2019 Mazda CX-5: jerking or lurching

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Transmission · DE

1. January 2025 Diagnosis (Inside Powertrain Warranty): I presented the vehicle (2019 Mazda CX5, 36K miles) with severe transmission jerking and shift lurching at a local Mazda dealership. Technicians diagnosed teh issue as described in TSB 05-004/23 and applied a software flash to the PCM/TCM stated in TSB 05-004/23. Mazda’s o􀆯icial text states the root cause of this symptom is torque fluctuation and torsional resonance within the torque converter. 2. Current Symptom (Defect Manifestation): The vehicle now exhibits the distinct upshift chirp detailed in TSB 05-005/23 (the federal safety agency ID MC-10246127-0001). Mazda’s documentation states the root cause of this chirp is excessive wear of the lock-up clutch inside the torque converter, which sheds iron powder directly into the automatic transmission fluid (ATF). The torque converter is a single, closed mechanical component. In January 2025, while the vehicle was fully covered under the 5-Year/60,000-Mile Powertrain Warranty, the torque converter's internal clutch was already undergoing accelerated physical degradation. Instead of proper mechanical diagnostics, the service department applied an electronic software patch. This patch merely altered the lock-up engagement timing to mask the torsional resonance rather than fixing the failing hardware. Applying a temporary software patch that delays a catastrophic component failure past a calendar date does not absolve Mazda dealership or Mazda Corporate of liability for a pre-existing, documented torque converter manufacturing defect which affect the entire power train of the vehicle. There are numerous complaints about this and subsequent failing transmission and expensive repairs reported so many online forums (reddit, facebook) again indicating this is a wide spread issue affecting consumer safety eventually leading to expensive out of pocket transmission repair. Mazda corporate need to be liable for this serious manufacturing defect on their transmission system.

Filed Sep 4, 2026 · Transmission · DE

1.January 2025 Diagnosis (Inside Powertrain Warranty): I presented the vehicle with severe transmission jerking and shift lurching. Your technicians applied a software flash to the PCM/TCM per TSB 05-004/23. Mazda’s official text states the root cause of this symptom is torque fluctuation and torsional resonance within the torque converter. 2.Current Symptom (Defect Manifestation): The vehicle now exhibits the distinct upshift chirp detailed in TSB 05-005/23 (the federal safety agency ID MC-10246127-0001). Mazda’s documentation states the root cause of this chirp is excessive wear of the lock-up clutch inside the torque converter, which sheds iron powder directly into the automatic transmission fluid (ATF). The torque converter is a single, closed mechanical component. In January 2025, while the vehicle was fully covered under the 5-Year/60,000-Mile Powertrain Warranty, the torque converter's internal clutch was already undergoing accelerated physical degradation. Instead of physically inspecting the transmission fluid for iron contamination as dictated by sound mechanical diagnostics, your service department applied an electronic software patch. This patch merely altered the lock-up engagement timing to mask the torsional resonance rather than fixing the failing hardware. Applying a temporary software patch that delays a catastrophic component failure past a calendar date does not absolve Mazda dealership or Mazda Corporate of liability for a pre-existing, documented defect. In addition there is numerous complaints related to same issue is being poped up online and it appears to be wide spread manufacturing defect problem.

