2016 Mazda CX-5

OUR 2016 MAZDA CX-5 HAS 16,000 MILES ON IT AND THE REAR BRAKES HAVE COMPLETELY DETERIORATED. AFTER VISITING THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THE BRAKES HAVE RUSTED OUT DUE TO THE USE OF THE PARKING BREAK (WE NEED TO USE THE PARKING BREAK DUE TO WHERE WE PARK). MAZDA CLAIMS THIS IS A NORMAL 'WEAR-AND-YEAR' ISSUE BUT I DO NOT SEE HOW THIS IS AS THE VEHICLE HAS SUCH LOW MILEAGE. THE 2013-2015 CX-5S SUFFERED A SIMILAR ISSUE WHERE MAZDA WILL FIX AND REPLACE THE BRAKES. HOWEVER FOR US, THEY CLAIM THIS IS OUR FAULT ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD.

IN AUGUST 2016, I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2016 MAZDA CX-5 (DEALERSHIP: WELLESLEY MAZDA). UNFORTUNATELY, THE CAR HAD ISSUES RELATED TO MY BRAKES. ON DECEMBER 08, 2017, THE BRAKES OF MY RIGHT REAR TIRE LOCKED UP WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN A CITY STREET (35MPH ZONE) CAUSING THEM TO OVERHEAT TO THE POINT WHERE THE BRAKE DISC GOT RED HOT AND SMOKED UP, INCREASING THE RISK OF MY TIRES BLOWING OUT/CATCHING FIRE DUE TO THE HEAT GENERATED BY FRICTION. IN ADDITION TO THIS BEING A SAFETY RISK FOR MYSELF AND OTHER PEOPLE ON THE ROAD, THIS WAS EXTREMELY INCONVENIENT. MY CAR WAS IN NO CONDITION TO BE DRIVEN AND I WAS STRANDED ALONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS ISSUE OCCURED. I HAD A SIMILAR COMPLAINT IN AUGUST 2017 WHERE THE LEFT WHEEL LOCKED INVOLUNTARILY WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I WAS FORTUNATE THAT I WAS ABLE TO NOTICE THE SMOKE BEFORE THINGS GOT WORSE AND THAT THIS DID NOT CAUSE A COLLISION. WELLESLEY MAZDA REPLACED THE CALIPERS, BRAKE DISC ETC. ONLY FOR THAT PARTICULAR TIRE, DESPITE MY REPEATED REQUESTS TO REPLACE THOSE FOR ALL THE TIRES OR FOR AT LEAST THAT AXLE. MY CAR HAS ONLY RUN ~8,000 MILES, I AM REGULAR WITH MY CAR'S MAINTENANCE AND MY LAST SERVICE WAS ON 12/04/2017. MAZDA IS TELLING ME NOW THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CALIPERS AND THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS. HOWEVER, I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE THIS ISSUE AND THE SAFETY BULLETIN. THIS COULD'VE BEEN DONE ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS: A) WHEN THE ISSUE WITH THE LEFT BRAKE HAPPENED B) WHEN I REPORTED A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM MY CAR (IN SEPT OR OCT) C) WHEN I GOT MY CAR SERVICED. THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DETECT THIS ISSUE AND AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION DID NOT REPLACE THE OTHER CALIPER, A DECISION THAT PROVED TO BE INCORRECT AND A RISK TO ME AND OTHERS. THERE ARE NO RECALLS EITHER.

DEC 9, 2017 - TODAY WAS FIRST DAY OF SNOW AND FIRST DAY IN MY >2 YEARS OF DRIVING CX-5 THAT I EXPERIENCED LOSS IN BRAKING, WHICH SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME. IT HAPPENED THRICE WITHIN SPAN OF 20 MINUTES. EACH TIME I STARTED THE CAR AND TRIED TO BRAKE FOR THE 1ST TIME, IT WOULDN'T STOP AND ROLLED OVER FOR ATLEAST 3-5 FEET EVEN WHEN I HAD THE BRAKES PRESSED TO THE FLOOR. THANKFULLY IT WAS ON INTERNAL ROADS AND I WAS AT 15 MPH ANTICIPATING STOP SIGNS AT INTERSECTIONS. IT HASN'T HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE DURING LAST YEAR WINTER SEASON, SO NOT SURE WHAT IS CAUSING IT.

REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS SHOW SEVERE WEAR AT 14K MILES. ROTORS HAVE VISIBLE WEAR MARKS AND CORROSION. BRAKING FUNCTION IMPAIRED AND PEDAL MUST BE DEEPLY PRESSED TO ACHIEVE DECELERATION. DEALER SAID THIS IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND REPLACED PADS. HOWEVER EVEN WITH NEW PADS, BRAKING IS STILL MUSHY. 2015 AND 2014 MODEL YEARS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM / TSB. APPEARS THAT MANUFACTURING DEFECT CONTINUED INTO 2016 MODEL YEAR.

CAR HAS 6379 MILES. BRAKES GRABBING AND CAR JERKS AT TIMES WHEN PEDDLE APPLIED. CAR HAS 20% BRAKE PAD LR 20% RR 50%RF 50% LF. TOOK INTO MAZDA DEALER AND THE SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE PADS. WITH 6379 MILES DRIVEN MOSTLY ON HIGHWAY IS THIS A FAULTY PAD PRODUCT? HAPPENS AT LOW SPEEDS WHEN STOPPING. STARTED 06/17 AND STILL HAPPENING.

WHILE DRIVING ON A SLOPE WITH BIT OF CURVE ON A HIGHWAY WHEN I APPLIED A MILD BRAKE TO REDUCE THE SPEED, THE CAR ABRUPTLY MOVED STRAIGHT LEFT AND GOES OFF ROAD. THE BRAKE AND STEERING DIDN'T RESPOND IMMEDIATELY FOR FEW SECONDS AND THE CAR KEEP GOING DOWN OFF ROAD ON A VERY ROUGH TERRAIN. LUCKILY IT STOPPED FEW METERS BEFORE A SHARP FALL.

THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE LOCKS THE REAR WHEELS AS DESIGNED. THE TOGGLE SWITCH THAT ACTIVATES THE BRAKES HAS DIRECT CONTROL THAT DOES NOT GO THROUGH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM OR THE ON BOARD COMPUTER. ONCE THE PARKING BRAKE IS ACTIVATED, AT ANY SPEED, THERE IS A TWO STEP PROCESS REQUIRED TO RELEASE THE BRAKES AND ALLOW THE REAR WHEELS TO ROTATE. IN MY CASE, THE ACCIDENTAL ACTIVATION OF THE BRAKE SWITCH AT LESS THAN 10 MPH LOCKED UP THE REAR BRAKES AND THE CAR CAME TO A VERY ABRUPT SCREECHING HALT. IF I WERE GOING FASTER WHEN THIS OCCURRED, THE BRAKE LOCK UP COULD HAVE LED TO A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.