My 99 protege ate swaybar links every 30,000 km or two to three years. I ended up buying them 4 at a time they failed so often.
I took a good luck under the 2 when I was shopping for a car to make sure it didn't use the same link design. Looked better to me.
Recently, my 2011 Mazda 2 (8 months / 15000 kms) developed a familiar clunk/rattle over uneven surfaces. Seems to come from the front right.
I took it into the dealership, they kept it for the day and they said they 'only heard it once and were unable to replicate it'. When they brought it into the shop they said everything checked out ok but they suspected a swaybar link. 'Suspension is safe, customer should monitor the noise'.
Absolutely freaking unacceptable in my book, but I didn't have time to argue it at the time.
When I mentioned my concern and the pain in the ass swaybar links on my 99 Protege, the service guy gave me a knowing look and said "You know Mazda, eh?" Not reassuring.
They also said the runout on my front rotors was out of spec and they replaced them free of charge. Interesting as that was not a complaint I had.
Incidentally, leaving the parking lot I was able to replicate the symptoms perfectly. Drive across a sewer grate with the right wheels, 'clunk'. Drive across same sewer grate with left wheels, no appreciable noise.
I'll be asking to speak to the service manager next time I can afford to drop of the car for 24 hours.
Anyone else have suspension noises in their 2? Was it just a swaybar link?
One thing that gave me a small measure of concern was in Car and Driver's long term test:
"We did, however, hit some snags along the way. Warped brake rotors were replaced under warranty twice: at about 8700 and then around 25,000 miles. Persistent vibrations and suspension clunks necessitated the replacement at about 17,000 miles of the anti-roll-bar bushings, a rear shock, and the steering intermediate shaftall also covered under warranty. The problem caused uneven wear to, and prematurely trashed, the cars Yokohama Avid 534 all-season tires, which the dealer fortunately replaced at no charge. The vibration never resurfaced, but we did continue to hear the occasional groan from the suspension."
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2011-mazda-2-touring-long-term-road-test-review
I took a good luck under the 2 when I was shopping for a car to make sure it didn't use the same link design. Looked better to me.
Recently, my 2011 Mazda 2 (8 months / 15000 kms) developed a familiar clunk/rattle over uneven surfaces. Seems to come from the front right.
I took it into the dealership, they kept it for the day and they said they 'only heard it once and were unable to replicate it'. When they brought it into the shop they said everything checked out ok but they suspected a swaybar link. 'Suspension is safe, customer should monitor the noise'.
Absolutely freaking unacceptable in my book, but I didn't have time to argue it at the time.
When I mentioned my concern and the pain in the ass swaybar links on my 99 Protege, the service guy gave me a knowing look and said "You know Mazda, eh?" Not reassuring.
They also said the runout on my front rotors was out of spec and they replaced them free of charge. Interesting as that was not a complaint I had.
Incidentally, leaving the parking lot I was able to replicate the symptoms perfectly. Drive across a sewer grate with the right wheels, 'clunk'. Drive across same sewer grate with left wheels, no appreciable noise.
I'll be asking to speak to the service manager next time I can afford to drop of the car for 24 hours.
Anyone else have suspension noises in their 2? Was it just a swaybar link?
One thing that gave me a small measure of concern was in Car and Driver's long term test:
"We did, however, hit some snags along the way. Warped brake rotors were replaced under warranty twice: at about 8700 and then around 25,000 miles. Persistent vibrations and suspension clunks necessitated the replacement at about 17,000 miles of the anti-roll-bar bushings, a rear shock, and the steering intermediate shaftall also covered under warranty. The problem caused uneven wear to, and prematurely trashed, the cars Yokohama Avid 534 all-season tires, which the dealer fortunately replaced at no charge. The vibration never resurfaced, but we did continue to hear the occasional groan from the suspension."
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2011-mazda-2-touring-long-term-road-test-review
