2003 Mazda Mazda6 Powertrain & Transmission Problems

2003 MAZDA 6. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AFTER BEING PARKED FOR SEVERAL HOURS. DISCOVERED PCM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *SMD THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED MAZDA STOPPED MANUFACTURING THE PCM FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED IN 2003 AND THEREFORE, IT HAD TO SPECIAL ORDERED. IT TOOK EIGHT WEEKS FOR THE DEALER TO RECEIVE THE PART. *JB

TRANSMISSION KICKS REALLY HARD MAKING THE CAR FEEL LIKE IT WAS HIT FROM BEHIND. THE CAR IS HARD TO CONTROL AT THE TIME THIS HAPPENS. I'VE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS. IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM,ESPECIALLY WHEN OUR 90LB DAUGHTER IS DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL THAT MAZDA NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR WORSE! *TR

I PURCHASED A 2003 MAZDA 6 ABOUT A MONTH AGO, AND I HAVE HAD THE HARD SHIFTING PROBLEMS AND THE TEMP GAUGE GOING UP TO HIGH ALL THE TIME AND FLOATING BACK DOWN. I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THIS AND OTHER RECALLS OF THIS MODEL AND I HAVE BEEN DENIED TO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT SAID THEY FLASHED IT A COUPLE TIMES BUT IT IS NOT STATED O N MY REPAIR RECEIPT. I FEEL THAT I AM DRIVING A DANGEROUS CAR AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!!!! I AM NOT GOING TO KEEP DRIVING THIS CAR AND I FEEL I CAN TAKE IT BACK BECAUSE MY FIRST PAYMENT IS NOT DUE YET. BE IT SAID THAT THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 4 TIMES SINCE DAY ONE! THEY STILL WILL NOT FIX IT AND IT IS UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A RIP OFF AND THIS MODEL IS UNSAFE AND THESE MODELS SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF OF THE MARKET!!! *TR

AFTER TWO YEARS OF DRIVING THIS CAR THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY COMPLETELY BROKE PUNCTURING THROUGH THE FIRE WALL AND BRAKE RESERVOIR, LUCKILY I WAS STARTING THE VEHICLE IN A HOSPITAL PARKING LOT WHEN I PUSHED THE CLUTCH IN IT WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AND DID NOT COME BACK UP. IT WAS COMPLETELY INOPERABLE, I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AFTER PATCHING THE FIREWALL AND REPLACING THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY FOR $1800 I WAS TOLD THAT PART WAS FAULTY ON THIS VEHICLE AND IF IT HAPPENED ONCE IT WOULD PROBABLY HAPPEN AGAIN. ONE YEAR LATER IT BROKE AGAIN ONLY THIS TIME I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN I WENT TO SHIFT GEARS THE CLUTCH WENT TO THE FLOOR AND DIDN'T COME BACK UP, I HAD TO PULL OVER LUCKILY I DIDN'T GET HIT OR CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I WAS TOLD BY MAZDA THERE WOULD BE NO RECALL BECAUSE THIS PART ISN'T A DIRECT SAFETY ISSUE.

2003 MAZDA6 6.0 ATX - CAR SUDDENLY LOSES POWER WHILE ACCELERATING. THE ENGINE REVS BUT NO POWER TO WHEELS. I HAVE CONTACTED LOCAL DEALER WITHOUT ANY RESOLUTION TO WHY THIS IS OCCURRING. UPON A BRIEF INTERNET SEARCH I FIND THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE. I HAVE NOTICED IT HAPPENS MORE OFTEN WITH AC UNIT ON. *TR

CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY CRACKS CAUSING IT TO BE DIFFICULT TO SHIFT GEARS, CLUTCH WILL STICK AND NOT SPRING BACK. EVENTUALLY THE CAR IS UNUSABLE DUE TO THE CLUTCH. I DID RESEARCH TO SEE THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS PROBLEM CONCERNING MAZDA3, MAZDA6 AND THE RX8. I HAD TO BUY A NEW CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY BUT SEEMS THE PROBLEM IS HAPPENING AGAIN. MAZDA NEEDS TO MAKE A STRONGER BRACKET TO REINFORCE THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY. *TR

