Mazda MAZDA6 harsh shifting problems

Filed Oct 30, 2026 · Suspension · OH

i went to a mechanic to diagnose a clunk and rattle at freeway speeds. i was told a huge piece of metal was loose over a rotted out subframe. i told the mechanic there was a recall for a brace or bracket passenger side of the subframe. but no open recall was showing. he stated i hope this is not the piece a Mazda dealer would provide to fix that. he said it is loose and cannot be reattached and that i need to contact Mazda. he is stating i need a new subframe and the car should have never been sold to me in that condition. and to no longer drive it since it is going to split apart

Filed Apr 1, 2026 · Transmission · IL

System Failure: The Power Train (6-speed Automatic Transmission) suffered a major malfunction, documented by diagnostic codes P0731 (Gear 1 Incorrect Ratio) and P0780 (Shift Error). The vehicle is available for inspection. Safety Risk: The failure caused a sudden loss of propulsion while attempting to accelerate. This created an immediate risk of a rear-end collision and left the vehicle unresponsive in the path of oncoming traffic. The transmission's unpredictable shifting makes the vehicle unsafe to operate. Confirmation: The failure and the P0731 code were officially confirmed by Castle Mazda on March 2, 2026. The manufacturer (Mazda) has been notified but has denied a remedy, despite TSB MC-10160555-0001 addressing this specific internal defect. Warning Symptoms: There was no Check Engine Light or dashboard warning prior to or during the failure. The only warning was an extreme, abnormal mechanical grinding/clunking noise from the transmission. The lack of a malfunction indicator light (MIL) meant I had no electronic warning of a looming mechanical failure while in motion.

Filed Mar 19, 2024 · Transmission · UT

Very hard shifts from 1st to 3rd gear it's a automatic transmission it's getting worse it will do it at random times and it's getting to the point I'm scared to drive the car. mazda should listen to everyone else's problems with the same transmission it's ridiculous

Filed Dec 9, 2023 · Suspension · PA

Noticed the left rear tire suddenly had a lot of negative camber and there were now clunking sounds while driving. Inspection showed that the rear crossmember is severely rusted with holes, cracks, and delamination. The left toe link mount is completely separated, the coil spring stoppers are detached and loose inside the springs, and the right coil spring has the top coil broken off. The front body connection of the rear crossmember is barely connected. The level of corrosion on the rest of the car is drastically less than the rear crossmember. Currently deciding whether and how to repair. (Pennsylvania)

Filed Mar 26, 2021 · Brakes, Suspension · 400 miles · FL

The front and rear suspension pops, clunks, the vehicle shakes, vibration also happens, it also causing tires to be replaced faster than normal they go bold in the center its causing now the axles to shake at night time you can see the reflection from headlights bouncing, they have tsb's on this suspension issue however not for 2018 only 14-16 mazda 6s I believe and supposedly the issue was corrected well they lied because mine is a 18 and it is a disaster, my transmission is now shifting very hard from 1st to second gear, turn wheel it makes a loud clunk sound or popping sound, go over a dip in road does the same thing, you go over a bump the vehicle feels soggy, it like dribbles, it causes the vehicle to sway.. It's horrible, also the brakes was shaking at 15k miles, found out it's tsbs on this issue and of course the dealership didn't fix for free, charged me over 600 dollars for a issue that has a tsb on.

Filed Oct 28, 2019 · Steering · 21,585 miles · CA

Clunk noise driving on city street, on driver's side when wheels are fully turned to the left and when car is stationary and right before accelerating. Service advisor from the repair shop informed me not to drive the car because it is not safe and may cause an accident. The manufacturer warranty is no longer effective and it expired 2018. The invoice total is $901.25, parts cost is $83.34 labor of $809.99 + tax. Called mazda's 800 number and informed if manufacturer defect is my recourse with no avail. I am reaching out to nhtsb if other mazda owners have encounter the same problem and avoid future costly expense for senior citizens. I feel that since it is a manufacturer's defect, as attested to by the service advisor and mazda hotline representative, the least they could do is cover the expense since our current mileage is so low (21,589 miles for 4 years). We hope that we can be assisted with this dilemma as it relates to safety and cost. Invoice is attached thank you for you assistance.

Filed Mar 25, 2019 · Steering, Suspension · 100,000 miles · PA

When maneuvering to or from parking when the steering wheel is turned and puts any pressure on the steering components the right front of the car makes a very loud clunking and popping and makes both steering and moving difficult. It has gotten progressively worse over the last 2 months so I did some research and found out about the possible corrosion issue of the front right subframe and recall "inspection". I will call my local dealer and schedule an appointment as it seems this car is under an open recall and was never looked at. I just bought it as a used car in mid october and mostly drive my truck all winter so it took awhile for this to surface.

Filed Nov 2, 2018 · Body, Steering · 188,000 miles · OH

While driving car, felt clunk and car kept pulling to right and hard to control steering. When turn wheel, loud clunking felt and hard to control car. Car was on highway just before exiting to city street.took to independent mechanic who said subframe completely rusted and affected steering and wheels would not let anyone drive car and said car is undriveable. Car towed to mazda dealer where it sits today. I was driving my 3 brothers in the car when this occurred. Luckily there was no accident.

Filed Oct 9, 2018 · Body, Brakes · MA

Driving on highway, I had to brake and realized I had to struggle to steer the vehicle properly. I heard a loud clunk when releasing clutch when I had to use it. My steering wheel was out of alignment. When I brought in for service they said the entire frame and underside of the body had rusted out. I do not have pictures yet.

Filed Oct 8, 2018 · Suspension · 75,000 miles · WV

The front suspension makes a clunking noise occasionally when moving right after startup and sometimes after starting from a stop (usually only near the start of a drive). It also occassionally makes a clunking noise when hitting a pothole/speed bump. This seems to be the same thing as recorded in the mazda service bulletin 02-010/16 and suggest possibly making it a recall instead of a service bulletin.