[Simrat Minhas]

Has anyone else had this issue:

I bought a new CX-3 in October. Didn't turn on A/C until the summer and found it wasn't working. Brought it into the dealership and they told me the AC was not turned on at the factory, so they recharged and sent me on my way. The next day it stopped working again. I had to bring in my vehicle again and they said there was a technical service bulletin and they'd need to replace the evaporator. The part would take 4-6 weeks. This was 2 months ago. Last week while I was sweating to death, driving on the highway with my windows down, trying not to pass out, I called them for their weekly reminder about the part and was told it was actually in (despite them telling me they would call me when it arrived). So I scheduled an appointment for today to FINALLY get my A/C repaired as this issue has put a huge downside on my travel plans all summer.

Now... the part that arrived turned out to be the wrong one and I'm going to have to wait to find out when the proper part will arrive. It's August 8th. I live in Canada. Summer is pretty much over in 3 weeks and I had one last road trip planned that I'll have to do with no A/C.

Is anyone else having this issue? This car has 8KMs on it and has never had a functioning AC and now I've had to wait all summer only to find out that they delivered the wrong part!

Is there any recourse I have to get this done quicker? Do I just have to suck it up and live with the regret of buying a car? I bought this car because of the reviews and because the only car I owned before this one was a lemon that caused me endless expensive problems every month. I'm really starting to regret my purchase of the CX-3 if I can't even get the air conditioning replaced in 4 months???

 

[Dean]

Here's more on that topic

http://www.cx3forum.com/forum/general-discussion/13874-hows-everybodys-ac-working-3.html


So far, I'm lucky - hope it stays that way.

 

[KimMacph]

Yup I had this problem, i'm in Canada too.

They ordered the part, took a few weeks ago but they said "Mazda sent us the exact same part which is faulty. They have an updated unit do to the issues everyone is having so we are going to order that one for you instead." All in it took about 4 weeks.

BUT my mazda dealership was super easy to deal with, it wasn't their fault the parts were taking forever to arrive, they installed it as soon as it was available and I haven't had any issues since. Everything else i've had to get done (faulty motor in the moon roof, recall for the hatch, cracked windshield, regular maintenance) they have fixed same day. It's unfortunate that yours took so long to repair and that they didn't recognize it as a problem right away. I don't think thats the norm.

 

[Digal]

I have had air con problems since may and they are still not rectified. I found thru cx3 forum this thread


http://www.cx3forum.com/forum/general-discussion/13874-hows-everybodys-ac-working.html



I have been subjected, yes it felt like that, to being shown how to use air conditioning, I am over 50 and owned many cars with air con, many hours spent driving backwards and forwards to the dealership with my car telling them it is not working and them taking it for a test drive to say they cannot replicate the problem. My husband and I told them it appears to be freezing up, had ice around the hose part that you can see for the air con when you lift the hood, sorry not a tech person, only to be told this is normal? Mist coming out of air vents, specks of ice coming out of air vents, then no cold air blowing out of vents, I could go on but will save you from my rant and ramblings.
On my first visit to have my car air con checked out, and after being told on the phone to push the air con button on the dash, urghh, I googled cx3 air con issues and found the link above showing issues, vin numbers etc. I printed this out in on my first visit to the dealership but they didn't act on it, read it and gave it back.
I have had my heater control module changed 2 or 3 times, my condenser changed after waiting 4 weeks for the part, they gave me a rental, my cx3 is back again with the same issue, air con works for a while then stops blowing out air. I have read that some replacement condensers that are being used are the original faulty ones and that there are newer versions being made. I



I have not had my evaporator replaced as yet it my compressor but have read these are issues too.
We got Mazda canada involved as we were so frustrated, it is only in the last week that the dealership has finally realized that I am not a crazy air con lady and that maxda canada have admitted there are known problems, not sure why it has taken so long as from other forum threads the air con issue has been going on a long time.
To say I am frustrated is an understatement , hopefully this time it will be fixed......

 

[anchorman]

I have had air con problems since may and they are still not rectified. I found thru cx3 forum this thread


http://www.cx3forum.com/forum/general-discussion/13874-hows-everybodys-ac-working.html



I have been subjected, yes it felt like that, to being shown how to use air conditioning, I am over 50 and owned many cars with air con, many hours spent driving backwards and forwards to the dealership with my car telling them it is not working and them taking it for a test drive to say they cannot replicate the problem. My husband and I told them it appears to be freezing up, had ice around the hose part that you can see for the air con when you lift the hood, sorry not a tech person, only to be told this is normal? Mist coming out of air vents, specks of ice coming out of air vents, then no cold air blowing out of vents, I could go on but will save you from my rant and ramblings.
On my first visit to have my car air con checked out, and after being told on the phone to push the air con button on the dash, urghh, I googled cx3 air con issues and found the link above showing issues, vin numbers etc. I printed this out in on my first visit to the dealership but they didn't act on it, read it and gave it back.
I have had my heater control module changed 2 or 3 times, my condenser changed after waiting 4 weeks for the part, they gave me a rental, my cx3 is back again with the same issue, air con works for a while then stops blowing out air. I have read that some replacement condensers that are being used are the original faulty ones and that there are newer versions being made. I



