Anyone concerned about the upcoming recall on the 2018 CX5??

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People are already getting the fix done as reported here and on Reddit.
 
No. Not concerned at all. Small number of vehicle failures, recall in place, life goes on.
 
No. Not concerned at all. Small number of vehicle failures, recall in place, life goes on.

That about sums it up. No car is perfect, a recall means they found a problem and have a solution. I was more worried reading the other thread about the problem while Mazda was trying to figure it out.
 
Found a discussion over here about it:

https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...eactivation-trouble-on-2018-CX-5-and-6-models

I'm disappointed! Was hoping our 2018 CX5 would be trouble free but now there is an issue with the engine rocker arms falling off. I sure hope the Flash does the trick!

Anyone get a recall letter in the mail yet?
I cancelled my plan getting a 2018 Mazda CX-5 and got a Toyota Yaris iA only because I found Mazda suddenly added cylinder deactivation to its 2018 lineups. The history of CD has proven it's a bad idea for long-term reliability, and I usually keep my vehicle forever. And I no longer recommend CX-5 to friends and family because of this cylinder deactivation feature.

Now we found the CD from Mazda is having the design issue. The rocker arm will fall off without any warning if the conditions are suitable. There's no fail-safe mechanism designed into the CD system. If Mazda relies only on PCM software to control changing oil pressure related to too many factors such as oil viscosity, oil level, and temperature, it's too difficult to define pre-set oil pressure ranges to perform certain functions. The current PCM code which causes rocker arm falling off is a perfect example that the software can't cover every aspect of conditions, and the result is the oil pressure is getting too low and the rocker arm is fallen off its position.

There should be a physical hardware to prevent the rocker arm falling, no matter how low the oil pressure is.

One example is the dragging issue on Electrical Parking Brake for 2016 CX-5. Several TSB's had issued. The initial TSB was to update the EPB control module firmware. The second EPB TSB was another EPB control module firmware update. Finally the latest TSB is Mazda has to improve the rear brake calipers' design and disregard the previous firmware updates.

Another example is the fuel filler pipe recall on 2016 CX-5. Mazda had to come up a fix quick due to the stop-sale pressure from NHTSA. The recall removes a bolt from a bracket holding the filler pipe. But this's only a patch job only to meet NHTSA's requirement. And Mazda eventually had come up a new design on pipe holder bracket to meet NHTSA safety standard.

So my opinion is the PCM software update is only a temperature fix for NHTSA, and Mazda should eventually re-design the cylinder deactivation so that the rocker arm won't be falling under low oil pressure conditions.
 
No. Not concerned at all. Small number of vehicle failures, recall in place, life goes on.
That about sums it up. No car is perfect, a recall means they found a problem and have a solution. I was more worried reading the other thread about the problem while Mazda was trying to figure it out.
Really?

I'll give you another example. On CX-5 liftgate struts recall, people have found the replacement struts from recall are making noise in a short period of time. Then the lifting strength of struts are getting weaker everyday. Some even have to get a new pair of liftgate struts from the third party as the replacement struts from the recall can't hold the liftgate anymore, and they certainly don't want the "improved" version of OEM struts currently available from Mazda dealers.
 
I cancelled my plan getting a 2018 Mazda CX-5 and got a Toyota Yaris iA only because I found Mazda suddenly added cylinder deactivation to its 2018 lineups. The history of CD has proven it's a bad idea for long-term reliability, and I usually keep my vehicle forever. And I no longer recommend CX-5 to friends and family because of this cylinder deactivation feature.

Now we found the CD from Mazda is having the design issue. The rocker arm will fall off without any warning if the conditions are suitable. There's no fail-safe mechanism designed into the CD system. If Mazda relies only on PCM software to control changing oil pressure related to too many factors such as oil viscosity, oil level, and temperature, it's too difficult to define pre-set oil pressure ranges to perform certain functions. The current PCM code which causes rocker arm falling off is a perfect example that the software can't cover every aspect of conditions, and the result is the oil pressure is getting too low and the rocker arm is fallen off its position.

There should be a physical hardware to prevent the rocker arm falling, no matter how low the oil pressure is.

One example is the dragging issue on Electrical Parking Brake for 2016 CX-5. Several TSB's had issued. The initial TSB was to update the EPB control module firmware. The second EPB TSB was another EPB control module firmware update. Finally the latest TSB is Mazda has to improve the rear brake calipers' design and disregard the previous firmware updates.

