2016 Mazda MAZDA6 problems

POWER TRAIN

The front CV axles on my car have failed. It begun with a clicking noise and vibration when accelerating. I took the car to the Mazda dealership, and they confirmed the sounds but said they weren't able to diagnose the issue and that I would have to leave my car for them to figure it out. This places my daughter and my life at risk, as well as other passengers, due to the critical role the CV axles play in operating a vehicle. More specifically, the ability to properly control my steering movement while transporting my daughter to and from school is necessary and if not present, very dangerous. An independent service mechanic has confirmed this issue and indicated that this issue has been seen in many Ford and Mazda's recently. However, there is no recall. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the problem occurring. Again, when Mazda recently services my vehicle, they conducted a full-circle vehicle inspection and did not produce any concerns.

NHTSA complaint #11738817 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The vehicle exhibits dangerous electronic malfunctions. A licensed technician (MV-113255) has confirmed a sporadic unintended acceleration defect where the cruise control 'decrease' button causes the vehicle to increase speed. Additionally, the vehicle repeatedly enters 'Limp Mode' in active traffic, causing a violent jerk and a total loss of acceleration while displaying a 'Smart City Brake Support' (SCBS) failure on the dashboard. An independent inspection also documented gross mechanical neglect, including loose battery terminals and a loose transmission bellhousing bolt, which may contribute to these intermittent electrical/safety failures.

NHTSA complaint #11732963 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The vehicle exhibits dangerous electronic malfunctions. A licensed technician (MV-113255) has confirmed a sporadic unintended acceleration defect where the cruise control 'decrease' button causes the vehicle to increase speed. Additionally, the vehicle repeatedly enters 'Limp Mode' in active traffic, causing a violent jerk and a total loss of acceleration while displaying a 'Smart City Brake Support' (SCBS) failure on the dashboard. An independent inspection also documented gross mechanical neglect, including loose battery terminals and a loose transmission bellhousing bolt, which may contribute to these intermittent electrical/safety failures.

NHTSA complaint #11732963 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

The vehicle exhibits dangerous electronic malfunctions. A licensed technician (MV-113255) has confirmed a sporadic unintended acceleration defect where the cruise control 'decrease' button causes the vehicle to increase speed. Additionally, the vehicle repeatedly enters 'Limp Mode' in active traffic, causing a violent jerk and a total loss of acceleration while displaying a 'Smart City Brake Support' (SCBS) failure on the dashboard. An independent inspection also documented gross mechanical neglect, including loose battery terminals and a loose transmission bellhousing bolt, which may contribute to these intermittent electrical/safety failures.

NHTSA complaint #11732963 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2016 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that after her husband had driven for approximately 2 hours with the seat heater activated, the passenger’s side seat overheated, and the seat started smoking. The driver stated that the seat heating element overheated and burned a hole in the seat, damaging the air bag located near the seat heater sensor. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,500.

NHTSA complaint #11694675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER

The contact owns a 2016 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that after her husband had driven for approximately 2 hours with the seat heater activated, the passenger’s side seat overheated, and the seat started smoking. The driver stated that the seat heating element overheated and burned a hole in the seat, damaging the air bag located near the seat heater sensor. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,500.

NHTSA complaint #11694675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEATS

My seat doesn’t detect if passanger is in seat so my air bag engine light goes on and off it was recalled and mazda supposedly cleared the issue but seems like they didnt fix it the recall properly

NHTSA complaint #11676202 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS

My seat doesn’t detect if passanger is in seat so my air bag engine light goes on and off it was recalled and mazda supposedly cleared the issue but seems like they didnt fix it the recall properly

NHTSA complaint #11676202 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

AIR BAGS

My seat doesn’t detect if passanger is in seat so my air bag engine light goes on and off it was recalled and mazda supposedly cleared the issue but seems like they didnt fix it the recall properly

NHTSA complaint #11676202 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEATS

