Hi All,

I purchased a brand new 2016 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD almost 2 months back and have noticed an issue with the headlights. There is like a rainbow effect whenever the lights are turned ON. The colors appear like a horizontal color bar on the top side. This is consistent during any time of the day. Its annoying when driving, the cars lights projecting on other cars in front or on the wall while parking show this.
I have shown it to the dealership and the service people acknowledged the issue. However they say this is normal due to the the way the lens is fitted and fact that the car has bi-xenon LEDs. Honestly, I feel this could be a defect and have been searching online to see if anyone else has complained about the same. I also thought the 3M coating on the headlights caused this but to my disbelief, the dealer showed me two more 2016 cars one with 3M and other without had the exact same issue.
I have attached 3 pictures of the problem described here and would appreciate if you can share your comments on this. Please also report back if you have seen this issue.

Thanks for any info!

 

Looks like chromatic aberration to me. It's a function of the headlight lens.

 

So three out of three cars had the same issue and you suspect it's a defect??

 

Ok, this is the reason I'm trying to ask other 2016 CX5 owners on this forum if they see the same issue or not.
Maybe this is an oversight on Mazda's part in terms of headlight design causing the effect or maybe the 3 cars(including mine) were from the same batch of stock having this issue.

 

I just got my 16 GT Monday. I did notice on mine it looked like a purple light instead of the rainbow you have. I'm skiing this weekend but I will check it again when I get back. I also have the 3m but that was put on Thursday morning and it has been in garage since then. When I get back home Monday night I'm going to check it out. Was this low beam or high beam in the pics?

 

When I get home, I will check it. The CX-5 has become my wife's car. I am responsible for maintenance.

 

Checked it out yesterday. Sure enough, I do have a slight rainbow at the top. Never paid attention to it. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Haven't had anyone flash their headlights at me.

 

mines the same also but I certainly do not see it as a issue

 

Thanks for the responses.
@Mckzx9 - the pics were on low beam with the auto setting.

@photog72 - driving/stopping behind other cars in traffic at night, projecting your headlight with that color bar on them feels awkward. Same when puling into a parking lot.

I guess its more of a personal grievance than anything else. Agreed this may not be a big deal and is purely "by design". I just feel there should've been bit more attention to detail on Mazda's part. It is disappointing when dealership tells you it is "normal" and that the 2016 CX5 has "special bi-xenon LEDs". There are other car brands out there with similar daylight running LEDs that don't exhibit this kind of artifact.

 

Yeah mine has the same thing.