Another example is the fuel filler pipe recall on 2016 CX-5. Mazda had to come up a fix quick due to the stop-sale pressure from NHTSA. The recall removes a bolt from a bracket holding the filler pipe. But this's only a patch job only to meet NHTSA's requirement. And Mazda eventually had come up a new design on pipe holder bracket to meet NHTSA safety standard.

So my opinion is the PCM software update is only a temperature fix for NHTSA, and Mazda should eventually re-design the cylinder deactivation so that the rocker arm won't be falling under low oil pressure conditions.

This is why you should get the GTR or Signature. They use proven components and so forth.
 
There should be a physical hardware to prevent the rocker arm falling, no matter how low the oil pressure is.

Mazda should eventually re-design the cylinder deactivation so that the rocker arm won't be falling under low oil pressure conditions.

It's just that simple.

Not simple at all.
 
But how can the rocker arm just fall off? Wouldn't it have to have a mechanical ring or pin of some sort to keep it in place??
 
Really?

I'll give you another example. On CX-5 liftgate struts recall, people have found the replacement struts from recall are making noise in a short period of time. Then the lifting strength of struts are getting weaker everyday. Some even have to get a new pair of liftgate struts from the third party as the replacement struts from the recall can't hold the liftgate anymore, and they certainly don't want the "improved" version of OEM struts currently available from Mazda dealers.

Wow, I haven*t read about that. I waited a couple of years after the recall as my first set were fine. I got them replaced under recall when the car was about 5 years old. They*ve held up well over the last 2 years, I was pretty happy to get brand new struts for free. My 05 Focus by 7 years? Struts were completely done for and the trunk slammed shut super hard if you werent ready to catch it falling down.
 
Really?

I'll give you another example. On CX-5 liftgate struts recall, people have found the replacement struts from recall are making noise in a short period of time. Then the lifting strength of struts are getting weaker everyday. Some even have to get a new pair of liftgate struts from the third party as the replacement struts from the recall can't hold the liftgate anymore, and they certainly don't want the "improved" version of OEM struts currently available from Mazda dealers.

Lol, BFD! If liftgate struts are near the top of the list of a certain car*s problems, that*s a good thing. I*d take that every time over electrical gremlins, water leaks, or transmission problems that often plague new cars. A pair of trunk struts is like $60, which isn*t much more than a new trio of wipers.
 
But how can the rocker arm just fall off? Wouldn't it have to have a mechanical ring or pin of some sort to keep it in place??
There's nothing to keep or hold rocker arms in place if the HLA is loosing too much oil pressure. And here're some pictures from jjm86m showing his CX-5's rocker arm sitting on the cylinder head after it's fallen off.

Don't even think HLA is "retaining" the rocker arm. Rocker arm is floating with nothing to hold it. Once the HLA in cylinder deactivation phase dropped too low, the rocker arm is simply just falling out from the HLA side. The HLA designed for cylinder deactivation shouldn't get too low with low oil pressure. It's simply a bad design. At least Mazda should add something to "hold" the rocker arm in place all the time so that it won't be falling out because the HLA side is getting to low.

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For those who were asking, I was able to take a few pictures of what the rocker arm looks like when its fallen off. I stopped by the dealership to grab a few things from my car and talked with the technician for a bit. He was a lot more helpful than the service rep and showed me all the paper work he got and said the copy of the work showing that I had a P0304 previously never got to him. WTH! For those that are going ask how he didn't have the record, Hindsight is 20/20 I should've taken my car back to the same dealership that did the P0304 code work for me. The first dealership I took it too was the one I purchased the car from and I was having an oil change done that day as part of the year free service and 80 miles from my work/home. The second trip I ended up taking it to the dealership 10 miles from my place to avoid having to take off more time off from work than necessary.

Anyways, while I was there I asked to grab a few pics and was able to get the ones below.

I'm also grabbed a shot of the service bulletin with the instructions to check for the rocker arm from Mazda. The SA-015/19 posted earlier in this thread is for checking debris but SA-041/18 is the specifically for the rocker arm. Inspection step 3 is important for anyone owning a Mazda that may be affected. Make sure your oil change service records are verifiable, especially if you're doing your own oil changes. I wouldn't put it past a dealership to hassle you over something like that. They didn't for me but you never know.


