The vehicle had its first oil change at 5873 miles. Before the oil change, the dipstick showed oil level as full. I was planning on taking my car to the dealership for its second oil change and inspection/tire rotation next week when the car was closer to 10,000 miles. On the way home from work, the center dash cluster illuminated orange and stated, “Low Engine Oil Level.” I pulled over, checked the oil and the dipstick was nearly dry, with one small drop at the end. I was near a store and was able to purchase and add oil.

Mazda has a TSB with an NHTSA ID Number 10202685 and a Manufacturer Communication Number of 01-012-21-3832 that states, in part, “Some vehicles may have a LOW ENGINE OIL LEVEL warning message and a CHECK ENGINE light in the instrument cluster, along with DTC P250F:00 stored in memory…upon inspecting the engine oil level, the level is found to be low and there doesn’t appear to be any trace of oil leakage in the engine compartment. This concern usually occurs when the mileage reaches approximately 3,100 - 4,700 miles and may also occur again after replacing or topping off the engine oil…The root cause of this concern has not been identified yet, therefore a repair procedure will be announced at a later date…”

So, Mazda is aware they have engines that are gobbling oil at an alarming rate, yet have no idea why. That leaves people like me, with a brand new car, in a situation where I have to closely monitor engine oil levels between changes, with the potential of damaging the engine or leaving me stranded. This is not why I bought a new car. I’m so disappointed in Mazda, particularly with their reputation of building exceptionally well-built vehicles. But instead of enjoying a trouble-free new car, I have to treat mine like an old beater with well over 100,000 miles on the odometer! I didn’t spend nearly $40,000 for this unacceptable mess. This same engine is used in many other models, so my suggestion, if you are in the market for a dependable new car, is to look elsewhere. At least until Mazda can figure out how their own engines work and have the skills necessary to build and repair them properly. I hear the Hyundai Kona is a pretty nice ride. 🤨