WENT TO STORE PUSHED IN CLUTCH WENT TO THE FLOOR PARKED THE CAR AND WHEN I CAME OUT I COULD NOT START THE CAR. THE SAFETY THING WOULD NOT ENGAGE TO ALLOW ME . HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY, THE CAR HAS BEEN BACK THREE TIMES IN TWO YEARS BECAUSE IT'S TOUGH TO SHIFT CLUTCH REAL SPONGY. TODAY IT WENT TO THE FLOOR AGAIN AND STALLED, CAN'T START THE CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION HAD TO HAVE IT PUSHED OUT OF THE WAY THEN TOWED HOME. THE MOTOR WAS REPLACED AT 32K. THE FIRST TIME THE WHOLE CLUTCH WAS REPLACED AT 40K AND IT,S NEVER BEEN RIGHT SINCE. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING, NOT WANTING TO SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR AND THEN WHEN IT DOES SHIFT IT JERKS THE CAR REALLY HARD. THIS USED TO OCCUR VERY SELDOM BUT SINCE THE CAR NOW HAS 98,000 MILES ON IT, THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ALMOST ALL THE TIME. I HAVE HEARD THAT THE CAR NEEDS TO BE REFLASHED, BUT I HAVE ALSO READ THAT THIS DOES NOT HELP. MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME CAR HAVE THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. ALSO THIS TRANSMISSION IS NOT ABLE TO BE REBUILT. THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR

WE PURCHASED A 2003 MAZDA6 NEW FROM A MAZDA DEALERSHIP. WE HAD SOME ISSUE WITH THE CAR SHUDDERING WHEN ENGAGING THE CLUTCH AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE ISSUE WAS RELATED TO "VARIABLE VALVE TIMING" AND TOLD TO REV IT A LITTLE HIGHER WHEN ENGAGING THE CLUTCH. AT APPROX 40,000 MILES THE CLUTCH WORE OUT AND WE TRIED TO CONTACT MAZDA AND FILE A CLAIM, BUT WE WERE DENIED. I PAID TO HAVE THE CLUTCH REPAIRED, AND NOW HAVE APPROX. 60,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. RECENTLY, THE WHOLE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY HAS MALFUNCTIONED AND IS CAUSING SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH THE ENGAGEMENT OF THE GEARS. SEVERAL TIMES THE CAR HAS NOT GONE INTO GEAR AND MY WIFE GOT STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION THE OTHER DAY AND WAS ALMOST STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE BECAUSE SHE COULD NOT GET THE CAR IN GEAR. I HAVE AGAIN CONTACTED MAZDA AND HAVE AGAIN BEEN TOLD THAT THEY WILL MOST LIKELY NOT COVER MY ISSUES... *TR

I WON A 2003 MAZDA6S AND I AM HAVING ISSUES WITH MY CLUTCH. I FIRST CHANGED THE CLUTCH AT 18,000 MILES AND I HAD TO ARGUE WITH MAZDA ON THAT BECAUSE THE CLUTCH IS ONLY COVERED FOR 1YR/12,000 MILES. NOW AT 35,000 AND CHANGE MILES MY CLUTCH HAS FAILED AGAIN. MAZDA HAS NO RECALLED THIS ISSUE WITH THE CLUTCH AND IN MY OPINION IT SHOULD BE A RECALL. I AM A MEMBER AT HTTP://FORUM.MAZDA6CLUB.COM/), AND THERE YOU CAN DO A SEARCH AND FINE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME CLUTCH ISSUE. THE FAILURE OF A CLUTCH FROM NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR DOES NOT NORMALLY OCCUR SO EARLY IN A CAR'S LIFE (SEE WWW.DRIVETRAIN.COM/CLUTCHARTICLE.HTML). IN ADDITION THE WEAR OF THE CLUTCH UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS SHOULD NOT BE THE CUSTOMER'S FAULT AND MAZDA HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS. I WOULD LIKE MAZDA TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE CLUTCH IN THESE CARS THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2003 MAZDA 6 WITH 56,000 MILES TO SCHOOL ON THURSDAY MORNING ON A BUSY 2-LANE HIGHWAY. SHE SHIFTED (LIKELY TO 4TH), AND THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION LOCKED-UP. FORTUNATELY, SHE IS AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER AND WAS ABLE TO DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH AND COAST THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT INCIDENT. IF SHE HAD BEEN INEXPERIENCED, OR IF A SHOULDER HAD NOT BEEN AVAILABLE, OR IF THE CAR BEHIND HER HAD BEEN CLOSER, THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN TRAGIC. REGARDING, THE TRANSMISSION, IT HAD BEEN MAINTAINED WITH ALL OF THE RECOMMENDED FLUID CHANGES, AND IT WAS LOCKED-UP AND DAMAGED BEYOND ECONOMICAL REPAIR. A USED TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED BY THE LOCAL MAZDA DEALER AT A COST OF OVER $2,000. *NM