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Lol, BFD! If liftgate struts are near the top of the list of a certain car*s problems, that*s a good thing. I*d take that every time over electrical gremlins, water leaks, or transmission problems that often plague new cars. A pair of trunk struts is like $60, which isn*t much more than a new trio of wipers.
This's nothing to do with how much do the recall parts cost. Several recall examples on CX-5 have shown Mazda's "fixes" are only a temporary solution, or started with cheaper solution by software "fixes". Eventually they have to re-design the hardware, which of course costs a lot more. If you say the liftgate struts are cheap, then I'll say why Mazda can't even make the cheap struts more reliable than originals which are subject to a recall?

Some said this recall means Mazda found a problem and have a solution. But based on the history of recalls on the CX-5, this statement certainly is not true!

This recall is not only for 2018 CX-5, but also for 2019 CX-5 with naturally aspirated 2.5L which has cylinder deactivation.

And based on current recall description, Mazda is not going to have a visual to check the fallen rocker arm before the tech updates the PCM. This's a dangerous procedure as if the rocker arm has fallen, the new code will do nothing to the fallen rocker arm. The owner of the CX-5 would be still driving his/her CX-5 without knowing the rocker arm has fallen. And put them in the dangerous situation when they really need the power!
 
This's nothing to do with how much do the recall parts cost. Several recall examples on CX-5 have shown Mazda's "fixes" are only a temporary solution, or started with cheaper solution by software "fixes". Eventually they have to re-design the hardware, which of course costs a lot more. If you say the liftgate struts are cheap, then I'll say why Mazda can't even make the cheap struts more reliable than originals which are subject to a recall?

Some said this recall means Mazda found a problem and have a solution. But based on the history of recalls on the CX-5, this statement certainly is not true!

This recall is not only for 2018 CX-5, but also for 2019 CX-5 with naturally aspirated 2.5L which has cylinder deactivation.

And based on current recall description, Mazda is not going to have a visual to check the fallen rocker arm before the tech updates the PCM. This's a dangerous procedure as if the rocker arm has fallen, the new code will do nothing to the fallen rocker arm. The owner of the CX-5 would be still driving his/her CX-5 without knowing the rocker arm has fallen. And put them in the dangerous situation when they really need the power!

Welcome to the auto business!

We have a 2010 RAV4 from the famously *reliable* and *dependable* Toyota brand. The rear suspension arms were recalled for rusting and sending cars wildly out of control. Their fix was to epoxy the joints in a manner that prevents any future alignment adjustments and slapping a yellow sticker into the door sill declaring that the car now has a zero tow rating. No joke!

Somehow people still love Toyota, so I think Mazda will be fine.
 
Anyone concerned about the upcoming recall on the 2018 / 2019 CX5??

Welcome to the auto business!

We have a 2010 RAV4 from the famously *reliable* and *dependable* Toyota brand. The rear suspension arms were recalled for rusting and sending cars wildly out of control. Their fix was to epoxy the joints in a manner that prevents any future alignment adjustments and slapping a yellow sticker into the door sill declaring that the car now has a zero tow rating. No joke!

Somehow people still love Toyota, so I think Mazda will be fine.
For Toyota's RAV4 recall you mentioned although the fix is sloppy but at least it won't affect the safety after the fix. It's similar to the fuel filler pipe recall on gen-1 CX-5 which removes a bolt and calls it a day.

But the recall fix on CX-5's falling rocker arm? I believe one of the victims on this issue said the best:

This is rather disappointing. I am glad they are actually recalling these vehicles but they really need to be removing the valve cover and taking a look. If a customer already has the rocker arm off and don't realize it, this update does nothing for them. The damage has already been done and the dangerous situation still exists. This may actually make the situation worse given the false sense of security a person would have after having the recall work done and thinking they are no longer in danger of anything happening.
 
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It's to bad they don't address other known problems in the same way. People still getting shafted on bad DRLs because they are out of warranty. Meanwhile my China leds last years
 
We purchased a CPO 2018 CX5, thankfully it has the 7 yr 100k mile on powertrain. So we are not worried at all. The recall and extended coverage will take care of any drivetrain issue that may happen.
 
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