It just showed the camera angles they wanted.

46V seems to be the only one affected. It's a somewhat different paint process than 41V.

I joined the forum specifically so I could look into this very issue. I get new cars every 12 to 24 months, and in the last 23 years have had 18 new cars. And not a single one has ever had a hood that looks like this one did. I hadn't been aware of it until I hand washed for the first time yesterday, and couldn't believe it. As with many others, I've heard no rocks hitting, and since I hadn't even had a SINGLE chip on any other car driving the same roads, I knew this wasn't normal. Now I'll have a plan of action to take and hopefully get this dealt with.

Thanks everyone for all the research and footwork on this issue!

john

This coming Tuesday will be 3 weeks since I had my vehicle inspected by the Mazda dealership upon request of Mazda NA. I followed up with Mazda NA 1 week after the inspection, and they told me they would contact the dealer and then let me know what's going on. I've heard nothing since then. I'll be contacting Mazda NA tomorrow morning to hopefully find out where things are at regarding the paint issue.

Try to establish one point of contact at the dealer. That person should be the one handling your issue and communicating with corporate.

2018 CX-5 Red Paint?
 

Has anyone purchased a 2018 Soul Red Crystal Metallic CX-5? Is the paint chipping the same way the 2017's are? Does anyone have any kind of evidence that Mazda has corrected the paint issue for 2018?

I'm sure Mazda is working on a solution for this problem, but you're wise to wait for conclusive evidence that they've implemented one on the assembly line. Don't settle for hear-say!

I've had my 2018 CX-5 Touring for five months now (Leased on March 9, 2018, 5200 miles)) and so far no chips.

One question, how do you find out the paint code? I looked on the window sticker and it isn't there.

Stuart

It's on the driver's door jam. If your car isn't Soul Red Crystal Metallic, then you've got nothing to worry about.

We have a 2017 CX-5 Touring. Color is Machine Grey Metallic and after washing it I have noticed a lot of paint chips on our vehicle as well. Another poster with the same paint color has noticed the problem as well on this thread. I have contacted Mazda USA and scheduled an appointment with the dealer that we purchased from. They have a good reputation so hopefully something will be done. Our appointment isn't until the 10th as I'm out of state working. Ill report back my findings after the scheduled appointment.

Thanks for the reply. I had a feeling that's where he code would be, but i figured I'd ask anyway.

Turns out the color code on my CX-5 is 46V, Soul Red Crystal Metallic.

Stuart

Curiosity, as there are two different color codes for Soul Red Crystal Metallic, 41V and 46V, and I wanted to know which one my car was painted with. So far I haven't had any chipping problems, but one never knows what the future holds.

Stuart

same
 

I have a mazda3 5-door, i believe it is 41V. I have a bunch of chips in my front bumper and on my a-pillar. I installed a clear-bra on half the hood and fenders, which definitely helped, but its apparent at 17,500 miles its not correct. My mazda dealer is looking at it tuesday and has reported this would be the 4th one they've done this year. All the others we're CX-5s, however I have a 11/16 build, so my 3 was one of the first with the new soul crystal red.

So based on the posts in this thread, I called Mazda USA, they referred me to the local dealer. They then called the dealer then emailed him some paperwork to fill out, so he would know what was needed. Apparently I am the first around here (Racine, WI) to go there with this issue.

After I stopped there, they had the car for about 45 minutes, inspecting it both at the service desk filling out some of the paperwork, then at the bodyshop. They scheduled me for the paint work the Tuesday after Labor day. I asked for how long, and he said for a few weeks. Looks like they're doing a complete repaint...

Supposedly he's arranging transportation for me as well, so crossing my fingers. I'm going to be trading this in for another vehicle in the immediate future anyway, so for me it's not a critical thing, but for whoever ends up with it eventually, I hope that the process they do now is better than whatever it was that caused the issue in the first place... It would really suck to have all this done only to find out that it's the same process and the problem continues...

WOW! Does this sound familiar or what?
 

My 2017 CX-5 just got dropped off this morning. They said it'll be a few weeks, going to repaint the whole thing... sigh...

Tesla has a whole slew of issues. Suspension component failure due to them being made out of alluminum. Hell the cars are being assembled in tents. The first yield pass on his cars is a measly 14 percent. the industry average is 75 percent. So they spend a lot of time going back through production bc they are not done right the first time.

Imagine my shock - a new 2018 CX-5 with the soul red paint is my loaner car, has 5k miles on it, and has the same chipping all over its hood.

soul red crystal red metallic
 

Hi everyone I had my CX5 repainted in July didn't get it back till Aug have had nothing but problems with it they had it for 39 days the color is different they painted over the deeper chips dirt in the paint fish eyes chips on my trim under the door where they took it off at first they said they painted it to the back roof doors hood but not the back hatch or bumper why I don't know. Dealer took it back to the body shop to confront him about the mess i think came back said they were going to touch up the spots that were bad and the didn't paint the back doors and it is the same color all of a sudden. I was so up set I didn't know what to say to this person. 'So I let wrote quit the the letter to Mazda Canada and then went to a couple of the better paint shops in town boy did I have my eyes opened they said I should have refused to take the vehicle, but you have to drive something so now I'm again going to take pictures send them to Mazda to Canada which did call this morning and are not going to deal with the dealer they are going right to the bog money as they said. Plus I said what about the value of my vehicle they said it diddn't make a difference, boy this dealer Manager is a piece of work. Will keep everyone informed. Should I consult a lawyer, any thoughts.

