Hi Everyone,

My 2019 Mazda CX-5 began randomly popping a Smart City Brake System (SCBS) warning light (stays on once it pops) about 3 months ago and has become more and more frequent with every use of the vehicle. I am outside of the 36,000 mile warranty. I have thoroughly researched the issue and it seems that the main fix to get rid of the warning light is to replace the sensor on the windshield OR get a different vehicle. Before taking it to the Mazda dealership for repair I ensured both the sensor behind the Mazda emblem on the grill and the sensor on the windshield were clean.

First the Mazda Service department ran a diagnostic on the vehicle. They initially claimed the diagnostic code indicated an issue in the wiring of the brake lamp. We had a trailer hitch installed a month after we bought the vehicle, August 2020. We used a trailer one time with no issues and the warning light didn't begin popping until March 2021. The service department said they needed 2 hours of labor at $135/hr to "find a short in the wiring" or to fully remove the trailer wiring from the system to see if that cleared the codes (I do not have the codes that the mechanic was getting). I questioned them and asked them why they don't just replace the sensor in the windshield since that is a known problem with Mazda's that have the SCBS. They claimed they were concerned there was a short in the wiring and that replacing that part could end up being futile, because the short in the wiring could damage the new part. Going with their logic I agree to the 2 hours of labor.

A day later the Mazda Service department was telling me that removing the trailer wiring from the system cleared some of the codes, but they were still seeing codes that indicated there was something wrong with the ABS module. They said they wanted to replace the BCM module for $200 and they thought that would clear the codes and get rid of the warning light, but if not, they would need to replace the ABS module for $1,250 and they were confident that would definitely clear the codes and get rid of the warning light.

The shop has now had my vehicle for 12 days. The last I have heard from them was that my vehicle should be ready on Monday. They ended up replacing the ABS module and my total bill is estimated to be $2,400. My vehicle was supposed to be ready on Thursday and they were supposed to call me when it was ready for pickup (they never called me). Then it was supposed to be ready on Friday, but they never called me again. On Saturday our service manager was working, but his mechanic was not and he didn't know what the status was with my vehicle, but is now saying it is supposed to be ready on Monday. I do not think it will be ready on Monday, because they keep dragging this out and they are not even ever calling me, I have to keep calling them.

What would you do in this situation? I think there is still an issue with my vehicle which is why it is still not ready, but they are not telling me for some reason. Should I have to fork out $2,400 when the issue was the windshield sensor all along? I'm pretty confident once they get the nerve to tell me that it is the windshield sensor they are going to want the $2,400 + the cost of the new windshield sensor + that additional labor. I'm also concerned that they have messed up my trailer wiring that they were so focused on initially (I bought a tester to check it before I pay my bill). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've already asked them if they could go and put the old parts back in and return the new parts since they determined that was not the issue and they said the new parts were not returnable once they'd been opened and then they recommend I sell the old parts on eBay. I'm trying to remain polite, but I feel like I'm being jerked around and robbed for something that should have been an easy fix and something they should have already known about because it is such a common issue. Just Google-ing it myself unveiled a ton of information about the problem. In hindsight I wish I had just gotten the windshield sensor myself and tried replacing it myself prior to messing with the Mazda Service department.

Thank you again.

 

Others with a tech background will chime in and offer solid advice, but I really hate hearing stories like this - where it SEEMS (and I could be 100% incorrect) that this problem could have been solved earlier, w/o al the ensuing expenses. $2400 is a heck of a lot of money to be spending on a 3 year old car. So you are on the hook for all that testing and you still don't know if your car was fixed? That's bad enough, but the lack of callback would drive me nuts. That's a good question - if they find that it was the windshield sensor all along. I am going to bet that they will never say that the sensor was the "main" issue and that everything else needed to be done and will try to use a lot of techy language to obfuscate the fact that they misdiagnosed the problem. So if you have a good understanding of the issue - and it seems you do, you can approach it more directly and forcibly and challenge the extra diagnostic charges. Keep us posted and good luck.

Which brings me to another point and I wish that the manufactures' would go to a 4 year/48k warranty - but that's another topic.

 

5yr unlimited mileage warranty on Mazda's in Australia.

 

Wow, that's incredible. Is that the norm for other makers in the Australian market?

 

Yes.

Some, like Kia offer 7yrs. Mitsubishi is offering 10yrs if you service the car with them.