MY CAR HAS HAD ALL OF IT'S ROUTINE MAINTENANCE DONE. AT 30K I HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT 20 I HAD TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR. AT 60K I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN! AT 60K I HAD TO REPLACE A TRANSAXLE SOMETHING OR ANOTHER . NOW AT 66K IT IS DOING ALL OF THE SAME THINGS THAT IT WAS DOING BEFORE THE TRANSMISSIONS WENT OUT, AND IT'S BECAUSE "I NEED A NEW AIR FILTER, SPARK PLUGS, AND FUEL FILTER" THE CAR JERKS VERY HARD WHEN SLOWING DOWN ON THE FREEWAY THE RPM RACE, LIKE IT WON'T GEAR DOWN. WHEN I PUT IT IN PARK IT'S AS IF I AM PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL DOWN AND REVVING THE ENGINE. BUT THE CAR IS IN PARK, AND THERE IS NO PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL WHAT SO EVER! I HATE THIS CAR, AND RECOMMEND NO ONE TO BUY ONE! I WILL BE VOICING MY OPINION OF THE CAR IN THE CAR WINDOWS, AND TELLING EVERYONE I KNOW ABOUT THE POOR QUALITY OF THIS CAR. YOU WOULD THINK THAT PAYING 27K FOR A VEHICLE THAT IT WOULD LAST!*JB

THE CLUTCH ON A STANDARD TRAMISSION HAS GONE OUT AND STATED TO BE ABUSED. THE CLUTCH HAS NOT BEEN ABUSED THE CAR IS 15 MONTHS OLD AND HAS 14000 MILES ON IT. *AK

I HAVE A MAZDA 6I.AT 8500 MILES AFTER HAVING MY CAR I HAD THE CLUTCH GO OUT. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER I WAS SEVERLY STEREOTYPED AS A STREET RACER WHICH I AM IN NO WAY , IF THAT WERE THE CASE I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE 6S . THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME $800 TO FIX THE PROBLEM , WHICH I IMMEDIATELY DISPUTED AND WAS TREATED AS A CHILD.EVENTUALLY THEY FIXED IT AND I QUOTE "NOT UNDER WARRANTY BUT FIXED OUT OF KINDNESS" AND THAT WAS THE END OF THAT. NOW AT 13000 MILES MY MANUAL TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 1ST OR 2ND GEAR I TOOK IT IN AND THE FIRST RESPONSE I GOT FROM THE SERVICE CLERK WAS " WHATS WRONG WITH THE CAR?" AND THAT IF THEY FIND I CAUSED THE PROBLEM IT WOULD BE ESTIMATED $1000 TO FIX IT IF IT WASN'T COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I FEEL THAT BECAUSE MY AGE I AM DISCRIMINATED AGAINST EVEN THOUGH I PURCHASED THE CAR MYSELF IN MY NAME AT 18. I AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE DEALER AS TO WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT.*AK

