2018 Mazda Mazda6 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
I recently discovered a significant oil leak near the exhaust manifold of my 2018 Mazda 6 (2.5L NA), which has resulted in visible smoke and a burning oil odor. Upon taking the vehicle to the nearest Mazda dealership for a diagnosis, the service department informed me that the vehicle has suffered a cracked cylinder head. An active oil drip is visible behind the engine near the exhaust manifold immediately upon starting the car; consequently, the engine is leaking oil directly onto the exhaust components. This condition not only renders the vehicle inoperable but also presents a significant safety and fire hazard. At the time of this writing, my vehicle has only 46,996 miles and has been meticulously maintained. This mileage is well under the 60,000-mile powertrain threshold and represents a premature failure of a major internal engine component. There are numerous reports on Mazda owner forums describing this identical issue occurring in Mazda 6, CX-5, and CX-9 models. Some owners have even reported instances of minor fires or active burning under the hood due to oil contacting hot engine components. Mazda released Technical Service Bulletin TSB #MC-10241612-0001 (SA-037-23), which includes a redesigned cylinder head for 2018–2020 Mazda 6, 2019 CX-5, and 2016–2020 CX-9 models, demonstrating Mazda’s awareness of this design flaw. While the TSB currently only specifies the 2.5L Turbo engines and not the naturally aspirated variants, there is substantial evidence that this is a widespread defect across these model years, unrelated to owner misuse or vehicle mileage. Mazda should take full responsibility by issuing a formal recall or providing an extended warranty to cover naturally aspirated engines, thereby addressing this problem and preventing further safety risks.
Noticed slight coolant leak, took car to mechanic, he stated cylinder head was cracked, & causing coolant to spray everywhere. Towed car to dealer. Was given repair estimate of over $11,000, for a new engine. I see a safety bulletin online for my year make & model car. This overheating can apparently cause an engine fire. So far, Mazda seems to be showing negligence & not properly addressing the issue for owners.
VEHIXLE HAS OPEN RECALL #3719F. TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE ON JULY 15 AND ACCORDING TO NHTSA RECALL HAS EVEN OUT SINCE JUNE 27.2019. TO THIS DAY I HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY LETTER OR ANYTHING STATING CAR HAS OPEN RECALL WHEN THE CAR CAN TURN OF RANDOMLY. WILL BE TAKING CAR IN ON 08/26/19 BUT I'M CONCERNED AS TO WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED IN ANY LETTERS OR EMAILS
Trend Over Time
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Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2018 Mazda Mazda6 has 3 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.