2016 Mazda CX-5

Last month, my vehicle suddenly applied the electronic parking brake (EPB) while I was driving. The EPB & related warning lights illuminated & would not release until the vehicle was turned off. After turning off the vehicle, the EPB motor could be heard applying the brake to the rear wheels. When the car was restarted, the EPB would remain off for a period of time but would then suddenly reapply. I took my vehicle to a Mazda dealer & they determined the calipers & EPB motor had failed due to my vehicle not being placed in service mode by the brake servicer. This explanation makes no sense because the brakes were replaced over a year ago (& not since) with thousands of miles being driven since then without this issue arising. I also conducted my own research & found that Mazda has issued at least 3 separate technical service bulletins (TSB) on this issue. The first two recommended replacement of the EPB switch & the third determined that defective calipers were the cause and should be replaced. I asked the dealer to save my calipers & confirmed that they are part of the defective batch noted in this TSB. I have contacted Mazda (including their legal counsel) & they are unwilling to provide any explanation or engage in any sort of investigation. As former legal counsel for an automotive company, I believe this presents a serious safety issue for consumers based upon the fact that a parking brake could randomly engage while driving & cause sudden loss of speed/control. Thankfully, this did not result in harm to my family, myself or others. I am certain that this issue is affecting others based on chatboard discussions I have found online related to this topic (which helped me find the TSB). I am concerned that Mazda may have attempted to undertake a silent recall via this TSB where in warranty customers are covered & out of warranty customers are given the 'service mode' explanation to justify their responsibility. This should have been handled as a recall by Mazda.

Parked by the curb at the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport. I put the car in Park and left the car idling with the air-conditioning running.as it was 95 degrees and about 100 at around 8:00 AM. There was a shuttle van parked by the curb about 11 feet in front of me. I had to exit my car to talk to the driver in the car behind me. I walked to the car behind me and started talking to the driver. I glanced back at my Mazda CX5 and it started rolling forward. I ran up to the car and got the door open and stepped on the brake. The brakes did not engage. I repeated stepping on the brake several times and the car would not stop. I got in the drivers seat to shift the car into reverse and keep my foot on the brake pedal. The car would not shift into reverse. and by this time the Mazda had pinned to the shuttle van a lady who was trying to unload her luggage. On the sixth attempt to shift into reverse the shifter finally moved into reverse and by standers came to the aid of the lady that had been pinned to the shuttle van. Airport security and the Broward County police took the statements. The lady retrieving her baggage declined medical attention. When I checked to see what the police were reporting they did not acknowledge that I was attempting to stop a runaway vehicle. The report said that I failed to put the car in park and left it in drive. It is not possible to get out of a car that is idling and in gear without the car moving forward or backward before you can even get all the way out of the car. This incident happened about mid July in 2017. Near the end of June this year while in my driveway I left the car idling and in park, exited the car walking to the rear of the car and it dropped into reverse. Got back in the car and shut off the engine. July 2017 the local Mazda dealer inspected the vehicle and could not find as problem. Not unlikely with an intermittent electrical anomaly. There were no prior warning lamps in either incident.

* The Emergency Brake Module failed and it is available for inspection upon request. * The system failed and randomly turned on the parking break while I was actively driving and paused to make a left of a highway exit ramp. The parking break remained on for ~40 mins while I caused a significant disturbance to the traffic and safety of other around me as the exit ramp began to back up while awaiting a tow truck. Since it was the emergency break we were not able to put the car in neutral and push it out of the way. * Yes - Arlington Autocare confirmed the issue and has since replaced the part. * No there were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the parts failure. After the issue was identified I searched online and this seems to be an incredibly common issue with the Mazda 2016 CX5. Multiple other reports exist on line about the failure of this park and the rear breaking system. It is very negligent that a recall has not been filed given the pervasiveness of the issue and the seriousness of the safety concern should the part inevitably fail.

Ebrake engages on its own when starting up the vehicle. You are unable to turn the ebrake off without restarting the car. The repair shop stated it is a problem with the computer module. A quick search of the internet shows that this is a common issue with this year's make and model. Luckily, the ebrake has not engaged itself yet while driving the vehicle.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MAZDA CX-5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE. THE BRAKE AND PARKING BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE CONTACT CALLED JEFF WYLER EASTGATE MAZDA (1117 OH-32, BATAVIA, OH 45103, (513)752-3447) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000.

VEHICLE HAS ONLY 29,370 MILES DRIVEN. THE RIGHT REAR BRAKE LINING HAS UNDUE WEAR AT 3 MM. THE LEFT REAR BRAKE LINING MEASURES 5-6 MM. DURING ROUTINE SERVICING THE MAZDA TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED ABNORMAL BRAKE WEAR. MAZDA DEALERSHIP RECOMMENDS REPLACEMENT OF BOTH REAR CALIPERS. MAZDA CORPORATION IS UNWILLING TO HELP. IT APPEARS MAXDA CX-5 IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEIR EPB AND IS UNWILLING TO ADMIT IT.

THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE ON MY 2016 MAZDA CX-5 STARTED ACTING STRANGE A FEW WEEKS AGO. AT FIRST IT WOULD NOT DISENGAGE AFTER STARTING THE CAR, BUT WOULD DO SO AFTER A COUPLE OF RESTARTS. THEN IT STARTED ENGAGING SLIGHTLY WHILE DRIVING, WITH NO INDICATIONS. STOPPING AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE A FEW TIMES WOULD USUALLY RELEASE IT. A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO THIS HAPPENED AND THE BRAKE WOULD NOT DISENGAGE AFTER SEVERAL RESTARTS AND I WAS GOING TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. IT DISENGAGED AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES. AS I UNDERSTAND IT MAZDA KNOWS THAT THE REAR CALIPER IS DEFECTIVE (SEE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN R052/16C). THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM BECAUSE THIS IS NOT SAFE.

WITHIN THE LAST MONTH THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE SELF ENGAGED 3 TIMES WHEN I STARTED MY CAR I NOTICED THE BRAKE LIGHT ON. I NEVER ENGAGE THE PARKING BRAKE WHEN PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. I WAS ABLE TO DISENGAGE IT TWICE, BUT THE LAST TIME IT WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. I FOLLOWED ALL THE STEPS LISTED IN THE CAR MANUAL, BUT NOTHING WORKED. I HAD TO DRIVE WITH THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE ON TO THE DEALERSHIP. UPON INSPECTION THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED IT WAS AN INTERNAL ELECTRONIC FAILURE.