202 of the
2,937 complaints filed about the Mazda MAZDA6
are about the transmission —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2003.
202
Complaints
7%
Share of all complaints
5
Crashes
0
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
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.
The contact owns a 2017 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the engine choked, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that when the vehicle accelerated to 60 MPH, the choking and stalling failure ceased. The contact stated that the instrument panel was inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was diagnosed as PCM failure. The contact was informed that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
NHTSA complaint #11729881 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11728615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I recently discovered a significant oil leak near the exhaust manifold of my 2018 Mazda 6 (2.5L NA), which has resulted in visible smoke and a burning oil odor. Upon taking the vehicle to the nearest Mazda dealership for a diagnosis, the service department informed me that the vehicle has suffered a cracked cylinder head. An active oil drip is visible behind the engine near the exhaust manifold immediately upon starting the car; consequently, the engine is leaking oil directly onto the exhaust components. This condition not only renders the vehicle inoperable but also presents a significant safety and fire hazard. At the time of this writing, my vehicle has only 46,996 miles and has been meticulously maintained. This mileage is well under the 60,000-mile powertrain threshold and represents a premature failure of a major internal engine component. There are numerous reports on Mazda owner forums describing this identical issue occurring in Mazda 6, CX-5, and CX-9 models. Some owners have even reported instances of minor fires or active burning under the hood due to oil contacting hot engine components. Mazda released Technical Service Bulletin TSB #MC-10241612-0001 (SA-037-23), which includes a redesigned cylinder head for 2018–2020 Mazda 6, 2019 CX-5, and 2016–2020 CX-9 models, demonstrating Mazda’s awareness of this design flaw. While the TSB currently only specifies the 2.5L Turbo engines and not the naturally aspirated variants, there is substantial evidence that this is a widespread defect across these model years, unrelated to owner misuse or vehicle mileage. Mazda should take full responsibility by issuing a formal recall or providing an extended warranty to cover naturally aspirated engines, thereby addressing this problem and preventing further safety risks.
NHTSA complaint #11709431 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
At 70000 miles the transmission just got stuck into a single gear in manual. I drove it home and the check engine light came on. Before this problem the car would not go into park. Every time I put it into park I was unable to turn off the car because it thought it was still in gear. I had to fiddle the gear stick. The car also made a high pitch click (metallic) when shifting into 1st or Reverse from park. I took it to Capitol Mazada San Jose and they charged me $7000 to fix some transmission problem. I took it home and the clicking noise did not go away. I took it back to the dealer and they redid some work.
NHTSA complaint #11691361 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Was driving then car suddenly shut down and all panel lights turned on. The car would not start after an hour it started but was Perkins when driving. Mechanics were unable to diagnose the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11688263 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
PCM ISSUE, passenger air bag issue, OCS wiring issue. infotainment system, transmission, and engine. Key fobs not able to be reprogrammed due to PCM issue
NHTSA complaint #11667949 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
Noticed slight coolant leak, took car to mechanic, he stated cylinder head was cracked, & causing coolant to spray everywhere. Towed car to dealer. Was given repair estimate of over $11,000, for a new engine. I see a safety bulletin online for my year make & model car. This overheating can apparently cause an engine fire. So far, Mazda seems to be showing negligence & not properly addressing the issue for owners.
NHTSA complaint #11581010 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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
NHTSA complaint #11578319 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My RPM'S reaved up real high while driving 60mph and all the sudden the car down shifted and I had to put car in neutral in order maintain control. The traction control light and heck engine lights came on same time, lost power to the car the navigation and radio and dash lights, had no power to drive train, had vechile dinogstic check done at O'Reilly auto and they told me it was a PCM power control module. And I called the mazda dealer in Fostoria ohio the macanhic told me the PCM power control module had been reprogram and I never received no notice on any recalls or the person I bought my car never either. My car is 7 years old and if it war reprogram it should not go bad that soon. Unless there is a problem with there components there using. But my car will cause a accident if I continue to drive it. I like my mazda6 2015 but I'm afraid after having the car doing what it did to me on the highway. I had no warning lights come on until the day I was driving down the highway when this problem occurred.
NHTSA complaint #11494081 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2014 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated while attempting to turn off the vehicle, it was not operating correctly. While the vehicle was parked, it was unable to shut down. The contact would shift back and forth to different gears for the vehicle to shut down correctly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11479572 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that he had experienced a transmission surged on five separate occasions since owning the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer after each failure and various unknown repairs and software updates were performed on the vehicle. However, the failure persisted after each visit. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
NHTSA complaint #11478968 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Premature sub-frame corrosion front and rear due to road salt and poor part finishing affecting most underbody components. All exposed stamped structural sub-frame components rusting at weld locations. Critical parts with severe rust and imminent failure: Lower Rear Control Arms (Left & Right), Rear Stabilizer Links (Left & Right). Potentially hazardous corrosion on Front Lower Control Arms. Rear Cross-member rusting at all weld locations. Cat. Sensor Protector Shield has disintegrated. Available for inspection upon request. Failure has not happened yet, but when it does vehicle control will be compromised. Dealer identified problems 12/18/21 and recommended/quoted repair. Vehicle inspected by dealer only. No indicator warnings exist for structural corrosion.
NHTSA complaint #11457882 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
The contact's son owns a 2014 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that while her son was attempting to shift into PARK, the vehicle failed to recognize the gear selected, causing the battery to drain over time. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
NHTSA complaint #11451839 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hello i am a 2nd owner of a Mazda 2007 6. And the man i brought car from said it always did it to him as well.i would explain it as in stopping or speeding up the dashboard lights flicker or goes off, the engine gets real loud and car jerks and shakes and loses power check engine light comes on and AT.and Cars dyes in reverse a few times on me. Auto lots said that it is common and known for electrical problems and engine issues and pieces called camshafts position actuator and transmission range sensor and gears. And the man owned before me has replaced them multiple times. Its dangerous to be driving specially on interstate and car stalls or lose so much power that i only get about 20 miles an hour
NHTSA complaint #11434451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I took my car in for scheduled maintenance and the technicians at the Mazda dealer found out the tensioner and belt needed to be replaced, when the car is less than 36k in miles. Vehicles being repaired under warranty but a tensioner should not be going out this early in the lifespan of a 2 year old car. I have found a lot of people are complaining for the same issue. This can cause the cars to not run as there’s no notice ahead of time that the belt and tensioner are bad. I do have paper work stating tensioner problems. Vehicles should be recalled due to poor manufacturing and parts making it unsafe on the road.
NHTSA complaint #11423596 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Rear CONTROL ARM broke off the REAR SUBFAME due heavy RUST. I had to replace the entire rear subframe plus both control arms. This incident occurred WHILE I WAS DRIVING! Now I find out that the front end is shot as well and that Mazda is only recalling the front subframe and not the rear and I want to know why. Somebody could have been killed. The repair cost me $700 plus rental fees for a vehicle. I had my vehicle in the shop for 16days. It cost me $1,135. I have the invoices.
NHTSA complaint #11418915 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.