So mine may be a little different, I leased the vehicle, then bought it after the lease+ 6 month lease extension). I was having the car serviced at the dealership during my lease, until they closed my dealership and the closest one became 2 hours away. I did decline that standard items that i believe can be done at a cheaper cost and did not get a discount for, after discussing with them they agreed to discount the spark plugs cost so i added that to my bill. The other i will do slowly as I can afford.
2.5 NA Cracked Cylinder Head with Oil leaking...How common is this?
- Thread starter CX5Nut
- Start date
So you were probably classified by Mazda Corporate as a 'loyal' customer, because it's not your fault that the dealership you had been using closed up. And that was probably a big factor in how much assistance you received. Good for you because the cost for that cracked head replacement out-of-warranty has been reported to be from 5K all the way up to 9K.
Can you post what their discounted quote for the spark plug replacement was? The OEM NGK plugs are available online for around $40, and your local mechanic would probably have done that job for around $150 or so. Just curious how much more Mazda is getting for that one.
Seeing this Service Alert, one would think Mazda would either
extend the warranty or some lawyer would see the potential for a class action suite. I'm no lawyer but this Service Alert looks like
an admission of fault. Anyone want to buy a 40k, 2020, CX-5?
I like the thing though.
I paid $199
Probably as low as can be expected from them, and it's certainly way better than $200
I was originally quoted $339Probably as low as can be expected from them, and it's certainly way better than $200
I have a 2016 cx-5 sport with the 2.5L engine with 85k miles and it has been quite reliable. My brother was looking for a car a few months back and based on our experience with the 2016 CX-5 and Consumer Reports reliability ratings I saw that the 2021 model year was quite reliable.
I found a deal at a Honda dealer for my brother for a 2021 CX-5 Sport 2.5L NA with CD not knowing all these issues people have been having with the cracked heads, etc. The car was in really good condition and with only 19k miles on it. The car seems to have been well taken care off and even the interior has the new car smell. He bought the car since he needed a vehicle and comparable SUVs such as the RAV4 and CR-V were out of his budget.
The car still has the remaining bumper to bumper which expires in June of this year. The powertrain warranty is good for another 26 months. Should he get an extended warranty when he reaches the end of the powertrain warranty? He will only drive like 5k a year on this car since he works from home sometimes.
Also, after going through this thread I see that a lot of 2018 & 2019 model years are affected by this issue. Seems to be less for the 2021 model year?
I found a deal at a Honda dealer for my brother for a 2021 CX-5 Sport 2.5L NA with CD not knowing all these issues people have been having with the cracked heads, etc. The car was in really good condition and with only 19k miles on it. The car seems to have been well taken care off and even the interior has the new car smell. He bought the car since he needed a vehicle and comparable SUVs such as the RAV4 and CR-V were out of his budget.
The car still has the remaining bumper to bumper which expires in June of this year. The powertrain warranty is good for another 26 months. Should he get an extended warranty when he reaches the end of the powertrain warranty? He will only drive like 5k a year on this car since he works from home sometimes.
Also, after going through this thread I see that a lot of 2018 & 2019 model years are affected by this issue. Seems to be less for the 2021 model year?
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- Plano, Texas, USA
I believe only the original manufacture (Mazda) extended warranty may be worth buying. Your brother can do “self insurance”, saving some money to be used to buy extended warranty, and has some saved money to spend just in case the cracked head happens. Since his 2021 CX-5 Sport 2.5L NA with CD still has 60-month / 60K-mile powertrain warranty to cover the possible cracked head for a while, he has some time to think about it what he should do.
I believe the cracked cylinder head happens more often on the pre-2020 2.5T (but the 2021 2.5T has bad exhaust valve seals which is also expensive to fix), hence Mazda modified the head and exhaust manifold gasket on the 2.5T to prevent the crack. But Mazda didn’t do anything to the cylinder head on the 2.5L NA with CD, with only a TSB to create a new part number for a “full-load” head to simply the head replacement job by the dealer to reduce the labor cost.
This head-cracking problem takes time to happen, hence you see more older cars are having this problem.
In the meantime, your brother should check any oil leak sign often at the back side of cylinder head near cylinder #2 and #3 with the plastic engine cover removed before the powertrain warranty expires. Personally if I had a CX-5 with either engine, I wouldn’t think to keep it long-term.
Mazda, I believe only sells their extended warranties if you by the car as certified CPO at a Mazda dealer. Is it possible to buy their extended warranty if the Mazda is purchased at a non-Mazda dealer? I imagine you would have to purchase an aftermarket warranty.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Don’t buy any aftermarket extended warranty. The compay could fail and you have nothing left. And it has happened too many times before. Just do a “self-insurance”.
I just hope Mazda learns from this experience and does something for its loyal owners. I have always been a Toyota owner and bought our first Mazda cx-5 sport back in 2016 after reading reviews. It was our first SUV and it's my wife's daily driver. We love the CX-5 and it our vehicle for long road trips.
