim said:
Do you have a service or case number for reference? I would contact Mazda USA customer service and ask them.
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I assume I will have some type of reference number once I pick up the car at the dealership, and will definitely be contacting Mazda USA for extended warranty. Don't expect the dealer to fork out anything.
 
wushane said:
I don't imagine you have an audio recording of the whistling sound, do you? Are you able to elaborate on what it sounded like? I've had a few whining sounds that don't sound quite right to me, but the dealer has suggested that it's probably "normal powertrain noise" after not being able to replicate the noises I've heard.
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Unfortunately, I don't have a recording. It's a high pitch and constant whistle sound (not whining like the CVTs).
 
yzhng117 said:
Unfortunately, I don't have a recording. It's a high pitch and constant whistle sound (not whining like the CVTs).
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Mine was sort of like a dog whistle, really hard on the ears after a while.
 
yzhng117; Your situation seems unique what with the alignment issue and now this. I cannot help but think there might be a connection. If you know a collision repair person it might be prudent to have him check your vehicle out just to see if it had been in an accident or incident. Those guys can tell with certain clues so they know what to look for. If anything pops up, pictures should be taken as you could have a case for the lemon law in your state.

I hope it all works out.
 
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