general problems of the 2009 Mazda MAZDA6 - part 1

This car was purchased in 2017 and maintenanced regularly. We recently took it to have the oil changed and to check out a noise that was coming from the passenger side. We were told that the subframe was rusted so badly it was too dangerous to drive and would cost $7k to repair. That caught us by surprise and we ended up having to buy a car by the next day. We traded the car in… however, I started doing some research and noted that this is very common and there was a recall between 2010 and 2014. I’m pretty upset that we lost this car without having any recall notification after the purchase. Could this have been taken care of instead of having to get a new car?.

I took my car to the mechanic for some routine maintenance and they called to tell me they discovered that the rear subframe is completely corroded. They say the car is not safe to drive, as it could come apart at any moment, and it will cost so much to repair (current estimate is $8000 and still climbing!) that it may be better for me to buy a new car (which I cannot afford). The mechanic expressed shock at how badly the subframe has deteriorated. He said it is in much worse shape than the rest of the car, which I have always maintained carefully. In 2019 my car was recalled for a defective front cross-member, which the dealer replaced. I was told at the time that it was recalled because the coating applied to it was defective and did not protect the part from corrosion. Based on my research, it seems that the same defective coating was applied to the rear subframe, and that it is why it has rusted so quickly and severely. . Read more...

On October 13, almost lost control of my vehicle while driving at normal speeds in good weather. The car tried to pull off the road with every bump I hit. Drove it to tire dealership as I thought there might be problem with tire or suspension. Mechanic there told me the front engine frame ($595 part, approx $1100 labor) was completely rusted & he didn't know how I was able to drive it. I had it towed to my regular mechanic who said the frame has to be replace. Just in November 2022, I had to pay $290 (parts only) and approx $1100 labor for the rear frame to be replaced due to rust. I know this says the recall had been done but if so, the rear frame shouldn't need replacing again. I tried talking with Mazda for 30 minutes & they were no help. The web is filled with complaints about the front & rear subframes rusting out. It is extremely dangerous for Mazda to ignore this issue. I am attaching receipt from 2022 for the part & will have the receipt soon for the front engine subframe as soon as the mechanic is finished with the work.

Rear subframe corrosion/complete rot out, suspension complete rot out, and other components due to salt from the road and Mazda not correctly painting the components: 2009 Mazda 6i 2. 5 noticable drop in the back of the car. The tire wells are almost touching the rear tires. The rear tires are leaning inward, also putting inside ware on the new tires. The rear of the vehicle fishtails while driving. It takes bumps very hard. No suspension. When you hit a bump, the rest of the car is all over the road. Very dangerous driving conditions, as the fishtailing throws you into other lanes, possibly into other traffic. Took vehicle to meinke on 3-15-23, was told and shown the damages to the rear suspension and rear subframe and other rear components. Vehicle is not safe to drive until fixed. Called Mazda dealer, was notified of recall on front subframe, but not the rear. Have appointment on 3-29-23 to drop off at Mazda dealer to get the front subframe serviced. My front subframe is not the issue, not that I know of yet anyways. My rear is the issue. Why was it not recalled with the front? why are they allowed to risk the lives and safety of so many for not servicing the rear also? this needs to be recalled, and I am definitely going as far as I can into getting something done about this. I do not have the funds to pay out of pocket to get this fixed, or funds to go out and buy a new car. I am a mother of a toddler, and disabled. I'm hoping to get a class action lawsuit against Mazda for this, or at the very least, a recall to fix this issue also. I live in indiana, we have some snowy winters, so salt is used on the roadways. I believe the car came from ohio before I purchased it from kentucky. I purchased the car on March 27, 2021. Have only had "normal" maintenance issues or water and tare before this, and actually love the vehicle! it has been a great vehicle, other then this issue.

The rear subframe is absoutley rotted out from the car. Bought used and did not see until recently. Car was a rhode island car and was in mass for a while. The rear wheels are concaved in and it is not only my car multiple owners of this generation car have experienced this these cars obly have the front subframe but not the rear! this particulat rear subframe is especially rotted through near the suspension! this is not only my car byt multiples Mazda 6's!!! google it! I will send pictures later when requested! it is late and raining right now!.

Component - rear subframe/crossmember. Yes it is available for inspection. I was driving and suddenly heard a loud crack and the rear drivers side of my vehicle dropped to the ground. I was getting ready to pull into a parking lot so I was luckily driving slowly. If I were traveling at the normal speed limit, I could have wrecked and possibly caused injury to myself or others on the road. Upon inspection from the mechanic, the rear subframe is completely rusted out and broke as a result. After research, I found that the front subframe/crossmember was recalled in 2018 for rust issues. This car had the recalled repaired. But Mazda has no recall for the rear. There were no warnings that this was going to happen.

Right side of the dashboard has become sticky, melting, and causing major reflection issues, day and night.

