I bought my 2015 Mazda3 new from a dealer. I haven't reached 30k miles but I'm already having problems. I have an automatic transmission.
Problem 1: Lurch from stop
I drive up to a red light and come to a stop. The light turns green, I move my foot from the brake to the accelerator and begin accelerating. The car remains stopped as I press the accelerator and the engine revs up. After a moment (.25 sec to 1 sec) all at once the car jumps/lurches forward with a clunk. This behavior is sporadic. You could drive for days without it happening and then have it happen several times in the same driving session. On a couple of occasions the clunk was hard enough that I thought something may have broke inside the drivetrain but it continues to drive. I suspect the hill assist is holding too long but that's just a guess.
Problem 2: Lurch when shifting from gear 1 to 2
I back my car into the garage at night. In the morning I start up the car and pull straight out of the garage with the shifter in D. I pull out of my driveway and continue down the street. The car eventually shifts from gear 1 to 2. When it does there is a delay as it shifts gears. There is a wind-up noise as the accelerator climbs but the car continues to move forward at the same speed. As the car finally shifts into 2nd gear the car lurches forward with a jump. This only happens when the car is cold--the first gear change in a driving session. Also notice that this does not happen when shifting from gears 2->3, 3->4, 4->5, or 5->6 (or when shifting downward). You do not need to be pressing the accelerator very much. This doesn't happen every day but I'd say about every other day. Driving in cold weather seems to increase the odds of getting lurched forward.
Problem 3: Lurch when shifting from gear R to 1
This one is easy to re-create and it doesn't seem to matter if the car is warm. Shift the car to R and back up for a few feet (we'll say 10 feet). Come to a stop. Shift from R to D. Move your foot from the brake to the accelerator and begin accelerating. There is a delay in the shift. The engine begins to rev up but the car does not move forward. After a moment (.25 sec to .5 sec) the car finally shifts and you jump/lurch forward. Notice that when you shift from gear 1->R the shift is fast and smooth. By the time you move your foot from the brake to the accelerator the car has already shifted into R and is ready to move backwards. Note that I'm not trying to "race" the car by moving between pedals quickly. I'm moving from the accelerator to the brake in what I would call a "normal" motion and at a "normal" speed.
I had the dealer look at Problem 1 but we were unable to re-create it.
We were also unable to re-create Problem 2 although 1) I was given a ride to work by a member of Mazda staff in a 2016 Mazda and it did almost the exact same thing and 2) someone on Mazda staff admitted to finding this problem in another car at the dealership.
Mazda staff was able to re-create Problem 3 although they called it "normal". They told me I need to wait longer for the car to shift. I was told to wait 1 second for the car to shift. They could not tell me why R->1 is jerky and 1->R is smooth.
Has anyone else had these problems? Any idea what might be causing them? Are they "normal"?
Problem 1: Lurch from stop
I drive up to a red light and come to a stop. The light turns green, I move my foot from the brake to the accelerator and begin accelerating. The car remains stopped as I press the accelerator and the engine revs up. After a moment (.25 sec to 1 sec) all at once the car jumps/lurches forward with a clunk. This behavior is sporadic. You could drive for days without it happening and then have it happen several times in the same driving session. On a couple of occasions the clunk was hard enough that I thought something may have broke inside the drivetrain but it continues to drive. I suspect the hill assist is holding too long but that's just a guess.
Problem 2: Lurch when shifting from gear 1 to 2
I back my car into the garage at night. In the morning I start up the car and pull straight out of the garage with the shifter in D. I pull out of my driveway and continue down the street. The car eventually shifts from gear 1 to 2. When it does there is a delay as it shifts gears. There is a wind-up noise as the accelerator climbs but the car continues to move forward at the same speed. As the car finally shifts into 2nd gear the car lurches forward with a jump. This only happens when the car is cold--the first gear change in a driving session. Also notice that this does not happen when shifting from gears 2->3, 3->4, 4->5, or 5->6 (or when shifting downward). You do not need to be pressing the accelerator very much. This doesn't happen every day but I'd say about every other day. Driving in cold weather seems to increase the odds of getting lurched forward.
Problem 3: Lurch when shifting from gear R to 1
This one is easy to re-create and it doesn't seem to matter if the car is warm. Shift the car to R and back up for a few feet (we'll say 10 feet). Come to a stop. Shift from R to D. Move your foot from the brake to the accelerator and begin accelerating. There is a delay in the shift. The engine begins to rev up but the car does not move forward. After a moment (.25 sec to .5 sec) the car finally shifts and you jump/lurch forward. Notice that when you shift from gear 1->R the shift is fast and smooth. By the time you move your foot from the brake to the accelerator the car has already shifted into R and is ready to move backwards. Note that I'm not trying to "race" the car by moving between pedals quickly. I'm moving from the accelerator to the brake in what I would call a "normal" motion and at a "normal" speed.
I had the dealer look at Problem 1 but we were unable to re-create it.
We were also unable to re-create Problem 2 although 1) I was given a ride to work by a member of Mazda staff in a 2016 Mazda and it did almost the exact same thing and 2) someone on Mazda staff admitted to finding this problem in another car at the dealership.
Mazda staff was able to re-create Problem 3 although they called it "normal". They told me I need to wait longer for the car to shift. I was told to wait 1 second for the car to shift. They could not tell me why R->1 is jerky and 1->R is smooth.
Has anyone else had these problems? Any idea what might be causing them? Are they "normal"?