OK, after a few days ownership of a 2014 Touring CX-5 I'll document the problems I'm seeing. BTW, from experiences of many years as a Miata owner and being on the Miata forums for years it appears that Mazda does monitor the forums, and they have addressed many MX-5 problems either as TSBs or in subsequent model refreshes.

However we all need to report these issues to our dealers and complain up the chain if we want to get results. Don't just complain here...

Also, I would not assume that your salesperson knows about these issues and that they led you astray (as someone in this thread asserted). Most salesmen know very little about the cars they sell other than what they read in the manufacturer brochures, much less trying out all the electronic interfaces in every model and trim that they sell.

I would also not assume that every dealer has heard about these issues. I suspect most of us on this forum are the more technically astute, and that many people just turn on their radio and maybe play a CD now and then.

Anyway, here are my issues, that I plan raising with the dealer and complaining to Mazda about (many of these have been documented with the iPod interface):

I use a 8G USB thumb drive loaded with directories of MP3 songs:

- slow startup as entire drive is re-read each time the car starts. Results should be cached and only re-loaded if the connection is broken and re-connected while activated

- always starts at the first song. Incredibly annoying

- Not all albums/artists appear. I suspect either this due to lack of metadata when the CDs were ripped, or it can't find them on Gracenote. There should be an option to disable Gracenote if that's the problem.

- There should be a folder or directory option in addition to album, artist, etc. My 2012 CRV had this and I used it all the time.

Bluetooth phone issues (BTW, I've found that Bluetooth music with the phone controlling everything works fine if you want to have to plug your phone in each time you get in the car):

- each time a connection is established it wants to reload the directory which takes a minute. This should be cached (by device)

- my entire phone directory will not load. It appears it only loads a certain number of entries for each first letter of the last name. This makes the whole thing unusable for me. None of the people I need to put on speed dial get loaded.

I suspect Mazda purchased or contracted out the consumer electronics interface and didn't know what to pay attention to. If they did it in-house they should be ashamed.

I'm very pleased all other aspects of the car. These audio and electronics issues tarnish an otherwise positive automotive experience. Whenever someone asks me about my CX-5 and whether I like it or not they won't get a 100% glowing recommendation from me...

Listening Mazda????

 

The problems with audio, particularly with bluetooth and attached devices such as iPod have now been going on for nearly 5 moths since I bought the MX5 top of the line Grand Touring. I reported the problems to Mazda directly and to my dealer 3 days after buying the car. Todate nothing has been done and I have received no communication from them.

The length of time and the lack of any positive action as reported on this forum seems to make it unlikely that anything is really being done. It may take a complete radio replacement so they have decided to do nothing.

I have tried to find an email address to write the President and Chairman of the Board of Mazda but they will not supply one. If anyone finds it please post it.

These problems are far beyond minor. They speak of absolutely terrible Quality Control. I have seen Manufacturing Certifications taken away for less.

Perhaps letters to major car reviewers would help.

 

I've found the bluetooth the best option because the IPOD issue is here to stay. Mazda is doing nothing about this. This was my first and last Mazda.

 

Yes, you've expressed your outrage at every opportunity.

I'm not meaning to start a flame war nor defending Mazda on this, but if audio was that important to me that I would have brought my iPod (or whatever) with me to the dealership and tried out all options during a test drive

Live and (hopefully) learn...

 

James J. O'Sullivan
President, Mazda Motor of America Inc.
PO Box # 19734
Irvine, CA 92623-9734

Here: I got the address and I am writing to the president of Mazda of North America Operations. I encourage everyone to take some time to address your concerns and spend $0.25 on a postal stamp and write a letter to him. He should know what kind of **** they put out in the market.

 

Thank you for the address. I will send an inquiry and post the reply - if any.

A posting seems to feel "Caviat Emptor" (let the Buyer Beware) applies. For his information a test of an iPod will work at first. The real problems show up when you use it for more than a few minutes. It always goes back to first song after being shut off, or in the case of an audio-book the first chapter, making the system virtually unusable for audiobooks. Then it fails completely and will not restart at all. There are other blutooth problems also.

What makes this so bothersome to those of us experiencing the problems is the inability of Mazda to fix the problem. One may excuse experiencing a problem but not the fact that they have not fixed it and show no signs of trying to make things right.

 

i seem to be getting somewhere in the uk .well i have people speaking to me only because i moaned on Facebook and twitter .Also the new mazda 3 skyactive has just arrived in the uk and WHAT A SURPRISE!!! they have changed the entertainment system completely ,which makes you wonder that they know of the problems and are just ignoring us all

 

http://chn.ge/1eRdjZs

 

fantastic thank you .lets hope this will make them stand up and take some notice

 

Thank you! Everyone please share the link so we can get those last 100 signatures needed!