I own a Mazda 6 2009 and I have taken it to the dealership and even paid out of own pocket a rental car for 2 hours while they fixed a recal and then they get it done mind u im already 2 hours away from home so I go pick my car back up and they call me the next day needing my car badly to fix the other recals well this time they was willing to meet me with a loaner vehical half way. . Well its been 3 weeks now havent heard from them or anything and I just got a call today sayimg my car is finally done well I get online and it dont show really were they fixed anything but supposely my sub frame had to be fixed. . I just fill something to do with sub frame is dangours and later down the road im a mom of 2 I dont need something that has sub frame problems thats scary.

I bought a used car from a small dealership, they sold me the car without a dash harness, all the wiring that is supposed to be connected to the computer in my car is not there, so I can't do smog check. The mechanic could not check why the check engine light was on because the computer in my car was not communicating with the tool. Sold me the car with airbags not working. Lied about having it all checked out. And I still haven't received my title, registration, and plates to my car.

For the last year, the car alarm in my 2009 Mazda 6 has been going off sporadically by itself at all hours of the day while parked in my apartment building parking lot. The dealer diagnosed that my passenger side door actuator needed to be replaced. It was, and a few weeks later the alarm went off again at 3:30 am, waking up all of my neighbors in the process. Brought it back to the dealer and now they say it's the driver side door actuator. There are so many reports on the internet of other Mazda owners having this same issue and there is a bulletin out there for it. Why has been this not become a recall yet?.

On January 25, 2014, I had my car service at a s. Florida Mazda dealership for a 2013 recall on the door latch mounting screws. The recall stated that the screws may become loose. If all three door latch mounting screws become loose and fall out, the door latch mechanism will not engage when the door is closed, and the door ajar warning light will illuminate. Currently, I am experiencing the same issue with my doors and the door ajar light illuminating. In addition, due to this issue, my battery that I had replaced in may 2020 does not work. My car did not start. I had to have my car towed to the nearest Mazda dealership. The dealership replaced the battery but told me that my door latch on 2 doors had to be replaced because my car thinks the door is ajar and this causes the battery to drain even with the car turned off. It sounds like these issues could be attributed to the 2013 recall. Furthermore, the technician informed me that my car alarm goes off without warning and the technician attributed this to the door latch issue. So all of the above issues can be traced back to the 2013 recall on door latches. It appears that there is a manufacturer defect on the door latches. Therefore, the dealership should make the necessary repairs without charge to me. Right now, my car has been at the dealership for 1 week and 2 days.

Engine surges when I brake, but not always. Usually it is when I'm going straight ahead, however, it has done it in a turn and once backing up. This has happened again today, and after I had throttle body cleaning done two weeks ago.

Passenger side dash board is sticky and shiny. If the sunlight hits on the shiny spots it creates a glare that is distracting, especially if driving. I also worry about the airbags deploying properly if the vehicle is in a accident. Contacted local Mazda dealer and they never called me back. Contacted Mazda costumer service. They said there was never a recall on the dash board, but several websites say that there was a recall. Representative for Mazda said that at the time I took my vehicle to the local dealership in 2017 to fix other recalls my dash board was inspected and showed no issues so it wasn't replaced. So now for my dash board replacement to be considered I must take my vehicle to have a diagnostic done and I must pay. Representative also says that a replacement was highly unlikely.

When I got the vehicle I noticed the dashboard was really sticky and I didn't know how but then I met someone with the same vehicle with the same issue. My back seat is very loose and makes noises when driving.

I brought my 2009 Mazda6 in for the recalled front cross member corrosion safety recall. After an inspection I was told it qualified for a replacement. I authorized the work and picked the car up a few days later. We did not receive the normal maintenance sheet. After driving the car the next few days the at (automatic transmission) light came on and transmission started to slip. We serviced the transmission fluid with 3 quarts and found damage and leak just above the cross member recall repair. We returned the car to the dealer and informed Mazda customer care. Walser Mazda of burnsville said the transmission line has rusted and repair costs would be around $400. I said the damage to the line was when the recall repair was done. The car was driven less than 250 miles since the repair and leaked out 3 quarts of fluid. I believe the sharp edge of the cross member damaged the transmission line when the recall repair was done. Damage should be the cost of the dealer. Document possible damage when this recall is preformed.

Driving to work on highway 44 when I noticed the handling was really bad. Had to come to a quick stop and applied brake pressure when rhw xar suddenly swerves to the right. Upon getting the car under control I had to run thw sterring wheel 3/4 to the left to keep the car going straight. Made it to work by driving slow and conitinuing steering left. Called a tow truck to have it towed to a shop. My mechanic replaced a wheel bearing and took it for a drive. He lost complete control of thw car twice; took it back to the shop and discovered the subframe completely rusted out and was the cause of the problem.

I was pulled into a parking lot going about 5 mph hit a pothole and I lost control.