Filed Jul 24, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · KS

When accelerating, the transmission feels jerky/stutters. The check engine light and traction control light are illuminated and on the instrument cluster the messages: "Forward Smart City Brake Support Malfunction", "Smart Brake System Malfunction" and "Front Radar Sensor System Malfunction" appear. The vehicle acts like it doesn't know which gear it should be in, it'll buck pretty hard and then it refuses to accelerate...it feels like it's in a "limp mode". A previous driver of the vehicle complained and said that it actually stalled in traffic on the highway and was of course difficult to steer due to loss of power. I took it to a dealership and they came up with a laundry list of things to fix...most of which wouldn't have any bearing on this issue. I did have the serpentine belt replaced and the belt tensioner replaced due to wear on the belt and loose tension. On 7/16/25, I scanned the vehicle with a code reader, the codes P0301 and P0506 appeared. P0301 is a generic "Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected" message and P0506 is a generic "IAC system RPM Lower Than Expected. The vehicle was taken to a shop where the spark plugs and the cylinder 1 coil was replaces and the IAC cleaned. On 7/24/25 the same vehicle behaviors were observed and the same warning lights and messages were activated. I scanned the vehicle and got "p0300 Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected and P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire detected. There was a recall on this particular vehicle make, model and year and my vehicle was out of the VIN# range. I firmly believe that the recall needs to be expanded to include a larger number of vehicles...you can google about this vehicle and see many others with similar issues. Usually, the cure is a PCM reflashing/software update that seems to take care of the issue. Please expand the recall before someone dies in an accident because of this problem.

Filed Nov 17, 2024 · Brakes, Electrical · TN

The steering and braking systems on my vehicle malfunctioned after jumping my vehicle when the battery drained too far to start, or even power my cars baseline electrical systems. After jumping my car, I started backing out of my parking spot and when I turned the wheel it very violently jerked in a manner that could have hurt me if I'd been holding onto the wheel tighter. Around this same time I believe I recall the brakes automatically applying and halting the vehicle. I was too far out of my parking spot when this began occurring and had to try to maneuver into a different one, during this attempt both of the conditions described above reoccured several times. I eventually noticed that it only seemed to trigger when the wheel was at more extreme steering angles, by keeping the steering angle lower I was eventually able to maneuver into another spot without triggering the issues. After parking and letting the car run for a bit to recharge the battery I no longer experienced these issues. There were several warning lights related to roll stability control, lane departure monitoring before pulling out. The following warnings were present, but I'm unable to recall whether they displayed before I first hit the issues: Smart Braking Malfunction, Power Steering Malfunction, Transmission Malfunction, Check Engine Light. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by anyone, however I was able to find evidence of other people complaining about what sounds to be the same issue going back several years online. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 3, 2024 · Transmission · CA

Car will whine and jerk when accelerating. Car suddenly stopped engaging in gear after it was warm. Dealer states it has internal transmission malfunction at 64k miles. Prior to the car breaking down the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic on 12/27/23 and concerns with the whining and jerking when driving were expressed. Dealer reports that the transmission was “operating as designed”.

Filed Sep 5, 2022 · Fuel system · FL

Unknown. The engine started to stall as I was driving and the gas pedal wasn't working. The car shutdown after reaching 0 moles per hour and it would jerk when I tried starting it. The car had enough fuel, battery and was service a month prior. The car would not start and had to wait a few hours to try again. The issue is similar to the recall this model has but when I checked my VIN is all cleared . Please Help.

Filed May 4, 2022 · Acceleration, Airbags · CA · crash

Tuesday, 5/3, I was parking my car in the New Leaf Grocery parking lot in Aptos, CA. I pulled into the lot and made slow right into an available space. I had my foot on the accelerator, tapped down on it gently to ease into the space. My car lurched forward at such high speed that I was unable to remove my foot from the accelerator. I swerved to the right as the car went over a partition and hit another parked car on the other side of the partition. My airbag did not activate. I've replayed the experience in my mind and tried convincing myself that this could have been a matter of human error on my part. I am beyond convinced that what I experienced yesterday was a case of sudden unintended acceleration. I am concerned and afraid to drive my car now. Had circumstances been different, someone could have been killed. Had I not swerved right, I was headed to crash into a building. I called 911 and since no one was hurt there was no Police report. To address questions set-out above: Speed control (sudden unintended acceleration) and air bag failed My safety and the safety of others was put at risk As of yet the problem has not been reproduced however there are a great number of reports related to unintended acceleration (however not acknowledged as a problem by Mazda) I plan to have my Mazda inspected by a local dealership service center There were no warning messages or symptoms in advance of the incident occurring I've owned my Mazda for 3 years and never experienced anything like this. I have never had a car accident to date.

