Power Steering Light On problems of the 2008 Mazda MAZDA5

Steering warning light comes on steering gets heavy.

On 8/24/10 I was driving in sf city traffic as I neared an intersection, my power steering on my 2008 Mazda 5 failed. I pulled over into a red zone, barely out of traffic, and turned off the car. I read the manual and it suggested turning the car on again. I did but the steering light remained on. I moved the car (with difficulty and no small amount of stress) to a safer location. I called Mazda and they came and towed the car to the dealership. They repaired the car in 4 days time. They told us they were "about" to send out recall notices on the Mazda 5. The next day (8/25) I read in the NY times auto section that the Mazda corp. In japan had known about this power steering failure for 2 years. This seems incredible to me, given that the car is barely 2 years old. Luckily nothing happened but 5 minutes before I had been on the freeway going 55 miles an hour. What would have happened if the power steering had gone out then?.

Power steering failed three times yesterday. Dash light came on and steering got very heavy although I was able to muscle the car through turns. Day was very hot and we were driving in an urban environment. I did what the owners' manual said - stopped and shut off the car, waited a few seconds and restarted the car. In two out of the three instances the power steering light had gone out and the power steering was working. In the other instance the light did not go out and the power assist was not working. The car is working okay now and I am not sure if or when this might occur again. Because of the driving situation at the time and because I am an experienced driver this did not present a grave safety issue; however, had I been driving faster and the road conditions been poor it could have been catastrophic.

Power steering failure at low speed, power steering light comes on. After restart functioned normally.

2008 Mazda5 - 40k miles after idling in parking lot for approx 20 mins, put car in drive and attempted to leave. Power steering light illuminated, wife could not turn wheel at all. Turned off car. I arrived 10 mins later and was able to operate the steering with difficulty.

I own a 2008 Mazda 5 with just over 50,000 miles on it. I travel in sales, so I am put quite a few miles on per year. In the past month I have experienced 3 occasions where upon starting my car, the power steering light comes on and there is no power steering. Each time, I put the car in park and restart and the light goes out and the power steering returns. Heat seems to play an issue in this. Also, the power steering will not reset after restarting the car unless the air conditioning is first shut off. There is a section in the owners manual that addresses what to do if the power steering light comes on and the power steering fails to respond. This would indicate to me that Mazda has seen this occur. As someone who was in the automotive industry for over 30 years, I have no clue why a auto manufacturer would add electronics to a power steering system. I have contacted my local Mazda dealer and they told me that they have seen this problem before. Apparently, it could be the pump or the hoses to the steering rack and naturally the warranty ends at 36,000 miles. I know pumps run over $ 650. 00 which does not include labor. I am 58 years old and have never had to replace the power steering on any vehicle, especially one with such low mileage. Needless to say I am not pleased.

The power steering on the Mazda 5 fails - no steering and light comes on.

The contact owns a 2008 Mazda 5. While driving 30 mph the power steering warning light illuminated and the steering wheel locked. The contact was able to drive with difficulty to the emergency lane. The vehicle was turned off for 30 minutes. When the vehicle was restarted it functioned normally. The dealer stated that they would have to see the warning light illuminated before replacing any parts. The failure has occurred 3 times and no repairs have been made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 8000. The current mileage is 10,000. Updated 03/16/10 updated 07/12/10.

2008 Mazda5 with 55,000mi (90% highway driven). While driving about 20 mph in town the steering wheel all of a sudden became very difficult to turn and I noticed the steering failure light on the dashboard. Pulled to a safe location and called my dealership. The mechanic indicated that it was a voltage trip and if I turned off the car and restarted it would reset and work again. The steering did work after I started the engine and I have driven about 200 miles with no other occurrence. On Friday I had my oil changed at the dealership and when I told them of the problem they indicated that I would have to replace my pump and a length of hose. Why the hose too? its 6,000mi out of warranty. After some internet sleuthing, it seems that this is a very common mechanical failure that Mazda is not dealing with responsibly. Hard to imagine they are not learning from Toyota's and Honda's experience. This is a huge safety issue especially if this failure occurs unexpectedly on the highway while driven by an inexperienced driver. Not sure about now but many owners earlier in 2010 were having to wait over 5 weeks to get a replacement pump due to a backorder issue. I can't believe that Mazda is not proactively doing a voluntary recall. Please investigate this serious problem and suggest to Mazda that replacing the faulty pumps under an extended warranty is good for safety and good for business.