Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
SUVs Mazda CX-7 2008 CX-7 AWD Vibration
29 messages, Last post on Oct 21, 2009 at 8:36 AM
You are in the Mazda CX-7 Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
|
Hey... HELP! I have a 2008 GT AWD (bought in in April) and it is exhibiting a "harmonic vibration" throughout the car at highway speeds. It is worst between 55 and 80 mph. It smooths out, but is still noticeable between 80 and 110 mph. Clearly a difference between "coasting" and under power... worse under power/torque. After 100 miles on the interstate... I feel like I'm sitting on a massage seat :o( Dealer has tried: Tire rotate and balance - nothing odd found... no help. Replacing the drive shaft - a 3-piece monster... no help. I have tried simulating the RPMs in different gears and the vibe only appears at highway speeds not highway RPMs. Obviously, can't easily test gears lower than 5th or 6th gear at 75 mph. Oh, and no noticeable vibe in the steering wheel specifically... allignment seems spot-on... it's the whole car that vibrates. HELP!! |
|
|
Guess I jumped the gun... replacing the tail shaft (drive shaft) does seem to have fixed the problem. It is a bit mind boggling that my dealership couldn't find anyone that was aware of this or that it wasn't already out as a TSB!! I need to give it another 1,000 miles with no serious vibe to be certain... the original vibe didn't become apparent until around 1,000 miles. Since I now know that Mazda got a bad batch of shafts (confirmed by a lady in MI that had the same issue) I can't be positive, yet, that the one they installed isn't also one of the "bad" ones. Statistically, it is possible. There is still a vibration in the car at highway speeds. It is clearly not as bad as before. Not sure what to attribute the remaining vibe to... tire, motor, suspension, overall design... very hard to say. I have a sneaking suspicion it may be related to the combination of 6th gear and low RPMs (which is great for gas mileage but is the rough-running range for a 4 cyl. motor). It seemed to be less noticeable if I manually shifted down into 5th or 4th while maintaining same speed. So, this may be a "design choice" and nothing "fixable". But, unlike before, I can get over the reamining vibe in time :o) I'll only post back if it isn't actually fixed... |
|
I do not own a CX7, but I have had my share of vibration problems with a 1992 Mazda Protege and 1999 Mazda 626. Both of these cars exhibited steering wheel vibration that was caused by substandard CV axles installed at the factory. Replacing the axles helped, but did not totally cure the problem. At least I did not have vibration under acceleration, which was caused by defective inner CV joints. I am so annoyed with this that I have no intention of buying another Mazda vehicle. Ever since this company was taken over by Ford, they started using crappy parts.
|
|
|
Replying to: p100 (Aug 11, 2008 8:17 pm) |
|
|
Well, so far they have... Although the tail-shaft made a big improvement. The vibration is still there... just not as bad. I've driven a front-drive CX-7 to compare and no such vibe. Also driven Nissan, Hyundai, Audi and Acura with no vibe. They tested it without the tail-shaft (I didn't get a chance) when they swapped it and the vibe went away. So, clearly, there is an issue with the Mazda AWD system. We're still working on it... I have to say, they (both dealer and Mazda) have been great about it so far. I'll continue to update until it's fixed or I trade the car 
|
|
|
|
| ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS PROBLE IN A CX7 MODEL? HOW DO THEY PERFORM AT HIGHER SPEEDS ON THE HIGHWAY (60-80MPH)? THAT ISN'T SOMETHING I TESTED IN MY TEST DRIVE AND NOW I'M RETHINKING THIS... | |
|
Sadly, I have to report no progress. The car still vibes at highway speeds. I have contacted MazdaUSA. Again, everyone is friendly and helpful... just not able to stop the vibe even with the help of the Mazda "master technician". There are only 4 components that are different from the standard AWD car. Since they have not said... "it's the xxxx part and we'll replace it now and you'll be all set" I have to assume there is something very wrong with how Mazda implemented AWD. I'll post more updates until it's fixed, or sadly, I trade it for something else. |
|
|
DO NOT BUY A MAZDA CX-7 with AWD!!! Final update on my vibration saga… The last part they replaced was the rear driveshaft (tailshaft if you will). That knocked out about 40-50% of the vibe. Same result they had on at least two other cars I know of. I asked them to do better… obviously. We had gone from teeth-chattering vibration to very annoying vibration at that point. They had a team of Mazda engineers in Houston from Japan for a meeting. They spent 2 full days with the car. They did some form of elaborate balancing on the tailshaft. End result, maybe another 10% reduction at best. Realizing they hadn’t gotten rid of it, they next brought in an NVH Engineer (noise, vibration and harshness). They loaded the car with test equipment for a couple of days. In the end, they did nothing to improve the situation. So, I asked Mazda to trade with me for a new car of the same type. This is when it gets GOOD… They came back and said that putting me in a new car would not solve the problem. That the vibration was “normal” in their opinion. So I asked them for a refund… gee, what a surprise that they would say NO. So, I will pursue the Lemon Law on this for a bit. But, the Texas Lemon Law was written by the car dealers (gotta love Texas politics) and you have almost no protection. We’ll see how far I get but I may be stuck with a LEMON!! Bottom line, Mazda knows the car has this vibration issue. After testing/identifying FOUR units that all exhibit the vibration they could not cure it and have concluded it is “as designed”. Let me tell you, I have test driven almost all the CUVs out there and NONE vibrate like this. It is NOT normal! So, this car is my first and LAST Mazda… and they are NOT planning on fixing this so BEWARE!! |
|
Mazda still refuses to correct the vibration... I'll be pursuing other options for getting rid of this LEMON.  If you own a CX-7 AWD you may have this defect and not realize it... yet. The vibration is evident at all speeds over about 50mph but most evident at 65 to 75 mph. The kicker is, if you typically drive less than a couple hours non-stop you may not have experienced the true problem. Once the vehicle has been driven for several hours non-stop the vibration escalates dramatically until it is almost unbearable. As if you had a square tire. So, if you own an AWD and you sense any constant vibration on smooth roads at highway speeds, you have the issue. And, I'd like so ask for some help. I'd like you to reply to this post so I can determine if there are enough of us out there to qualify for a Class Action Suit. Mazda already admitted to finding one more like mine. Lawsuits are not fun, so hopefully, I can make Mazda aware of enough other cases that it will be an incentive to realize they can't ignore this issue. Ultimately, I will need to get your VIN# to prove to Mazda the cars exist... but that can come later. Right now, they are treating me like I don't exist. So, it appears they have me where they want me... they got my money and they are NOT going to fix the problem. A case of the big corporation showing what they really think of the customer. I am truly glad that Mazda does not make heart defibrillators!! |
|
You are here:
Forums
SUVs Mazda CX-7 2008 CX-7 AWD Vibration
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Mazda CX-7
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
