2016 Mazda CX-5: complete transmission failure

Filed Oct 28, 2024 · Transmission · OR

About a month ago, started hearing a whining noise from the automatic transaxle when driving at different speeds. The more speed, the more noise you hear inside the vehicle. It occurs with all types of driving, acceleration, deceleration and steady speed. Took my Mazda CX-5 into auto experts and found there is a Service Bulletin regarding this issue in 2013-2016 Mazda CX-5's. There is a damaged bearing in the transaxle due to improper configuration of the transaxle case. There needs to be a recall for this issue, not just a service bulletin. I cannot afford a new transmission and replacing the transmission with a like for like or used transmission, there is no guarantee the issue won't come back.

Filed Jul 17, 2019 · Transmission · 24,800 miles · WA

Significant lag in transmission going from stop to either drive or reverse (3 - 5 seconds). Car can roll backward while waiting for gear to engage, and will rev and then jerk harshly into gear. Also will jerk when shifting while accelerating to highway speeds. Vehicle had under 25,000 miles on it when symptoms started. Took it to dealer and got approval for new transmission under warranty very quickly, which leads me to believe this is a known problem for mazda. Saw many similar complaints on the federal safety agency website.

Filed Jan 5, 2018 · Transmission · 43,685 miles · GA

The vehicle was bought brand new on 06/30/2015. It needed a new transmission at 20,690 miles (09/02/16). At ~43,000 miles, leaks were detected. The mechanic diagnosed the problem as powertrain issues. The leak was transmission fluid that spread to the whole length of the car underneath. The dealer was contacted, car was towed to the dealership that later confirmed the mechanic's diagnosis. Powertrain will be fixed at the manufacturer's expense (the manufacturer considers it a manufacturing issue and has honored the warranty).

Filed Jun 22, 2016 · 9,000 miles · CA

Less than 1 year vehicle. Had transmission issue. Won't shift into 1st gear from a stop, or reverse. Can be very dangerous at intersections or stop signs. Had to replace transmission.

Filed May 27, 2016 · Transmission · 600 miles · CT

At 609 miles the car started to buck when starting to accelerate from being stopped. The car then would also shift roughly on the the highway when you hit the 25 MPH mark. The car then advanced to being only able to go in reverse or first gear only from a stopped position..you could not move forward in drive. The car is currently at the dealers awaiting a new transmission.

Filed May 16, 2016 · Transmission · 2,000 miles · CA

The same story happened on my 2016 cx-5. I purchased my car on july 8th 2015. I only had 2000 miles on my vehicle when this happened. When at a stop light and I step on the gas to go, the car does not move and just revs very loudly. After a few seconds, the car accelerates and the car jerks pretty violently. This was very consistent on my way home from work. When I was driving up an incline, the car's timing seemed to be off as it needed to downshift but couldn't when it should have. I made it home and had to have my car towed to the mazda dealership in irvine, ca. The dealership just told me that the car needs a brand new transmission. They do not what is the reason. And they could not tell is the repair totally fix the problem. They just did whatever mazda told them to do. After three weeks, finally I got my cx-5 repaid. It was a really bad experience. I don't feel safe to drive with mazda anymore. There are more and more same cases about cx-5 power train.further investigations are strongly needed.

Filed Feb 23, 2016 · Transmission · 6,314 miles · NH

I purchased my car on sept 10, 2015. I currently have 6,300 miles on my vehicle. When at a stop light and I step on the gas to go, the car does not move and just revs very loudly. After a few seconds, the car accelerates and the car jerks pretty violently (to the point where my head hits the back of the head rest). This was very consistent on my way home from work. When I was driving up an incline, the car's timing seemed to be off as it needed to downshift but couldn't when it should have. I made it home and had to have my car towed to the mazda dealership in nashua, nh. Per the dealership on 2/22, the car needs a brand new transmission.

Filed Jan 31, 2016 · Transmission · 1,800 miles · MI

Transmission began to fail at around 1800 miles. Car would hesitate to engage in gear from a stop, and also would just spin before engaging in a new gear on the highway. Dealer replaced transmission per mazda recommendation. This seems to be a common complaint on this model.

Filed Dec 10, 2015 · Transmission · 4,500 miles · FL

I have a 2016 mazda cx-5 grand touring automatic transmission. I bought it 9/28/15. Yesterday (12/9/15) with only 4500 miles on it, I started having problems with the transmission. Reverse was ok, but it was having difficulty engaging in drive. It felt like it was in neutral and wouldn't move. This would happen not only when I was starting out but while I was driving. It would slip out of gear. Even when I was driving down the highway in cruise control, the vehicle would attempt to accelerate but the engine would just wind up and it wouldn't kick in. One point I was in a parking lot trying to make a left-hand turn onto a road and when there was a break in the traffic I attempted to pull out. The car got partway onto the road and went into neutral making it impossible for me to continue across into the other lane. I was almost hit by the oncoming traffic because I was unable to move out of the way. From there I drove straight to the dealer where I had gotten the vehicle. Two men from the service garage took the car for a drive and said they were able to duplicate the problem every time. They called the mazda hotline and were told it needed a new transmission. They gave me a loaner vehicle and are waiting for the transmission to be sent to them so it can be replaced.

Filed Dec 7, 2015 · Transmission · 500 miles · NY

I have a fully loaded cx5 grand touring 2016 ---which after driving 500 miles, the transmission failed. When putting the gear in drive, the car did not move--and acted as if it was in neutral. After a bit, it would lurch forward into drive--which was scary and dangerous. My experience with the transmission is very similar to other reports on this site and should be investigated. I became stranded in a parking lot until I was able to get the car to move. I had to have it towed from my driveway since it was not safe to drive. A new transmission was ordered from mazda and installed. I received my vehicle back after 2 weeks. After driving for a week, approximately another 200 miles, I experienced a "creaking" noise when depressing the gas pedal from a parked or stopped position. Now I am being told that the control arm has failed and has been ordered from mazda. How could all of this be failing on a brand new car? It is very upsetting and preplexing. Please investiage what is going on here--

Filed Oct 19, 2015 · Transmission · 700 miles · OH

I had driven my new car for only about 700 miles when the transmission failed. I was waiting for a red light to turn green. When it did, I pressed on the gas and the car engine roared, but the transmission acted as if it were in neutral. The car went no where for about five seconds. I put on my hazard lights and was lucky not to be hit from behind. Eventually, the drive kicked in. I took it to the dealer and was told it needed a new transmission. There was no known recall issue as of yet. Mazda replaced the transmission as per the warranty.

Filed Oct 5, 2015 · Transmission · 1,000 miles · LA

The vehicle would not go from reverse to drive or drive to reverse. It would be in drive but would reverse. Then it would lurch forward and the engine would rev and it would go forward. It had a delayed reaction when changing the gears and engine would rev up when it finally would change. I took it to mazda dealer and they said it needs a new transmission. It has 1000 miles and is about 6 weeks old.