I have not had my evaporator replaced as yet it my compressor but have read these are issues too.
We got Mazda canada involved as we were so frustrated, it is only in the last week that the dealership has finally realized that I am not a crazy air con lady and that maxda canada have admitted there are known problems, not sure why it has taken so long as from other forum threads the air con issue has been going on a long time.
To say I am frustrated is an understatement , hopefully this time it will be fixed......

Welcome to the forum. We know there are issues and most owners seem to have had them. Keep your chin up. Lets us know if we can help.

 

[TiGrayMSM]

There does seem to be a trend with the A/C in this car just not being up to par. Last month I noticed that the A/C was getting very weak, so I decided to do a test. I put an electronic meat thermometer in the vent, and turned the A/C to max (and taking in outside air). The best my car could do was cool the outside air by 20 degrees... we are talking max A/C temps of around 75 degrees. Not acceptable by any means. I recorded this little experiment for reference. Now starts the Mazda service department experience:

Calling Mazda:
Me: I would like to make an appointment to bring my CX-3 in for service.

Rep: What is the issue you are having?

Me: The A/C is not cooling well and I would like to get it checked.

Rep: It is very hot outside, so it is normal for the air to not be as cold.

Me: This is not my first car with A/C, and all of my other cars including an 05 Miata have better cooling than the CX-3 does now.

Rep: (disgruntled voice) Ok, we will set an appointment for August xx

(Apparently their service center was very busy, so I could only get an appointment in two weeks. Whatever. They call me the day before my appointment to reschedule because they are busy, and the earliest I can bring it in is another two weeks. At this point I was furious, I am not waiting over 4 weeks to bring my car in to CHECK if it has a problem. They relented and my original appointment remained.)

Bringing the car in to Mazda:

They take my car and drop me off at home. I get a call about 2 hours later saying there is no problem with the A/C. I take their shuttle back, but I am already prepared for the incompetence (based on previous Mazda warranty work with other cars). I talk to the service writer and he tells me that the tech took the car for a drive, turned on the A/C, and it works. He also said the system checked out ok. Granted, it was much cooler outside now, but I knew there was no way the system was checking out ok. I ask to speak to the tech.

Me: There is no way the system checks out ok, because it does a pathetic job cooling.

Tech: We never checked the system, just turned it on to see if the compressor cycles on and off. It seemed ok.

Me: (Mad that service writer lied to me, but totally expected this) Ok. Well I have a video showing a 90 + degree day and the A/C vent temps in my car....

Tech: Ok lets see the video

Me: Play video, explain that there is just no way this is within norm. Especially not on a new car.

Tech: Yea, that actually does seem like a problem. We will hook up the car to the machine and do a leak down test.

This time I get a loaner. I get a call back the next day saying the pressures were low and that they found a leak coming from the expansion valve. New part was ordered, and I picked up the car with a working A/C the following day.


My point with this post is that if you want your car fixed, you have to be extremely proactive about it. You can not expect any semblance of competence from the service staff at Mazda (like expecting a call back, for example). The only times I have had my Mazdas fixed was when I diagnosed the issues and spoke directly to the tech about them. Good luck!

 

[Simrat Minhas]

Thanks! I am trying my best to be proactive but I've hit a bit of a road block with "we don't have an ETA for when the part will arrive". So now I'm just playing the waiting game again. They claim that Mazda sent the wrong parts to all of Canada, but I have no way of actually verifying whether or not that is true or they just ordered the wrong part.

I am pretty frustrated not having any AC for the entire summer on a brand new vehicle. I've had much cheaper and older vehicle have this basic cooling function.

I definitely brought up the technical service bulletin I found through this forum both times I brought it in for the same issue and repeated what they needed to make sure they check to which I was told (very patronizingly) "Uh... they check everything. The AC is a very complicated unit".

 

[greaseman85]

These horror stories about parts not being readily available is what makes me rethink whether my next car will be a Mazda or not.

 

[anchorman]

I think its important to remember that these issues are all fixed on new cars. The problem here is getting the dealers to acknowledge that the potential for problems is high and they may need to fix all three known problems on each car before it is put right. There are some guys on the Uk forum that have had all three done and the cars are behaving perfectly. They have had the same up hill struggle in getting it done with a certain reluctance from the dealer in some cases. This is what I mean by saying we know more than Mazda. We certainly seem to know more than the dealers. I personally thing they should fit all three items to any car showing a problem in order that the customer can go away feeling confident that they aren’t just waiting for the next part to fail.