This past week, while driving my vehicle to and from work on a public roadway, the steering wheel was off-center and the vehicle started to shift to the side of the road while vehicle was in motion while driving straight. I took it to an auto repair shop and they told me the sub frame is completely split in half and all corroded. The vehicle is undriveable right now. It's going to be very expensive to repair.

Mazda dealer was performing a couple of recalls. They found that the subframe was severely rusted. Said that it needed replaced before it failed. Said that engine could drop out or problems with steering if the subframe failed. 9 year old car with 100,000 miles and no other rust problems is unsafe to drive because of problem with the subframe. I contacted Mazda but have not heard back from them.

Subframe rust the front passenger subframe is severely rusted to the point that tmy local Mazda dealer (alden Mazda in fairhaven, MA) didnt want to perform routine maintenance due to their concerns over this very serious safety issue. They told me that the car is unsafe to drive at this point. I drive approximately 150 to 200 miles on most days and I'm very concerned for my safety. I purchased the car on February of 2018 with only 68,000 miles on it. As of July 30th 2018 it's at approximately 79,000 miles.

My son was driving my car to get food when the car lost control of steering and veered right towards the curb. His steering was straight but car was difficult to control. Thankfully he was only going 25 mph. We took it to auto shop and was told engine cradle/subframe had rusted throughout. Very expensive repair. We also own a second 09 Mazda 6 that we now worry about and will get looked at.

Side mirrors are discoloring causing viewing problems.

Took my car to a repair shop to investigate a rattling noise coming from my car. The rattling was caused by the catalytic converter heat shield being loose. While the car was being looked at the mechanic noticed that the right hand side of the sub frame was rusting away. This transpired January 18, 2018. The repair shop has been trying to get a replacement part without success. I am now being told that the earliest they could get one is the middle of may. My inspection expired the end of March. I find it very difficult to believe that Mazda doesn't have this part available anywhere. I fortunately have not had an accident while driving this car.

I am having trouble with my alignment going out had it done and a day later went back out. Apon review it turn out the sub frame by the motor cradle is disintegrated causing the problems with steering and alignment.

While driving at speeds above 30 the door ajar light flickers and the dome light goes on and off. I have already had the door latch recalls fixed on my car. It is fighten to think the door may fly open.

The front subframe broke due to being rotted through. This happened while I was driving.

As well as the takata recall, the passenger side of my vehicle is literally melting off. The airbag cover is sticky to the touch and who knows if it is melted into place. I've seen many other complaints and I've seen that Mazda has tried to charge people for labor which is absurd.

The dashboard in my car is melting and is sticky and shinny. This is impossible to clean and if touched it results in black plastic fragments coming off. The dashboard remains like this no matter the weather and even if it is no longer hot inside or outside the car. The most impacted area is on the passenger side of the dashboard. This issue appears to be getting worse this summer.

The front cradle assembly was rusted through and broke while I was on the highway. My mechanic said he had never seen anything like it on a car this new and it could have caused a very serious accident. A mechanic at the dealership where I bought the car said he has never had a problem like this with a Mazda 6.

Our dash is melting and is putting a glare on the front window. It has a awful smell and is very sticky. We have called the Mazda company and we were told that we will have to purchase a new dash our self. There is other complaints online from others who are having the same problem with the dash in there Mazda.

I first noticed my dash in my car today. The dash in my car appears to be melting. It is sticky, and beginning to have a shine to it. This area is located over the airbag area of the dash. I am not sure what can be done to fix this problem.

My dashboard is "melting". I have tried using a sun protector between the dash and window but the protector is sticking to and peeling off of the dash. Is there anything I can do? the warranty has passed but I believe there is a lawsuit against Mazda for this exact problem.

Urgent NHTSA:on 6/21/15 I filed a complaint (seen herein) NHTSA id #10726451 reagarding my Mazda m6 2009 melting dash and my disappointment with Mazda corp USA. I am guilty of expressing impatience!!! Mazda corp has provided me with unprecedented courtesy and stated they will repair this faulty dash! I have been a Mazda owner for 30 years and will continue to give the automaker my business. Other than the dash issue I have only had minor issues with all categories of my Mazda auto's! NHTSA p l e a s e. . . . . Delete the earlier stement herein NHTSA id # 10726451 6/21/2015. Satisfied Mazda customer!.

. . . . Toyota and other companies have taken ethical action to recognize this factory/product defect and are responding professionally to their customers. Mazda continues to ignore the complaints and has taken no recall,etc action. Why hasn't the NHTSA exploited Mazda's greed and lack of customer support via the news and internet? Mazda spends millions on advertising. . . . . . . . . . But doesn't won't to address this safety issue! jf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Mazda customer of 30 years that is very disappointed in Mazda!.

The dashboard of the passenger side has started to melt. When I put my hand on it stick and my hand is black.