I HADN'T HAD THE CAR TOO LONG AND WAS TAKING OFF FROM A TRAFFIC LIGHT WHEN THE HARD SHIFT FIRST OCCURRED. I REALLY THOUGHT I'D BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND BY ANOTHER CAR, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN TOO OFTEN FOR AWHILE, THEN IT STARTED HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY SO I TOOK IT IN. I TOOK IT TO MULTIPLE MAZDA DEALERS, WHERE I WOULD LEAVE IT OVERNIGHT FOR THEM TO TRY AND REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THEY ALWAYS INSISTED THAT THEY COULD NOT SO I GAVE UP FOR AWHILE. IT GOT WORSE AND THEN I SAW A TSB ONLINE ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE SUPPOSED FIX IS TO FLASH THE COMPUTER CHIP. EVERY DEALER I CONTACTED ABOUT IT SAID THEY'D CHARGE AN HOUR LABOR TO DO THIS, AND MY PRIVATE MECHANIC COULDN'T DO IT AS IT'S SOME MAGICAL THING ONLY THE DEALERS CAN DO. ANYWAY I HAVE NOT HAD IT FLASHED YET, THE CAR IS COMING UP ON 147K AND THE PROBLEM IS NOW SO BAD THAT IT'S DANGEROUS. I WILL HAVE THE FLASH DONE IN THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS BUT I DON'T THINK IT WILL HELP. I ALSO HAD TO HAVE THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED A YEAR AGO AS I WAS NEARLY HIT BY A BIG RIG WHEN THE CAR SHUT DOWN IN THE FAST LANE. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS AND SIMILAR REALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEMS, THIS CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED YEARS AGO. *TR

IN EARLY JUNE MY MAZDA 6 MTX BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WHENEVER I WOULD ACCELERATE THE RPMS WOULD INCREASE BY 1K THEN DECREASE BY ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD CATCH AND THE POWER WOULD BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE WHEELS. NOW A LITTLE OVER A MONTH LATER MY CLUTCH IS ALMOST COMPLETELY WORN OUT. I'M TAKING MY CAR IN TO GET THIS CHECKED OUT, BUT THE CAR SHOULDN'T BE EXPERIENCING ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION WHEN IT'S STILL UNDER 26,000 MILES. THE CAR IS NOT IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC NOR IS IT UNDER ANY HEAVY LOAD. *NM

VIOLENT SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IN THE MAZDA6S WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. FEELS AS IF THE CAR HAS BEEN HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE FROM THE REAR. FRONT TIRES MOMENTARILY LOSE TRACTION AND CHIRP SOMETIMES. THESE VIOLENT SHIFTS ONLY HAPPEN DURING MILD ACCELLERATION. *AK

I HAVE A 2003 MAZDA 6S WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. SINCE IT WAS NEW IT MADE NOISES AND DID NOT FEEL AS THOUGH IT WAS SHIFTING RIGHT. IT HANGS BETWEEN GEARS AND THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING. HAVE HAD IT TO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES, WENT THROUGH THE LEMON LAW, AND EVEN THOUGH WITH THE TECH IN THE CAR I GOT THE CAR TO GLITCH AND HANG, HE INDICATED NORMAL OPERATION. HE INSISTED THAT THE SWITCH TO SYNTHETIC TRANSMISSION FLUID IS THE CULPRIT; HOWEVER, QUALITY OF OPERATION HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THE DEALER FLUSHED THE FLUID AND WENT BACK TO CONVENTIONAL TRANSMISSION FLUID. *LA

5-SPEED MANUAL IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SHIFT IN LOWER GEARS. VERY NOTICEABLE WHEN DOWNSHIFTING INTO 1ST OR 2ND GEAR. WHEN VERY COLD, YOU CANNOT GET INTO 2ND GEAR WHEN UPSHIFTING. HAVE TAKEN INTO DEALER 3 TIMES WITH THEM NOT BEING ABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. *AK

THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION AS IF IT DOES NOT KNOW WHICH GEAR IT SOULD BE IN. THERE IS A SEVRE BUCKING FROM 1ST INTO 2ND GEAR WHERE THE TIRES CHIRP AND THE CAR JUMPS. THIS HAPPENS UNDER LIGHT THROTLE AND IT HAPPENS ALOT. IT COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THE PCM OR ECU OR THE TRANSMISSION ITSELF. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR THAT HAS DONE THIS. WHEN YOU SPEND 25K ON A CAR YOU WOULD EXPECT QUALITY BUT NOT WITH THE 6.*AK