Sounds like a software update that really helps.

 

Some_guy: That sounds like anger and frustration talking, which is usually not the best state of mind to make decisions in.

What you might have done is look at the right Mazda. Obviously you have chosen a drivetrain you never expected. Had you driven a non-SkyActiv, I'd be willing to bet your attitude about the car would be much different now.

Its a fact that power cost money. It's a fact that better fuel mileage costs also. We are talking about the limits (allow me to correct,) limitations of automotive technology as we know it, and the laws of physics. At this time in history, neither is going to change radically.

 

ROFL
Couldn't help myself.
Carry on
Waiting on the video

 

I couldn't agree more!!
While I agree w/Shipo in spirit, the Charlton Heston quote scares the sh*t out of me.
I never thought he was a great actor anyway, just got chosen for roles he was good for. I lost even more respect for him near the end of his life.
And no, I'm not a gun prude. I just think the NRA, and Heston himself were using it for the wrong reasons... chiding on some very scary people.

 

I see some really good posts in here. Yes, anytime a new technology is released it is bound to have bugs. Manufacturing is a process that is defined by humans controlling machines - not bound to be perfect, but they are bound to make some units quite good while others pretty down right cruddy. That's you law of averages.

As for how they are supporting it. I'm a little taken back that they openly stated those things to you in a letter. I'd be interested to see what wildfires could be started by posting it as an image in places such as this, but also in social media like Face Book. What you've described does not sounds like a "normal" functioning transmission. While mine may run perfectly, that is clearly not your case. I would think if you were to post the video with a scan of the letter they sent, it would possibly be viral, or at least make some executives at Mazda stop looking away or shall we just say it openly, ignoring you.

That said, unless I'm pushing my pedal differently than I have in other cars, I do not get performance. I really have had to get used to the fact that the new injection, single vs double squirt locations on the pedal for each gear mean a different supression of the pedal. Also, if I don't time it correctly, I can go from performance to sluggish, or sluggish to OMG what did I just do! Clearly it's new technology, different from others out there, and thusly takes some driver adaptability. Now, I'm not saying your a bad driver, your case sounds like it goes well beyond normal functions. I'm just saying as an overall, this car is something different. Now if I were not noting the pedal positions and transmission responses per gear, I would probably just assume the car is slow and programmed to be slow to increase fuel efficiency.

Back to the root here, your car is not performing correctly, they are trying NOT to honor their manufacturer warranty, and it needs to be enforced. Depending on what state you live in, a quick letter from an attorney might get a FAST response - but as you put it, you shouldn't have to sue a company to get adequate support to resolve an issue. What I'm more curious about, is what dealership you purchased it from that they are giving such horrid service? While Mazda is the head, usually the dealerships are licensed franchises, and they are responsible for repairs and honoring warranty work. I realize you said Mazda sent you a letter, did that come from a US corporate office? I'm curious - I would be willing to help push on other fronts as well. Should my car ever have a problem, I'd rather help pave the path now to make sure I don't have issues getting repairs done!

Post the video and the letter together, maybe on Utube and link it for us here. I'd be happy to push on more fronts but evidence is required to do that.

Sorry your luck on your first car has been rotten.

 

I recall a shutter, or hard-shift problem with the early 3 series 4-sp autos too. Mazda did come out with an ECU flash for it and a TSB accompaning it for customers that complained about the problem.
They probably have yet to have enough complaints to have put a priority on this. Perhaps you're the first? I don't know. But the dealerships are the go-between, there to protect themselves and the company in general. If no TSB has been released and Mazda has no even addressed there is a problem yet, they are likely to tell you what they did.
It's not right, but is it the way it is.

 

Unfortunately, there will always be issues with new technology. This is a the cons of buying a new model.

 

So I just bought a automatic Mazda3 2012 with the SkyActive about about a week and a half ago. I've noticed incredibly anemic performance when driving up a hill in second gear. If I'm starting up a hill, I quickly accelerate to ~8 MPH in first, at which point it switches to second and I then sit there between 8 and 10 MPH until I push down on the peddle so hard that it downshifts and I get to accelerate again. This has left me manually shifting if I want to be able to make any kind of decent performance.

Then I've also noticed when I'm driving on a flat road (highway with stop and go traffic) that it seems to have a half-second delay between pressing the peddle and when the car actually moves, and a jolt as I transition between first and second. It feels a lot like driving a hybrid to me -- little delays, jolts as the motor turns on and off, etc.

Does this sound like the behavior that y'all are talking about? Maybe something where the dealer did not perform the reprogram (though that was mentioned for cars 4-6 months older than mine..). Or is there any chance that this is an actual problem the dealer could fix?

This is my first new car (and really, first nice car), so I'm somewhat lost, and would love any feedback possible.

 

Most modern auto trannys try to hold the tallest gear as long as possible, the goal is gas mileage. Common behavior unfortunately, aggressive use of gas pedal and /or manual shifting will cause downshift.

 

Yup, while modern automagic transmissions may well perform better on the EPA fuel economy tests, in the real world they are still challenged to provide better fuel economy when driven with any "normal" level of performance. I sure am glad all three of our cars have three pedals under the dash.