NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

4.1

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,071 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Mazda MPV electrical problems

electrical problem

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2004 Mazda MPV Owner Comments

problem #11

Nov 222007

MPV

  • 26,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle was lurching, no warning light was on. It took a while to figure out the rear coil was bad. We spent $1200 getting a tune up and that didn't fix the problem took a while to figure it out. Also, the transmission failed on this vehicle completely at 55 thousand miles. We had taken it in 3 times before it failed and they said nothing was wrong with it.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #10

Apr 232010

MPV

  • miles
Ignition coils retain moisture and cause cylinders to misfire. This causes vehicles to stall or lose power -- usually when raining. In our case, this has happened repeatedly on the interstate during rain. We early caused an accidents by our inability to get out of traffic with our suddenly-slowed vehicle. Replacement of a single coils cost us over $200. There are six ignition coils (over $1000). Many internet forums indicate that this problem is systemic in this make/model. We understand that the manufacturer redesigned the coil for subsequent models. They obviously recognized the flaw.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #9

Jun 012011

MPV

  • miles
2004 Mazda mini van the ignition coils are continually having to be replaced-I am on the 4th time having one of them replaced over the pass 4 years.

- Ga, GA, USA

problem #8

Jul 012010

MPV

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2004 Mazda MPV. Consumer states that while driving speeds of 70 mph the vehicle just lost all acceleration dropping to below 5 mph. She also states that the vehicle just shut off. The mechanics were unable to find a problem.

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #7

Jul 082007

MPV

  • 50,000 miles
2004 Mazda MPV: I have had to replace all 6 ignition coils in my van - the van would shake and seem to be stalling and the engine light would come on. This started in July 2007 and continued so far through Jan 2010 (when 4 coils and all my spark plugs needed to be replaced at once !). I have also had the car in during Oct 2008 because the fan would continue running for several minutes after the van was shut off. My dealer told me this is a "Ford" issue. When will Mazda be required to pay for all these expensive repairs??

- Bristow, VA, USA

problem #6

Jun 142009

MPV

  • 63,000 miles
My 2004 Mazda MPV suffered the same problem as many other consumers. On two different occasions I had to replace all of the coils and plugs on my vehicle. The first instance was just after the warranty expired and involved one of the rear coils but the said I should replace all three rear coils. The second incident occurred two months later to the front coil and I replaced all of those - total cost $900. I complained to Mazda but they wouldn't do anything for me. This should be recalled and owners compensated.

- Lawrenceville, NJ, USA

problem #5

May 042006

MPV

  • 23,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Mazda MPV. While driving at speeds of 30 mph, the vehicle began hesitating as if it were attempting to stall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they replaced the electrical coil to the cylinder. The repairs were performed under factory warranty. The failure recurred within a year and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic placed insulating materials around the coil to prevent moisture from entering the coil. The mechanic advised when moisture would enter the electrical coils; it would cause a shortage contributing to the failure. In addition, when the engine was shut off, the cooling fan would continue operating. The failure persisted. There were no recalls for the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

- Patterson, GA, USA

problem #4

May 232006

MPV

  • 23,000 miles
We have 2004 Mazda MPV which we bought new. While it was still under warranty, we had to have coils replaced. We thought it was odd that we would be having to replace coils on such a new vehicle. After investigation, we found that this is a common occurrence with the year MPV we have. Apparently there is a design flaw which allows moisture to get to the coils, causing them to short out. We mentioned this to fitzgerald Mazda in annapolis, md where we were having it serviced. They admitted this was a problem but basically thought we should be happy that it was still under warranty..even though it was probably going to be an ongoing problem long after the warranty ran out. Since the warranty ran out, we have had to have coils replaced 2 more times at our own expense and are waiting to have yet another coil replaced as I am writing this complaint. Each time we have to have a coiled replaced, it is very costly due to the fact that the design of the vehicle makes them very difficult to get to. Once we had to have it done while we were traveling on vacation in Florida..this was done at the Mazda dealership in gainesville, Florida. Then another time we had a coil replaced by a mechanic in owings, Maryland. That mechanic did extensive research for us and came to the same conclusion..this is a problem with moisture getting to the coils and will happen again and again throughout the life of the vehicle. We are now delaying another vacation..paying out of pocket to have yet another coil replaced. We want Mazda to stand my their product. There should be a recall and they should be required to correct the problem at their expense. We have spent close to $2,000 now. The worst part is, it is only a matter of time before another coil goes out. Please help!

- Patterson, GA, USA

problem #3

Aug 142008

MPV

  • 35,000 miles
Like many other Mazda MPV owners, I've experienced problems with the vehicle's ignition coils. In August 2008, the vehicle was riding very rough and hesitating on the highway. The diagnostics for the check engine light showed that one of the ignition coils had misfired. I had the coil replaced and, at the recommendation of the dealership, replaced the spark plugs. At that time, my vehicle with approximately 35,000 miles on it, was out of warranty. I paid $476 for the repair but was ultimately reimbursed by Mazda on a customer goodwill basis. One year later, in August 2009, the vehicle again began riding rough and hesitating. When the check engine light came on, I brought the vehicle to the dealership. Based on the earlier experience, I suspected an ignition coil as the culprit. My suspicions were realized. The dealership found that cylinder #5 had misfired and that several other coils were weak. The dealer indicated that the other coils were likely to go and recommended that all of them be replaced. I had the work done at a cost of $960. The vehicle at this point had only 46,000 miles on it. Both repairing dealerships mentioned that this is a common problem with Mpvs. From my research, I can see that is a significant problem for 2002-2006 MPV's. entire message boards are dedicated to this Mazda MPV ignition coil defect. Most believe that there's a design flaw that prevents the coils from dispersing moisture properly, which over time leads the cylinders to misfire. It seems to me that Mazda should have voluntarily recalled the vehicle due to this issue. Having previously made a customer accommodation on the earlier repair, Mazda has refused to reimburse me for the costs of this latest repair. It's unfortunate that Mazda has chosen to deal with the problem on a customer-by-customer basis, rather than having voluntarily recalled the vehicle in order to address this very common problem.

- Smithtown, NY, USA

problem #2

Jun 162008

MPV

  • 68,000 miles
Mazda 2004 MPV with just under 68,000 miles has 3 fuel injectors(cel) replaced by local mechanic- 2 weeks later jerky misfires with cel required #5 coil replaced by dealership, less than a month later #4 coil replaced by local mechanic in town we were vacationing in-no cel, now same jerky misfires starting again a month after last replacement. Recent forum entries seem to indicate a growing problem of this type for 2004 MPV. Except for towing charges, expensive repairs, and inconvenience- no injuries.

- Dumfries, VA, USA

problem #1

Apr 172007

MPV 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 31,777 miles
I purchased a 2004 MPV arch 28, 2005. To date, I have had this van in for warranty service to replace ignition coils three times: 10/31/06 '' 31,770mi - #4 coil replaced. Transmission range sensor replaced also 12/05/06 '' 33,229mi - #4 coil replaced again 1/08/07 '' 34,708mi - #6 coil replaced. Today as I was driving, the same symptoms '' steering wheel vibration, bucking, lurching '' occurred as before when the other coils failed. The cel came on, I checked for the code and I discovered that the #5 coil has failed. Now this will be the fourth service for the same problem. There has been no effort on the part of country Mazda to find the source of the coil failure. Replacing the parts obviously is not solving the problem.

- West Babylon, NY, USA

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