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2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 problems

The most common problem on the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 is engine and cooling, typically around 64,786 miles. Its complaint count is close to a typical Mazdaspeed6 model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
71/100
Owner complaints
20
Recalls
4
Service bulletins
37
Worst area
Engine

The worst 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Engine
    8
  • Transmission
    6
  • Airbags
    3
  • Body
    1
  • Lights
    1

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Engine
    8
  • Transmission
    6
  • Airbags
    3
  • Body
    1
  • Lights
    1
  • Suspension
    1

Recalls 4

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pumpReported September 24, 2021 · 13,891 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 RX-8 and 2006-2007 MazdaSpeed6 vehicles. Fuel may leak from the fuel pump mounting rings.
Risk
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install new fuel pump mounting rings. Dealers will also add a thermal insulation pad to the fuel tank on RX-8 vehicles. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 17, 2021. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5121I.

Recall number 21V744000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported October 31, 2019 · 47,006 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2005 MPV, 2004 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V130, 14V362, 14V773 and 15V869.

Recall number 19V781000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported June 15, 2018 · 308,591 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 and 2004 MPV vehicles nationwide. Mazda is also recalling 2005-2006 MPV vehicles in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. On July 9, 2019 this recall was expanded to include certain 2004-2011 RX-8 vehicles that were previously recalled under 16V‑354 but have not yet been repaired. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2018. Mailing to the affected RX-8 owners began July 6, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2618F. Note: With the addition of the RX-8 vehicles, this recall fully supersedes recall 16V354.

Recall number 18V402000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator moduleReported July 26, 2017 · 308,992 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Mazda6, 2004-2008 RX-8, and 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6 vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on September 12, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1‑800‑222‑5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1417G. Note: This recall supersedes recall 15V‑382.

Recall number 17V474000 · Recall details

See all 4 recalls for the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6

Defect investigations

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpened September 17, 2021, still open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

EA21002

Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpened February 24, 2015, still open

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016 four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016 four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The investigation now includes all manufacturers and vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

EA15001

Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpened June 11, 2014, closed March 2, 2015

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with consistently high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly, ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016, four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016, four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The PE is now closed/upgraded to an Engineering Evaluation (EA15-001) to include all manufacturersand vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's EA investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The recalls related to this PE are: 14V343, 14V344, 14V348, 14V351, 14V353, 14V655, 14V700, 14V701, 14V752, 14V763, 14V770, 14V773, 14V787, 14V802 and 14V817.The number of vehicles affected are an estimate since some vehicles may have both the driver and passenger side inflators recalled. The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

PE14016

Technical service bulletins for the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 37

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 37 bulletins for the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6

What 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Apr 27, 2017 · Engine · 115,000 miles · IA

Takata recall driving down the highway speed 55 MPH dropped valve blow hole in block which also blew big pieces of the piston and block on the highway which could have bounced back into traffic causing injury to on coming drivers or drivers following vehicle. I collected pieces of the piston and block about the size of a medium size hand well over 50 yards behind the vehicle after I did an immediate stop to the side of the road. Thankfully no one was following me or on coming traffic so no one got hurt. This seems to be a major problem in the mazdaspeed6 or mazdaspeed3 vehicles. I would recommend having these motors replaced with a better built one before some one gets hurt or worse dies.

Filed Aug 5, 2016 · Airbags · MO

Takata recall 8 months since the first letter has been sent to me notifying me that there was a recall on the passenger side airbag. I have now received a letter stating that no one should ride in my passenger seat due to the recall. Mazda has not provided this fix in a timely manner and now I have lost the ability to drive a passenger in my vehicle.

Filed Mar 15, 2016 · Airbags · 133,000 miles · MA

Takata recall I get a letter every year that there is a recall but that the "remedy" is not available. There is no projection of when my remedy will be available. Meanwhile my vehicle has lower resale value, is getting older and I remain at risk. While 31% of at risk vehicles have received some kind of remedy, the rate of remedy appears to be slowing down. Five years after the recall, I might have a 50/50 chance of getting a remedy. I believe there is a good possibility that my vehicle will be in the junk yard before a remedy is offered. Seems like a good plan if you have to pay to make the repair. Where is the directive to serve the public? Yes, 7 million airbags sounds busy. Kennedy's moon program was completed in 8 years 2 months.