Filed Dec 20, 2021 · Brakes, Driver assistance · NY

At about noon on 12/19/21 I was approaching the Tappan Zee (Mario Cuomo) Bridge in New York State going west. My car briefly stopped accelerating when I put my foot on the gas pedal but then continued on as normal. No warning lights or other signs of trouble appeared, and I continued onto the bridge and was in the center lane. There was moderate traffic on the bridge. Suddenly, my car started shaking and slowing as if the brakes were being pumped (although I did not put my foot on the brake), and the messages "Front Radar Sensor System Malfunction" "Forward Smart City Brake Malfunction" and "Smart Brake System Malfunction" all flashed on the dashboard screen. My husband turned on the emergency flashers and took a photo of the screen. The car continued slowing down and shaking no matter how hard I pressed the gas pedal. This created an incredibly dangerous situation; I had to get over to the right lane as we continued losing speed, and find somewhere safe to pull over once we got off the bridge. A car or truck going at a normal speed could have easily hit us and caused a catastrophic crash on the bridge. If I could not get out of the center lane quickly, at the rate the car was slowing down, it would have come to a complete stop in the middle of the roadway. I was able to merge right, get across the bridge and get to an exit, all as the car continued lurching and slowing down. At the bottom of the exit, there was a red light; I stopped and turned the car off and back on again. When I tried to accelerate out of the stop, smoke began pouring off the wheels. The car moved across the intersection at a few miles per hour and I was able to pull over safely on the right shoulder on the other side of the intersection. I had only bought the car the previous day, less than 16 hours before the incident. I called Mazda Roadside Assistance and the dealership; the dealership told me to have the car towed to their service department, so I did.

Filed Jun 16, 2020 · Transmission · 2,000 miles · CT

In july 2019 (approximately 2 months after delivery) my 2019 mazda cx-5 began to drive roughly at slow speeds- specifically speeds 15 MPH or below. The vehicle would not coast (even downhill) and would seem to slip out of gear (this vehicle has an automatic transmission). More specifically, the vehicle would buck and lurch on it's own without engaging the accelerator or brake. This was happening going uphill, downhill and on flat grade. I brought the vehicle to the dealer and at their request took an employee for a drive so they could feel it. The employee did feel it, told the service manager, who then told me that, "they are supposed to drive like that." he said he drove around another vehicle on the lot that is the same model and year, and that it performed the same. Please note that this is not the same person who was in the car to experience how my car was driving. I personally know two other people who have the same exact year and model cx-5. I shared my experience with both owners- they both told me that their cars do not perform in that way. Additionally, I drove one of those vehicle and that one did not perform in the same way that mine does. I am concerned that this issue is being brushed off. There is no way that mazda would purposely design a car so that it jerks, lurches, and bucks at slow speeds. I have read reviews on online message boards where others do complain of similar experiences, which is even more concerning. This poses a safety issue for the driver, passengers, and others on the road who may be driving nearby. I have an appointment and will be taking the car back this coming monday to try and further address this issue, but felt it necessary to file here in the case that further action needs to be taken at a larger scale since it appears as if others, though not all, 2019 mazda cx-5 owners are experiencing the same.

Filed Oct 15, 2019 · Brakes · 5,000 miles · NJ · crash

Traffic was heavy on the parkway that day so there was a lot of stopping and going. Applying the brakes, the car started to slow down but suddenly there was a jerk and the car accelerate while the brakes were still being applied. There was a frontal collision which indicates that the smart brakes system was also not working. The warning 'brake system malfunction' appeared on my dashboard after the accident. My insurance company sent a written request for the edr test and have agreed to pay the fee with the expectation of being provided with a quote of the cost and the end results. Mazda has not approved the request and it has been over 3 weeks. Asked to speak to a supervisor and did not get a response.