1) UNKNOWN. My guess: The front seats or guard rails. 2) Very seat when braking, and coming to and from a stop. Poses as a safety risk. 3) Yes, no remedy/solution was yielded. Others on forums who visited dealership stated that the dealership said it was “normal”. Despite the other side not having the issue at all. 4) No 5) No Full assessment: The issue of this complaint lies within the front seat of the vehicle. My educated guess is that there is a defect within the seat rails of the vehicle as no remedy seems to be found upon extensive research on google and various forums. Specifically, in my vehicle and may others that I have found, have issues with the driver seat feeling loose when braking or hitting the gas from a stop. Many individuals (including my close friend) have raised this to dealerships and were told that this is “normal” despite the passenger seat (or vice versa) does not have the same issue whatsoever with no remedy. I personally have tightened all possible nuts and bolts for the seat AND brought it to multiple shops and dealerships, which yielded no remedy as all bolts were in fact tightened. I strongly believe that this issue should be further investigated and mitigated as it poses as a risk of serious injury - whether involved in an accident or the seat coming loose, or off entirely. The best way to describe the amount of play is sitting on a chair that is placed on an uneven floor, with one corner rocking toward itself. Or a table that is placed on an unleveled floor and is rocking towards one end (which that remedy consists of folding an napkin enough times to stick it under one of the legs). Please note that I have had this car for a couple of years and this one thing that grinds my gears.. aside from the plastic rattle of the driver side window switch module when listening to music.

NHTSA complaint #11673547 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEATS

Driver seat is unstable and has been since I purchased the vehicle. I never got it looked at because I can't afford repairs. There was a recall for the passenger seat and I believe it would be for the driver seat as well given the driver seat stability is crucial. It rocks as if it isn't fully secure. You notice it sometimes when getting in and out the car and I became noticable when my dog decided to jump into my seat one day when cleaning my interior and I saw the seat heavily rock forward and backward. You sometimes notice it as well when coming to a stop from highway speeds the seat will slightly tilt forward. This issue has been with the car after i purchased it in 2018 but didn't notice it until a few months after the purchase.

NHTSA complaint #11665545 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2016 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V451000 (Suspension). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA complaint #11650328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SUSPENSION

The contact owns a 2016 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V451000 (Suspension). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA complaint #11650328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

AIR BAGS

My passenger air bag doesn’t turn on when passenger is in vehicle, sensor for air bag turns on and off as if it can’t determine if a person is on the seat. My dashboard has the SRS OCS light on. My vehicle has already been seen by Mazda to fix the recall but I am afraid to drive and suddenly air bags go off.

NHTSA complaint #11648241 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Fuel smell in & outside of vehicle after fuel fill, being a retired Master Technician I decided to investigate this and after removing the the fuel tank access door under the rear seat I was shocked to see that on an 8 year old vehicle the fuel sender retainer is completely rusted out. An overfill, an aggressive maneuver or small collision could prove disastrous with this condition pending! I have just ordered a replacement since I intend to repair this myself and that is only of the tank itself is not compromised when I proceed to remove the rusted out screws as well. Also after further investigation I find this is nothing new to Mazda and actually had this same condition in previous years but I assume chose not to prevent it from happening in future models. I will be attaching a photo of it.

NHTSA complaint #11629784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TIRES:BEAD

I bought the Bridgestone tires in Sept 2023 from Walmart. On Nov 23, 2024, I went to Walmart auto center to have 4 Bridgestone tires rotated and balanced. The tech discovered severe bead separation in 3 of 4 tires. I had to buy 4 new tires. I have pictures of the tires with bead separation on the wheel rims and also off the rims.

NHTSA complaint #11628289 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Moonroof explosion Moonroof had spontaneous explosion while driving on highway. No objects were seen flying towards front of car prior to explosion. Driver and 1 passenger in front seat. Sun shade partially open resulting in glass coming into the car. No accident or injury occurred. Moonroof closed at time of explosion.