Filed Oct 8, 2015 · Transmission · 110,000 miles · KY

Lost clutch to the floor while driving nearly having an accident. Took off clutch master cylinder as symptoms would suggest the repair would be. Found out that the pedal assembly is broke and that the firewall is "cracked" I can see lots of posts online where this seems to be very common and very dangerous

Filed Dec 6, 2014 · Transmission · 135,500 miles · TX

5 months ago, took car to mazda dealer for timing chain, vvt noise and was replaced under extended warranty. Last month started to feel intermittent loss of power during quick acceleration followed by plume of smoke at the tail pipe. Took to local mechanic shop and was told there was heavy carbon buildup at the valves as well as mass air flow sensor, o2 sensor, and other engine components. The bill was for about 1800 worth of parts and labor for deep cleaning the valves (intake manifold removed). After repairs were completed, took car home and drove for about 25 miles when I heard a loud bang from the engine compartment. The engine suddenly stopped and I smelled burnt oil and smoke inside the cabin. I was able to steer the car to the side and looked under the car to find large amounts of oil leaking from engine. Had the car towed to same mechanic and was told a rod sheared and blew a hole through the block and punctured through the transfer case housing. There was no rod bearing failure, the rod just snapped in half. The extended warranty will not cover the entire repair cost and will not cover the transfer case damage. Reading through several forums, the same engine damage has occurred to several other mazdaspeed 6 owners. This type of engine failure appears to be a manufacturing defect. An investigation should be conducted to determine the root cause of these catastrophic engine failures.

Filed Jul 14, 2014 · Body, Transmission · 30,000 miles · MD

The mounts and the bolts that hold the rear differential mounts keep breaking. This has occurred over 5 times and is a well known issue with this car.

Filed Jun 11, 2014 · Lights · 100,000 miles · CA

An extremely common problem with many vehicles is clouding of the plastic lenses over headlights. This problem is exceedingly severely bad on the mazdaspeed 6. The clouding cannot be repaired via headlight restoration kits as once it's removed, it comes back even worse after. The only solution is to replace the prohibitively expensive headlight assemblies. Since these assemblies include the hid headlights electronics (ballast) they are incredibly expensive. These headlights have been known to cloud and become completely worthless within a year or two. On my 8 year old vehicle the headlights are completely useless at night, the high beams produce less light than low beams on most other vehicles. The easy solution for mazda would be to recall the headlights and retrofit a lens (glass or otherwise) that will not cloud. My car is unsafe to drive at night due to the ineffectiveness of the low beams.

Filed Feb 26, 2014 · Engine · 96 miles · KY

I own a 2006 mazda speed6 with 96,600 miles, purchased december 2005. My speed6 has always had a turbocharger smoking problem. At one point, it looked like a mosquito spraying truck going down the road. But that issue seemed to abate, and appeared to be under control on its own. Now the car is burning a quart of oil every 300 miles. That is not acceptable, and after a yearlong attempt to watch the problem, to see if it could be controlled, I finally came to the conclusion, that it could not, and that the turbocharged had to be replaced. I thus made an appointment with the mazda dealer closest to my current residence, paducah mazda, in paducah, ky. I took the car in yesterday, and it was confirmed that oil was leaking from my turbocharger seals. This problem has been well known and prevalent, subject to a the federal safety agency inquiry #10043874. And as a result mazda issued a letter extending the warranty for this problem to 84 months or 70,000 miles. I do not recall receiving this letter, or if I did, at that time did not believe I had a problem worthy of a new turbocharger. So yesterday, the mazda confirmed the problem, and gave me an estimate of $2500 to replace the turbocharger. Since this issue has been well known, documented, and subject of a mazda warranty consideration, I called mazda consumer service to see if mazda could offer any assistance on this service issue. I offered to work with them, to pay some portion of the repair, meet them in the middle if possible. My request was denied in total; ?no assistance?. Naturally, I am disappointed with this result, given that I have been a loyal mazda owner. I am very surprised with this abrupt and negative treatment from mazda, given the history of this problem. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Dec 31, 2012 · Transmission · 38,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 mazda mazdaspeed6 . The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission would slip into neutral without warning. The contact mentioned that while decelerating to attempt a turn, the vehicle automatically downshifted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician advised that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 38,000 and the current mileage was 55,000.

Filed Jun 15, 2012 · Engine · 70,000 miles · GA

For more than a year now we have complained to mazda about the variable valve timing noise and the heavy white smoke from the leaking turbo. These complaints were done under the extended warranty. Mazda chose to ignore the issues and brush them off. The car needs repairs due to this matter. Mazda needs to be forced into a total recall to repair these many complaints.

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Questions about the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6

Is the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 reliable?

Owners have filed 20 complaints about the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6, close to a typical Mazdaspeed6 model year.

What is the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 year score?

The 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 scores 71 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Mazda Mazdaspeed6: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6?

Engine and cooling, with 8 complaints, typically around 64,786 miles. Next is transmission (6).

How many recalls does the 2006 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 have?

4 recalls, covering fuel system, gasoline and air bags.

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