 

[TiGrayMSM]

I think its important to remember that these issues are all fixed on new cars. The problem here is getting the dealers to acknowledge that the potential for problems is high and they may need to fix all three known problems on each car before it is put right. There are some guys on the Uk forum that have had all three done and the cars are behaving perfectly. They have had the same up hill struggle in getting it done with a certain reluctance from the dealer in some cases. This is what I mean by saying we know more than Mazda. We certainly seem to know more than the dealers. I personally thing they should fit all three items to any car showing a problem in order that the customer can go away feeling confident that they aren’t just waiting for the next part to fail.

There is absolutely no way they will preemptively fix something to prevent a problem down the line unless it is a recall. They don't even want to bother with diagnosing the problem in the first place. Maybe if Mazda gave more warranty hours for diagnosis and repair the dealerships would have more incentive to do warranty work. I have my doubts though. I think it needs to start with a competent and educated staff that is paid well to prevent constant turn over of employees. Of the four Mazda dealers that I have worked with, only one had a solid service staff. They went out of business. The others have very high turn over, making me think that working for Mazda as a tech isn't great.

 

[Simrat Minhas]

UPDATE: I picked up my car yesterday and was told they're not sure when the part would come in. Got a call today the right part has arrived! I have no idea how it arrived in a day when it took me 2 months before but I'm trying to be more positive about this crap.

I'm out of town until next week and am bringing my vehicle in next friday for the repair. I'll update you all with what goes on - in case that provides some information to anyone who has this same issue in the future.

 

[Digal]

Another part, another failure! Another rental car. Possible date for return of my car, september 8th. Going into the 5th month of air con problems. Seriously thinking of giving up and trading in my CX3 for something else ?

 

[Rachel Meris]

I have the same issue -A/C not working "due to a condenser leak that is not allowing cold air in my car." Word by word as per technician. I have a CX3 2016. They say they ordered the part but chances are, it will be awhile before it gets fixed because the part is on backorder.
It's August 19th, 2017 so basically, no AC for the rest of the summer here in Toronto Canada. I have always been a Honda girl and thought to give Mazda a try...I should have known better... Apparently, I just happen to be the unlucky person to have received a bad part. Doesn't seem to be the case after reading a lot of testimony in this forum....

I asked if there is a way I can access a service car or rental because I cannot drive this car for the rest of the summer without AC, they said no- not a safety issue. So I guess all I can do is wait for the part to arrive (whenever that might be), and hopefully, they fix it. In the meantime, plan to find a way to get rid of the car once fixed and bitch at everyone that would listen how much I hate Mazda. Never again!

 

[Geezer]

I am surprised that the Air Conditioner is still considered a frill or non-essential luxury in this age of global warming (in spite of Global Warming Deniers). I would not be surprised if this will change very soon.

 

[Eric Sample]

I asked if there is a way I can access a service car or rental because I cannot drive this car for the rest of the summer without AC, they said no- not a safety issue. So I guess all I can do is wait for the part to arrive (whenever that might be), and hopefully, they fix it. In the meantime, plan to find a way to get rid of the car once fixed and bitch at everyone that would listen how much I hate Mazda. Never again!

I don't know the warranty requirements in Canada, but my dealer gave me two different loaner cars at different points that Mazda paid for. My car was out of commission for about two months in spring 2016 with a defective evaporator.

 

[SaltyNutz]

Same problem here purchased the car in december 2016 but everything worked fine until mid May 2018 and now no air conditioning and the dealership told me I'm probably waiting until middle of July for my parts and perhaps later they could fix it with existing parts but they think it might fail again so it's easier to just leave me to sweat all summer then to keep a customer happy.

 

[PeterTwoMeter]

Same here. Bought my cx3 may 2016 and now on may 2018 ac dosent blow cool air. I have an appointment scheduled for july.
I am not ok with waiting 2 months for service when i really need the ac right now.
Waiting for my dealership to call me to get some kind of compensation. I will wait untill thursday and then i will call them.

 

[zetec2]

Any body know the TSB reference please ?.

 

[MeKiwi]

Any body know the TSB reference please ?.

I think it might be 07-001/17.

My service invoice says "10409 Inspected and found the AC condenser to be leaking due to a manufacture brazing concern. TSB 07-001/17." I actually just got back from the Mazda dealer myself for the exact same problem -- A/C blows hot air only, which just started about a week ago on a 2017 CX-3 purchased in October 2016. Now starts the waiting game for the new part(s)...

 

[zetec2]

Thank you info appreciated, rgds, Paul H.