Hello everyone, i'm looking see how reliable this vehicle would be.

I am thinking of buying 2014 (2.5 FWD) around 100,000-14,0,000 ish KM (60,000- 90,000 mi) and drive it tell the wheels fall off. How common is the P011a and trans bearing early failure

Now that the CX-5 has 7 years under its belt looking for advice on the good the bad and the ugly.I have seen posts about the ugly causing a P011A error code heater core blockage from coolant deteriorating and breaking down and deteriorating the rubber coolant hoses. Is this a common failure with these years. Here in Canada this would be a $2,500 or $2,800 job if it's done at the dealer.

C/P from Truedelta website

"NHTSA ID: 10091444 TSB ID: SA218 If you encounter a 2013-2016 cx-5 with dtc p011a with overheating and/or no heat from the heater, compare the heater performance to another cx-5. if another cx-5 is not available, check the heater core flow and if restricted, drain/replace"

"NHTSA ID: 10120384 TSB ID: 07-007-17-3384 Some customers may complain about poor heater performance even after the engine reaches normal operating temperature. this may be caused by a clogged heater unit. for mazda6 and cx-5, the check engine light may illuminate with the dtc p011a"

 

@Breye - Read this account of my experience in this area. RE: "I have seen posts about the ugly causing a P011A error code heater core blockage from coolant deteriorating and breaking down and deteriorating the rubber coolant hoses." There was no coolant deterioration or hose failure involved. In fact, approaching 2021 as we are, my 2014 is still running the OEM hoses it was built with and I live in sunny, hot Florida.

After employing the dealership to perform a transmission flush (@35,000 mi), which requires the cooling system to be opened/refilled; the CX-5 had the symptom of some perceptible heat from the center of the dash tapering to almost nothing at the side vents (with all of the heat directed through the dash, maximum temp. setting and the engine at it's thermostat controlled temperature). The dealership inspected the symptom and introduced that a Technical Service Bulletin addressed this issue although they had never seen an example of it. To make a long story even longer, they covered the replacement of the heater core including the dashboard's R&R and the necessary cooling system flush and fill. This would have been a $1300.00 job otherwise. Problem solved.
*I know Mazda doesn't require transmission flushes and their transmission is included in the lifetime drive-train warranty but I'm old school and here in Florida, the heat kills automatic transmissions. Mazda's automatic's don't have a reputation for stellar reliability with age either so stop typing.
P.S. I ran into a Mazda mechanic from another dealership last weekend and told him the story. He admitted that he has seen it. It's uncommon but not not unknown. The cause is however...