2012 Mazda 3 vibration/shuddering

[alternative3d]

Hello

I just bought a new 2012 Mazda 3 a few day ago and have noticed a vibration when driving over 60 km/h. I took it back to the dealer last night who also confirmed the vibration and said it is probably the tires that need to be re-balanced.
I am curious as to why a new car with less than 300 km would need to have the tires re-balanced?. Would this not have been checked during the PDI?
Needless to say I am not happy about this and I am not even sure it is a tire issue .

Anyways I am curious if anyone else has experienced this with there new car or am I just one of the lucky ones.

Thanks

[WhiteFormer86]

I'm surprised that would happen already on brand new tires and yes the tires should already be balanced from the manufacturer . The only other thing I can think of is maybe the tires need to be worked in first since they are brand new and the vibration might go away slowly but it's hard to say . Does it vibrate a lot when you go over 60 ? It shouldn't be that much. Just get the dealership to take care of it , it's under warranty right ?

[alternative3d]

I am taking it to the dealer tommorrow to have them balance the tires and yes it is under warranty. It is a minor vibration effecting the whole car and you can diffently feel it even on smooth surfaces. I guess I am more pissed at the dealer because it is obvious they never balanced the tires (if that is what it is) during PDI.
I hope it is just a tire issue, but somehow I get the feeling it may not resolve it..

We shall see.

Thanks

[Pereira11]

the car has probably been sitting for a while which creates flat spots. The PDI is done when the car first arrives at the dealerhsip. It can then sit for many months before being sold.

Tires arent balanced during a PDI anyways. Almost 100% that the tires are flat spotted. They may be able to warranty the tires and get you brand new ones. But that is a big maybe.

[alternative3d]

If this is the case then balancing the will have no effect if the tire has a flat spot?...Also if there is a flat spot would it eventually go away the more you drive?

Sorry for the questions, but of all the cars I have own I have never experienced this before...

Thanks

[eSS]

I've seen some cases where tires round themselves out after driving for a while. Most severe flatspotting I've seen is when owners of vehicles they don't drive in winter sit 5-6 months without being moved. Best case scenario for that is to keep the car on jacks.

But no, balancing of tires is not in a PDI inspection, though a test drive of the vehicle is done. Dunno why it wasn't felt before

[Pereira11]

the flat spots will eventually go away with driving

[alternative3d]

Thanks for the replies.

I have taken the car back twice to the dealer and still experiencing this vibration. Dealer re-balanced the tires and replaced one of the tires, but still no difference. If this issue is not tire related (which I am sure it is), would there by anything mechanical that would cause car vibrations at certain speeds?

[ecbehrens]

Well you may be surprised or not, but today when I was uninstalling my mud guards on my 2012 Mazda3 (getting a mazdaspeed) I found out that my front left tire had already been repaired/pached. Now I've owned my car since May and have never had a flat tire . Makes you think, how can a New Car have a patched tire... I'm severely disappointed with Mazda right now.

[Booter22]

selling dealer may have patched and forgot to tell you?

[ecbehrens]

Yeah they must've forgotten to tell me. I just thought when you're buying a new car you shouldn't be getting one with a patched tire, I must have high expectations when I'm dishing out 20-30k

[Dynames]

Its strange you'd need rebalancing so soon since you're car is so new. If anything some of these new vehicles need alignments since a lot of them come by freight and the tires are held down.

[JHX 1138]

Its strange you'd need rebalancing so soon since you're car is so new. If anything some of these new vehicles need alignments since a lot of them come by freight and the tires are held down.

my 2012 Mazda3 GT is new (4 wks old) and it needed rebalancing + re-alignment at 2 weeks old! steering wheel vibration @ highway speeds was noticed when it was just 3 days old.

[Booter22]

Its strange you'd need rebalancing so soon since you're car is so new. If anything some of these new vehicles need alignments since a lot of them come by freight and the tires are held down.

i had to have an alignment done on my car when it was new, pulled a bit heavy to the left. adjustments are covered for the first year / 20,000 km.

[alternative3d]

Ok, I give up...I just put some brand new winter tires and rims on and still getting the exact same vibration at the exact same speed. In fact its probably more noticable with winter tires on..This is getting frustrating because I have had the car back to the dealer 3 times and each time they would do something to one of the tires but it makes no difference. The problem is still there with new winter tires on so I can only assume this is not a tire issue.
So now I am wondering if this is common on Mazdas. I have seen a few threads on here talking about vibrations at certain speeds and just wondering if this is the nature of the car. I had a 10 year old Protege with over 200k on it and it never vibrated like this 2012 does. I am not sure what to think...

[JHX 1138]

sorry for the late post... but did you happen to hit a curb lately?
that may have caused damage to suspension components --> cause a vibration/shimmy which is still felt with a new set of tires & rims.

maybe other folks here can comment on whether hitting a curb has the potential to damage suspension components.

maybe try going back to dealer and ask them to inspect your suspension?

[eaybulut]

sorry for the late post... but did you happen to hit a curb lately?
that may have caused damage to suspension components --> cause a vibration/shimmy which is still felt with a new set of tires & rims.

maybe other folks here can comment on whether hitting a curb has the potential to damage suspension components.

maybe try going back to dealer and ask them to inspect your suspension?

My experience with hitting a curb resulted in a wobbly feeling while driving, not a vibration (in addition to having to change the rim / tire)..
On another note, though its very unlikely.. I had a vibration on my summers and winter tires going @ approx. 45-55km. Got alignment done on both, still the same issue. I couldn't figure out what the hell it was for about 1 year. Turned out to be the passenger side engine/motor mount...

[shane.hunt51]

I bought a 2012 Mazda 3 Sport Skyactiv in September, and the day I drove it off the lot, I felt a vibration on the highway around 80-90 Km/h. Took it into the dealer a few days later, and they said to wait a little bit longer for things to break in. I took it into the shop, and they said they couldn't find anything, but they checked the balance and alignment. That didn't solve it, and I have had it back in the shop a total of three times now for the same issue, and I get the same answer every time, that they can't find everything, and that the alignment and balance are ok.

The other day I got my winter tires on, and it is still vibrating. This is very frustrating, and it seems that I am not the only one. Alternative3d, have you had any developments?

[sarujo]

As was mentioned above, get your passenger motor mount checked out.

[sarujo]

What year is your car and mileage when you had to get your PMM changed?


My experience with hitting a curb resulted in a wobbly feeling while driving, not a vibration (in addition to having to change the rim / tire)..
On another note, though its very unlikely.. I had a vibration on my summers and winter tires going @ approx. 45-55km. Got alignment done on both, still the same issue. I couldn't figure out what the hell it was for about 1 year. Turned out to be the passenger side engine/motor mount...

[shane.hunt51]

I did some more research today, and I think I found the issue of the vibration. In my car anyway.

Start the car, leave it in park, and rev the engine up to around 2000 rpm, and the vibration starts, go a little higher and it disappears. This is the exact same vibration that I felt on the highway. I am going to take it to the dealer this week to see what they say.

Anyone else experience the same?

[alternative3d]

Are these engine mounts an issue with all years?. I have heard they were a problem on the 2010 model years and only after 40ks, but could they still be a problem on the 2012 as well?.
I just find it hard to believe that I may have a engine mount problem on a brand new car. I may take the car to an independent mechanic and have them inspect the mounts and see what they say..

shane.hunt51 I am going to have to try and rev my engine in park as well and see if I get the same results.