Mazda CX-3 Forum banner

'16 CX-3 Touring A/C Issue

11K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  SlyCoopers 
#1 ·
Long time lurker - first time poster ... My above 2016 CX-3 A/C just went out (only 13,000 miles) which I bought used (as is) just 5 days ago . Now looks like a trip to the local Atlanta , Georgia area Mazda dealer is in order : I found the Evaporator TSB (revised 12/1/16) to take with me but could not find a TSB on the Condenser or Control panel issues (are there TSB's for these ?) . *Thanks in advance for replies as well as any advice from your experience with similar A/C issues how to make this topic go smoothly with the Mazda dealer. Since it is a known issue , I don't want to experience a lot of back and forth trips to the dealer or get "slow walked" by Mazda until the CX-3 is out of warranty .
 
#3 ·
I am in a similar boat with my 2016 Touring I bought about 2 months ago @ 18k miles. The aircon went out within 1.5 months, my non-Mazda dealer checked (reported no leak) and refilled the system with dye added. No aircon again in 1 week, dye was reported to be all over condenser, I have an appointment at a Mazda dealer this week.

In the mean time my satnav is flaky (not sure where the car is sometimes) and so is my driver side window switch with auto up/down. Sigh....
 
#4 ·
I haven't had any A/C issues as yet, but on Friday my dealership called and left a message. They are replacing the compressor at no charge on my vehicle. I've read of condenser issues, so I'm wondering if that isn't what she meant. I'll be bringing it in next week.
 
#5 ·
Check with a Mazda dealer first. The A/C units on 2016 cars are being replaced under warranty by Mazda. Get in on the updated program while you can. They finally recognized that this is a design defect.
 
#6 ·
Curious as to this as well, just out of curiosity when you say it went out do you mean its weaker or completely dead like just the fan is on? I have noticed mine getting weaker but figured it was just age, it still cools decently but since warranty time is almost up this has me worrying about it.
 
#8 ·
An update....

My Mazda dealer performed the following:
1. Install a new condenser. With a previously injected dye, it was apparent to them it was faulty. Facotry warranty item.
2. Update Satnav. Whatever the update they installed is supposed to fix it. Hopefully it won't report that I am roaming through a town 2000+ miles away on water. ;) Also covered under the factory warranty.
3. Window Auto Up/Down was not fixed since they could not reproduce it. It's flaky..., it'll break, hopefully before the warranty runs out.

As the tech was finishing a job, they texted me a short video of what work was done to address each issue. The video started from the back of the vehicle, walk around to the engine bay, show the old condenser, noting the dye all over it. I thought that was a nice touch.
 
#9 ·
Yup, had the condenser replaced this week at no charge under warranty. It made a huge difference! I hadn't realized how weak it was prior to the swap. Now I actually have to turn it down, because it's almost too cold. And it was hot out there today - almost 90F with humidity.
 
#11 ·
Is this an issue with ALL CX3's or the Canadian models? Our 2016 has around 25K with no problems so far and most of its time is spent in the Phoenix (hot) area. Just curious, haven't heard anything from Mazda re problems etc.
 
#12 ·
They’re all capable of doing it although some don’t. There have been several production modifications to address the issue.
 
#14 ·
Just chiming in -- I have a 2017 Touring here in Philadelphia (USA) and yeah, the A/C was always pretty anemic, until recently, when it died altogether. Time to tell the dealership I may be a candidate for some new whizbang parts, I guess!
 
#16 ·
I can relate to your hobbies in the signature as I just came from a trip to Europe-Albania and ended up with a rental cx-3 for a couple of days. Manual diesel was really a different experience but so much fun in mountain/rocky roads and a shame we dont get to experience that back home :(

Ironically the ac also didnt work in that car too so its unfortunate that this isnt a US isolated incident only. Then again theres no legitmate mazda dealer in albania in the first place so not surprising its not repaired.
 
#15 ·
Interesting that in the Consumers Report for April (Auto edition) the 2017 Mazda CX3 is "Not Recommended." (Ouch!) But in looking at the charts I see that the only item that is severely downgraded is Climate Control. All other categories are in the average to good range. I am wondering if the bad AC is the cause of the CU downgrade. I ask because I had a flaky air conditioner in my 2016 CX3 which was replaced and now all Climate Control settings work as expected.
 
#18 ·
Unfortunatly this is one of those awkward moments where mazda really should do an extended warranty or just recall it considering it was a production issue for at least the first 2 years. However I have a feeling that these parts might have been produced in accordance to specs on their other mazda lineups also which would make a simple cx-3 problem turn into a entire brand-wide PR issue making mazda look bad and they would never admit or want that. Cost/benefit analysis points to a few hundred cx-3 owners being irritated with the brand and being left without a working ac post warranty being more profitable than a full recall implying mazda has poor quality potentially costing them thousands+ in future business. Even if it does not effect certain owners, being told that your model's ac *MIGHT* potentially die and you will have to pay to repair a manufacturing defect out of warranty also angers people who have no idea about this issue and again leads to bad PR for the company. Its really irritating but this is the nature of business unfortunatly :/

On the other hand I believe it would be a 2016-early17 model year issue only, although I have no facts to back that up besides replacement parts being available in 2017. One would think that because of the modified part being available, they would stop using the faulty parts to avoid this turning into a bigger issue.
 
#20 ·
Just had the condenser in my 2017 CX-3 (Touring) replaced a few days ago (April 2019). It is ROBUST now, compared to what it was when brand new. I think the condenser (and compressor, from what I hear?) weren't stellar to begin with, but the replacements are better. Hooray for better parts!

And now if they could just make the rear camera work more than 80% of the time, for heaven's sake. Every time it rains, it fails. But it also sometimes fails in the cold. Or on Tuesdays. Or when I think of England. Or when it wants to. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: SlyCoopers
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top