My Mazda rapidly developed a major oil leak that I discovered when driving home, for only a 30 minute drive, I smelled a burning smell and after pulling off the road has white smoke billowing from underneath the hood. I inspected the entire area under the engine, after removing all of the splash pans/covers. After cleaning off all of oil on areas I could reach it appeared the leak was coming from the rear of the motor and I confirmed it was not the oil drain plug, oil filter or the seal on the oil pan.

I took the car to a local certified mechanic who diagnosed the problem as a likely cracked cylinder head as the amount of oil leaking was massive. On his advice, I took the car to the local Mazda dealer who quickly confirmed the cracked cylinder head diagnosis and summarily told me that it would not be covered under the manufacturer's 60,000 mile/60 month powertrain warranty, even though my car has only 44,300 miles. Both sources indicated that the primary cause for a cracked cylinder head was engine overheating and as no surprise, the Mazda dealer indicated that this was primarily due to owner neglect! My car has had all recommended and required maintenance, including oil/filter changes, coolant system checks and maintenance and filters, brakes, etc. A related and relevant item is that my car was serviced in 2022 by the dealership to replace a defective "coolant control valve & related components", after the check engine ight came on, indicating an engine overheating issue. Mazda also issued extended special warranty extension letters to owners of this model in November 2024 indicating that they would extend the warranty for this fail-safe thermostat issue until 180 months / 150,000 miles.

I am now facing a $4500 to $6000 repair/replacement for a cylinder head that many reports online have described as "surprisingly thin aluminum" and "very likely defective from the start". So much for this make/model being "very reliable"!!!