NHTSA complaint #11362484

Owner complaint summary

THE FUEL LOW LEVEL LIGHT IS NOT TRIGGERED UNTIL 12 MILES OR LESS OF FUEL REMAINING. THE SERVICE BULLETIN PROVIDED BY THE DEALERSHIP, MED CENTER MAZDA IN PELHAM ALABAMA, SHOWS THAT WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE SENDER VOLTAGE FROM THE RBCM AND THE FUEL INJECTION AMOUNT FROM THE PCM BOTH AGREE THAT 2,6 GALLONS REMAIN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER POWERS A TRANSISTOR AND TURNS THE LIGHT ON. IN A DISCUSSION WITH THE SERVICE ADVISOR, WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE ARE 2.6 GALLONS REMAINING THEN WHY THE MILES TO EMPTY DOES NOT REGISTER 30-50 BASED ON THE EPA RATINGS FOR THE VEHICLE. WE DECIDED TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO CLEAR ANY RESIDUAL INFORMATION IN THE COMPUTER AND RESET THE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY SYSTEM. WHILE DRIVING THE MAZDA CX-5 LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER GETTING IT BACK FROM THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THE FUEL LOW LEVEL LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE UNTIL 6 (SIX) MILES TO EMPTY. I EXITED THE INTERSTATE AND DROVE THE VEHICLE ABOUT 5 MILES TO MY HOME. THE MILES TO EMPTY READ 0 (ZERO) WHEN PULLING IN MY DRIVEWAY. I PARKED THE MAZDA AND CHANGED VEHICLES TO COMPLETE MY TASKS FOR THE DAY. UPON STARTING THE MAZDA THE NEXT MORNING, THE MILES TO EMPTY STILL SHOWED 0 (ZERO) WHILE ALSO SHOWING AN AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY AT 24+ MPG. I THEN DROVE TO THE GAS STATION WHERE 13.573 GALLONS WERE REQUIRED TO FILL THE TANK. THAT LEAVES APPROXIMATELY 1/10TH OF A GALLON UNTIL THE CAR RAN OUT OF FUEL, ALTHOUGH I HAD ONLY TRAVELED 6-7 MILES AFTER THE LIGHT CAME ON. BOTTOM LINE: THERE WAS DEFINITELY LESS THAN 2.6 GALLONS IN THE TANK WHEN THE FUEL LOW LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO QUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE AND WHICH COULD ALSO BE DAMAGING THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE COMPUTERS, PROGRAMMING, AND/OR SENSORS ARE MALFUNCTIONING. THE MALFUNCTIONING FUEL SYSTEM ON THE 2019 MAZDA CX-5 COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT.