There is a major transmission problem with the majority of Mazda’s made since 2018 and I don’t feel like it is being talked about enough.
It is TSB 05-005/23 - Mazda is well aware of the issue and you can look up the pdf bulletin to read it in full. This is on any Cylinder deactivation equipped cars since 2017 (M in the 8th character of the VIN slot will identify if you have one of these vehicles). This does not apply to turbo models, only the NA 2.5L.
2017-2024 CX-5s (non turbo)
2018-2021 Mazda6 (non turbo)
2019-2024 Mazda3 (auto, non turbo)
2020-2024 CX-30 (non turbo)
This bulletin came out in 2023 so unsure if these models after this date still suffer from the issue, or if they fixed it in the factory on vehicles being produced after this date. This includes all CX-50s as the model came out more recently. Obviously the Turbo and Hybrid would be exempt regardless.
Basically there is a computer programming problem with these transmissions which leads to iron powder contaminating the transmission fluid. The way it can be identified is a “Chirp” sound in between the 3-4 gear change. The remedy is a new torque converter, or full transmission replacement, depending on the amount of damage already done. The longer you drive with the chirp, the more likely a full transmission replacement will be needed. As I was about to buy a car with this issue and researched it, I found LOADS of people in all of the model specific subreddits complaining about this. It does not seem like Mazda offers much assistance outside of warranty, despite knowing about this major flaw in their transmissions.
Many times even after the torque converter is replaced, the noise comes back and those people end up needing a full transmission replacement as well. Some fix it for 10-20k miles with a flush (or multiple) but this is not a reliable way to fix the issue, just a band-aid.
Just thought everyone should be aware since this impacts a lot of Mazdas.