I would love to buy a CX-5 once my 2010 Toyota Corolla is not worth driving anymore but will have to wait a while.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Mazda has been up and down in history. The company likes innovation and isn’t afraid to do it. But it’s a hit and miss, and the insisting on rotary engine back in 1960’s almost caused the company if not the Ford came and rescued them. I was in a Mazda dealer in 1990’s with a friend who was interested to buy a RX-7 with rotary engine. But a service advisor showed us their backyard with a pile of broken rotary engines which scared my friend away and has never had any interested to buy any Mazda’s. I did get a 2016 CX-5 after I carefully read the reviews and studied the SkyActiv Technology design concept, and waited several years until Mazda fixed most bugs from a new product. I actually planned to get a 2018 Gen-2 CX-5 but canceled it once I found out Mazda had added the cylinder deactivation for 0 ~ 1 EPA mpg gain. At the time I stated I’d never consider an engine with CD due to bad concept and horrible history, and unfortunately it became true with series of problems on the 2.5L NA with CD due to the head modification to accommodate the CD plumbing.
I guess I'll have to wait for a quite a few years before I look at Mazda again. The 2016 CX-5 is at 85k and planning to keep it running for another few years. My Corolla, even after the paint has faded off, mechanically it's quite good with the exception of the VVTi rattle that Toyota is notorious for. But the car should run a few more years and it's a good city car.
So, is there any way to turn off the CD on the 2.5 NA engine?
When it's oil change time, just take it to a dealer and ask that when they do the multi-point inspection if they could also check for any leaks or cylinder head cracks. It's still under the powertrain warranty and anything found will be covered
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Not at this time on Mazda’s cylinder deactivation as the CD control code is embedded into the PCM software. Even if we can disable it, the 2mm thin wall on the head at the cracked area is still there. This’s a design flaw.
ok thanks.
So, was just checking out the consumer reports site for the 2021 CX-5 and they recommend it. Looking at the what the owners say per CR:
Engine Major
Engine rebuild or replacement, cylinder head, head gasket, turbocharger or supercharger, timing chain or belt.What Owners Say
Cylinder head"Manufacturing defect with small valve guides allowed excessive oil use."
Anonymous A., TX (2021 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo)Other major engine problem
"Repair process inadequate and only after excessive effort. Bandaide type repair for major design defect."
Anonymous A., TX (2021 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo)Turbo or supercharger
"Low oil light came on. A small amount of the engine oil was leaking into the combustion chamber (on Turbo models), causing oil consumption. Per Mazda, the repair was only temporary, and a root cause is found, they will inform me of the repair procedure (if any)."
Anonymous, GA (2021 Mazda CX-5 Signature 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo)
"We had to get oil a month after getting our oil changed and the exhaust was smelling very foul. Turned out the turbo was the cause."
Anonymous A., OH (2021 Mazda CX-5 Signature 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo)
"Turbo has a known oil consumption problem. Dealer fixed it free of charge, and it involved some valve work."
Anonymous, UT (2021 Mazda CX-5 Carbon Edition 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo)
Engine Minor
Accessory belts and pulleys, engine computer, engine mounts, engine knock or ping, fuel leaks, oil leaks.4 / 5
What Owners Say
Oil leaks"Technical service bulletin we had to point out to dealership"
Anonymous A., HI (2021 Mazda CX-5 Signature 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo)
"Low oil light came on. Oil level 1 quart low. A small amount of the engine oil may be leaking into the combustion chamber, causing the oil consumption. Per Mazda, confirmed this will not cause any immediate engine damage and the vehicle may be safely driven. Per Mazda, this was a temporary repair and as soon as Mazda identifies the root cause, a complete repair procedure will be announced."
Anonymous, GA (2021 Mazda CX-5 Signature 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo)Other minor engine problem
"Turbo charged engine using about 1 quart of oil every 4500 miles, which I feel is excessive. Was advised by the dealer service manager that this was a condition experienced by the turbo engine and that the manufacturer was aware of this but had not issued a solution yet."
Anonymous, FL (2021 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo)
"The oil consumption issue for the Mazda 2.5 turbo engine is known to Mazda but, according to them, the cause is unknown; therefore, no remedy is known. It has experienced the problem since new; we had to add oil before the first scheduled oil change. The engine consumes approximately one quart of oil every 3-4K miles."
Anonymous, FL (2021 Mazda CX-5 Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl turbo
Seems all of the reports from owners are from the 2.5L Turbo model.
You need to read the details of the information carefully. Those reports are for either valve stem seal leak, turbo, or are unidentified. There is not one mention anywhere in those reports of a cracked head.
Unfortunately, that's all I can see with those comments. There are no additional details provided by CR. There is like one mention of "Cylinder Head". I am accessing the information using my library account.
