Hello Mazda forum members. I’m new here as my wife and I purchased our first Mazda yesterday. We got a 2020 machine grey Mazda CX 5 Grand Touring with the GT Premium Package and 2.5L engine. We drove many different brands and models before choosing the CX 5. It’s technically my wife’s vehicle and she’ll be using it as her daily driver. She does about 40,000 miles a year so we’re hoping for a long satisfying ride.

During our drive home last evening, we noticed that the car shakes. It feels like if you drove your car with the tires seriously out of balance. It shook at speeds between 20mph to 70mph and everywhere in between. It wasn’t anything that was dangerous but definitely very annoying and uncomfortable. Once we got home I Googled the problem and it seems Mazda has a reputation for shaking. There were many attempts to fix it from rebalancing the tires to doing a road force balance. Other causes for the shaking was due to bad brakes or alignment issues. It seems the fix that actually solved most peoples problem were new tires. Apparently, the Toyo tires they use on the new vehicles have a high rate of being egg shaped. Now I did a search on this forum but didn’t really find anything. That may be due to my rookie status.

My wife called the manager this morning and they are picking up the car Monday morning. We live 90 minutes from the dealership so this is very nice of them. The manager told her it sounded like the tires needed balanced. My question is if rebalancing the tires doesn’t fix the issue, is it reasonable to ask them to install new tires of a different brand? And if they agree to do that, who pays for it? Tires are a wear item and not covered by warranty but this shouldn’t be happening in a new car with less than 150 miles. In my Google search, people were saying do not allow the dealership to swap tires/wheels from a different CX 5 they have on the lot. There’s no guarantee putting other Toyo tires on as it’s highly unlikely it will fix the problem. Has anyone else had this problem and how did you get it fixed.

 

Have them check the wheels as well. I had an Opel Rallye many years ago that shook at speed. Balancing didn't help, nor did new tires. Finally replaced the beautiful chrome wheels that were on it and it smoothed right out running the same tires that had been on the old ones.

 

I agree that the first attention should be given to checking/redoing the wheel balancing. Different brand of tire likely not going to solve anything. I have full confidence in TOYO tires, as this is all I have purchased for summer and winter tires for 4 vehicles over the past 15 years. These stock Toyo A36 all season tires that Mazda fits on the 19 inch wheels are not your top-of -the-line Toyos as based on reports I have read and based on the tire rating by Toyo. I don't expect stellar longevity but so far the 2019 Signature rides and handles well.

Could also be a tread separation, and there are many other rotating bits on the drivetrain of any vehicle that can contribute to vibration. Your dealer should be able to diagnose those if they exist when the CX-5 is in their shop.

 

They picked up the CX about a half hour ago. Can't wait to hear what the problem was. The guy said he's hoping to return the car today but he's not a mechanic and they will keep it until it's fixed. I'll let you know what I find out from them.

 

Well the car was returned to us. They told use three of the wheels were out of balance. Wonderful. But it's not fixed. Still does the same thing. I don't understand how they can say they fixed it. The guy who brought it back drive it for 90 minutes to get here. How the heck can they not feel it shaking? I'm really wondering if they even checked the wheels. I guess I'm being pessimistic. I really want to work with the dealer and get this resolved. My wife is still working but I'm off due to the Corona Virus so I think I may need to take the car to the dealer and have someone ride with me and show them specifically what I'm noticing. I still think it's is a tire or wheel issue. Maybe they will let me drive the new ones on the lot until I find one that is smooth then swap wheels to see if it changes how our car drives. That would say a lot and not really be expensive to try. A pain in the butt maybe.

 

Sorry to hear that. Yes, it looks like you need to take the car there personally. Unfortunately, many dealers go the "that's normal" path and do not fix an existing issue. Test driving another CX-5 on the lot for comparison purposes is a good idea.

 

Reminds me of a chat between a tire shop manager and newbie: Customer complained about vibration on front wheel. Newbie balanced wheel/tire and no change. Customer returned with same complaint a couple times. The manager put the wheel/tire on spin machine and 'skived' the wheel shaving off much rubber and vibration was solved. Manager told newbie "son you can balance a square tire"

 

If they say it's normal, they are wrong. My 2020 CX-5 has a little over 1000 thousand miles, and absolutely does not shake at any speed.

 

Same experience here

 

I’m having the same vibration issue. What was the eventual fix? Thanks!