NHTSA complaint #11762829

Owner complaint summary

1. January 2025 Diagnosis (Inside Powertrain Warranty): I presented the vehicle (2019 Mazda CX5, 36K miles) with severe transmission jerking and shift lurching at a local Mazda dealership. Technicians diagnosed teh issue as described in TSB 05-004/23 and applied a software flash to the PCM/TCM stated in TSB 05-004/23. Mazda’s oicial text states the root cause of this symptom is torque fluctuation and torsional resonance within the torque converter. 2. Current Symptom (Defect Manifestation): The vehicle now exhibits the distinct upshift chirp detailed in TSB 05-005/23 (NHTSA ID MC-10246127-0001). Mazda’s documentation states the root cause of this chirp is excessive wear of the lock-up clutch inside the torque converter, which sheds iron powder directly into the automatic transmission fluid (ATF). The torque converter is a single, closed mechanical component. In January 2025, while the vehicle was fully covered under the 5-Year/60,000-Mile Powertrain Warranty, the torque converter's internal clutch was already undergoing accelerated physical degradation. Instead of proper mechanical diagnostics, the service department applied an electronic software patch. This patch merely altered the lock-up engagement timing to mask the torsional resonance rather than fixing the failing hardware. Applying a temporary software patch that delays a catastrophic component failure past a calendar date does not absolve Mazda dealership or Mazda Corporate of liability for a pre-existing, documented torque converter manufacturing defect which affect the entire power train of the vehicle. There are numerous complaints about this and subsequent failing transmission and expensive repairs reported so many online forums (reddit, facebook) again indicating this is a wide spread issue affecting consumer safety eventually leading to expensive out of pocket transmission repair. Mazda corporate need to be liable for this serious manufacturing defect on their transmission system.