NHTSA complaint #11594101 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

When driving, after a period of 10 - 20 minutes usually, of the adaptive cruise being on (not necessarily in use), the buttons on the steering wheel will re-map. That is, the + button for adjusting the cruise speed up by 1 mph increments will switch with the - button that adjusts the cruise speed down by 1 mph increments. This happens reliably... if I've driven the car with adaptive cruise on for more that 10 - 20 minutes, the buttons will re-map. + slows the car down or doesn't work at all (does nothing). - speeds the car up. Also, rarely, the cancel button will speed the car up. Often the cancel button will not work and the only way to disengage the adaptive cruise is to tap on the brake pedal. Less frequently--maybe about 1/3 - 1/2 of the time, the "off" button, which turns the adaptive cruise off entirely, will not work. Note, that this is not the "engage" or "enable" button. These are the buttons that just turn on and off the adaptive cruise and show that it is now ready to be set if on. I discussed this with the dealer. I believe it is a software problem, they cannot find a software problem as they patched the software in the car up to the latest version. They want to replace the steering wheel where the switches are. This is a $750 repair. (I'm not sure if it's the whole steering wheel or the switch cluster on the wheel.) I cannot afford it and I'm not convinced it will work. I believe they are just guessing at a solution. Nothing to my knowledge has ever spilled on the steering wheel to potentially damage the switchgear. Also, this, to me, does not explain how it always works correctly for the first 10 - 20 minutes of driving, then fails reliably after that. This problem has existed for over two years. Since the car has had about 100,000 miles on it.

NHTSA complaint #11590278 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

When driving, after a period of 10 - 20 minutes usually, of the adaptive cruise being on (not necessarily in use), the buttons on the steering wheel will re-map. That is, the + button for adjusting the cruise speed up by 1 mph increments will switch with the - button that adjusts the cruise speed down by 1 mph increments. This happens reliably... if I've driven the car with adaptive cruise on for more that 10 - 20 minutes, the buttons will re-map. + slows the car down or doesn't work at all (does nothing). - speeds the car up. Also, rarely, the cancel button will speed the car up. Often the cancel button will not work and the only way to disengage the adaptive cruise is to tap on the brake pedal. Less frequently--maybe about 1/3 - 1/2 of the time, the "off" button, which turns the adaptive cruise off entirely, will not work. Note, that this is not the "engage" or "enable" button. These are the buttons that just turn on and off the adaptive cruise and show that it is now ready to be set if on. I discussed this with the dealer. I believe it is a software problem, they cannot find a software problem as they patched the software in the car up to the latest version. They want to replace the steering wheel where the switches are. This is a $750 repair. (I'm not sure if it's the whole steering wheel or the switch cluster on the wheel.) I cannot afford it and I'm not convinced it will work. I believe they are just guessing at a solution. Nothing to my knowledge has ever spilled on the steering wheel to potentially damage the switchgear. Also, this, to me, does not explain how it always works correctly for the first 10 - 20 minutes of driving, then fails reliably after that. This problem has existed for over two years. Since the car has had about 100,000 miles on it.

NHTSA complaint #11590278 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

There is a bearing in the crankshaft that looks like it’s not up to spec. No warning lights came on, car suddenly lost power on the highway. Fortunately no one was injured though it was a very scary situation. Mechanic took a look inside the engine and said a main bearing stud broke off and busted a hole through the short block. He said I’m lucky the engine didn’t turn into a grenade. Upon looking up the failure many other people have had the same issue with this engine. The exact same failure on the exact same bolt. Here are some links to some posts: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] Clearly I’m not the only one with this issue, and there are more examples of the same problem that you can find online through out different Mazda models that use the same engine. I can definitely have the vehicle inspected if needed, my mechanic took video of the damage as well. I could only imagine if this happened while there was more traffic on the road, it’s not safe. And the fact I can find more examples means there are probably more that never posted or reported the issue. the vehicle has less than 100k miles which a lot of the examples have the same issue at less than 100k INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11558470 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEATS

The contact owns a 2016 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that the driver’s seat was previously moved backward; however, when her daughter attempted to move the seat forward to drive the vehicle, the seat remained stuck in the rearward position. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, who informed the contact that the wire connecting the seat motor to the seat track had fractured. The dealer informed the contact that the entire seat assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA complaint #11510423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.