Oh, sorry to hear this, hopefully you get yourself unscrewed there. Mine is unfortunately going through the same process, they've had it now for 8 days, so we'll see what mine looks like whenever they finally finish...

Thanks for letting the rest of us know though. I'll be even MORE careful now to go around and if I find anything I don't like I'll make sure I refuse to accept it back... Keep us posed with your situation. Good luck!

I dropped off my car for the repaint last week. My dealer, which owns multi-brand dealerships in the area, has their own paint and body shop. I'm assuming that's a good thing - the dealer, as opposed to a 3rd party paint/body shop, I would think has more of a vested interest in doing a quality repaint. Reading patjoe's post above makes me nervous, though.

Yeah, me too. Dealer's own paint shop. I should've forgone the paint job since I'm trading in for a new Jeep Wrangler, and just let the Jeep dealer worry about the paint chips. All this is doing is stretching out how long before I can actually pull the trigger and get into the new ride... I hope I don't end up in the same boat as he is, with a horrible job and then dealing with getting THAT fixed as well before I can trade... Good luck to you Pete!

soul red crystal red metallic
 

Hi Just another update yesterday I decided to take pictures mark the spots with a washable marker when on the edge of the hood I thought it was a piece of masking take forgotten but what it was was the paint had started to come off I went around it and there were 4or5 spots that just peeled off with my finger nail, so please people check your vehicles out carefully. Mazda Canada told me not to go back to the dealer ship at all they are going to bring out a rep to have a look at it to decide what to do. But that will not happen till at least next week or longer Mazda's 50 anniversary this week big party. Good luck people. upset from Sarnia

patjoe,

Perhaps THE question to ask Mazda at this point is "New vehicle or lawsuit?"

that question has been mentioned I told them I want a new vehicle and said do i have to call a lawyer reply was give us a week, but I think I will consult a lawyer that is usually free first consult, trouble with that route you mite as well say take my vehicle cause you know what a lawyer cost and I'm sure they would do it pro boneo plus a lawsuit could take years. Seeing there are so many of us Market Place might be a thought they like to get their hands on corporations that give people the run around, just a thought.

I have not yet seen any mention of the paint issue in the automotive press/blogs/etc. Kia, on the other hand, with the same type of paint problem with their new Stinger model, has formally acknowledged the problem AND has been mentioned in the press. Perhaps Mazda needs to "feel the heat" by the press? I simply don't believe that any painter can't EXACTLY match the paint job from the factory. I'm also considering hiring a automotive paint pro to come with me to inspect my car when the dealer calls me to tell me it's done. I'd like to think a pro would see non-obvious things that I would miss. But probably the most important thing to do is NOT to accept the car if there's ANYTHING wrong with the repaint, no matter how minor.

Excellent idea. I may need to contemplate this as well...

also factory paint is so much harder and can take more abuse the a body shop job and the depreciation on you vehicle now that it has been painted.

For those not familiar with the Kia problem, here's just 1 of many links: Kia Yellow Stinger Kia obviously knows how to treat its customers, starting with an official acknowledgement that there's even a problem in the first place, and ending with a check for $5k for the hassle.

Soul Red Mazda 3 Platinum
 

I live in Ireland and the Paintwork on my 2017 Soul Red '3' has orange peel in places. Most people think it is not a problem, but it should have been blemish free from the factory. I feel the paint is very soft and not able to withstand everyday driving conditions very well at all.
The dealer gave me a touch-up set which included Soul Red and Tinted Clearcoat but the colourmatch is not very good. Mazda need, I feel, to up their game regarding paintwork. Oh and don't even get me started on the useless Sat Nav.

I agree completely. Mazda provides an incredible product as a whole. They need to stand behind their product when they have a failure such as the red paint. Better yet, they should have done appropriate testing before releasing the paint. People who pay extra for a paint deserve a better paint not an inferior paint.

Don't get me restarted with the Navigation system. I just did a 500 mile trip with both the Mazda and a new model Garmin system providing guidance. My conclusion was that the Mazda system was poor and the latest Garmin model was slightly worse (in my opinion.) I suspect the Mazda system may be better in some countries than others.

soul red crystal red metallic
 

thank you for your opinion every word helps

We have the gray color on our Mazda. I called Mazda Customer support before taking it to the dealer. I washed the car before dropping it off. I think I counted around 60 paint chips. The dealer called back the next day to tell us it was normal rock chips. Mazda USA support said they had not had any issues with that paint or year of the vehicle. So i left it at that. The dealer we take it to has a guy that does touch up work and from what I hear does a really good job. So Ill just go that route. I wasn't really expecting a solution since its not the red metallic paint. I hope the best for you guys that do have significant paint issues.

1 chip for every 100 miles.
 

Tomorrow is the start of week 3 for my repaint. Dealer/body shop said it would be 3-4 weeks. Honestly don't know if they're going to repaint the entire car or just the affected panels.

Same here. Tomorrow is also my start of week 3, turned mine in the day after Labor day. Pretty sure he said they were just repainting it all. I'm hopeful since the dealership out here has a pretty serious paint shop. People I've talked to have been very happy with the work done here, so I hope I'm not disappointed. Trying to find a third party auto body painter though to go with me at pickup to go over it, doesn't hurt to be safe. ;)

Good luck! Keep us posted.