Mazda 5 peeps - what to do?

mimieliza

New member
Just bought a Mazda 5 in April, brand new. It has 6000 miles on it. It is meant to be our main family vehicle for at least the next five years. And it finally gets IIHS testing and performs terribly.

I researched the hell out of this car, and looked at all the other Mazda models' crash test ratings, which seemed to indicate Mazda was a safety-minded company. The redsedign was in 2012, so it's not even that old a design.

I put $4000 down on the purchase and got a great price ($21K for the Touring trim). I love this car. But now I am freaking out. I bought a new car to be SAFE, and now I don't feel that I have that.

I am so mad. What are other Mazda 5 owners doing with this new info?
 
ADS

DawgDad

New member
Some are holding tight to see if there is a response from Mazda, some are actively replacing the car, and some are so upside down they are stuck even if they wanted to move to another vehicle.

Mazda 5 wasn't the only car blemished with how the car held up in the crash, it was also in the misfiring of the airbags (which can be fixed). Compact cars scored poorly in the new overlap test...which is slightly understandable since manufacturers design their vehicles based on necessity for safety standards. This was not a safety standard in 2012, therefore it stands to reason that a corporate decision dictated that they not waste money on making sure the car was COMPLETELY safe from every time of crash imaginable which would have only increased the price to make the car and drastically impacted their profit margin...if they were to not raise the price of the vehicle. Mazda isn't Volvo...so it's not one of their marketing principles to be the safest car on the road.

I am sorry for what you are going through and honestly, if the roles were reversed...I would be crunching numbers on what we could afford, looking at the market of vehicles, and trying to get out of the Mazda5 before it becomes a millstone around my neck. If Mazda flubs the recall or doesn't respond to a fix otherwise to abandon the 5 altogether, then the car will plummet in value on the resale market. For those who like and want a smaller car, but need the space for 2-3 children & road-trips and don't want to get a mid-/full-size SUV or minivan, then you might want to look at crossovers. The Ford Flex, Subaru Forester, Honda Crosstour, and Subaru Outback are safe picks to look at if you wanted...Subaru's new eyesight technology is worth a look. IIHS.org gave them all good scores (All scored much better on the side impact and small-overlap for those who have done it).
 

nataliem257

New member
Just bought a Mazda 5 in April, brand new. It has 6000 miles on it. It is meant to be our main family vehicle for at least the next five years. And it finally gets IIHS testing and performs terribly.

I researched the hell out of this car, and looked at all the other Mazda models' crash test ratings, which seemed to indicate Mazda was a safety-minded company. The redsedign was in 2012, so it's not even that old a design.

I put $4000 down on the purchase and got a great price ($21K for the Touring trim). I love this car. But now I am freaking out. I bought a new car to be SAFE, and now I don't feel that I have that.

I am so mad. What are other Mazda 5 owners doing with this new info?

I'm trading, but only because I was able to financially work it out. I feel the exact same way as you though, how the F did they manage to miss this, the side impact test has been around, you know they have the sleds in the lab somewhere if their other vehicles perform so well, WTF. If you can't afford to trade, know that any car on the road now is safer than cars we drove without thinking twice a few years ago and the statistical chances of having that particular type of wreck are very very small. I would take side impact precautions though, EEEERF, side impact enhanced FF seats, etc. I love mine too, gosh I'm gonna miss those sliding doors, I would have driven it till the wheels fell off. :-(
 

mimieliza

New member
Well, I watched the video and the side impact wasn't as terrible as I thought. And the overall IIHS rating isn't awful. CR just retracted their recommendation, though. Thanks, CR, for RETROACTIVELY deciding this car is a bad choice.

The problem is, if I were to try and trade it in I would probably have to stick with Mazda. The CX-5 is too small and the CX-9 didn't do any better on the crash tests than the 5.

Maybe I'll wait a year or two and trade it in for whatever vehicle is rumored to replace the 5?
 

amyd

New member
My 5 is a 2010 and close to being paid off. Our plan is to have it become DH's commuter car because his Civic is heading toward 11 yrs old and I'm going to get a bigger family vehicle. Probably a Pilot.
 

CMeMeC

New member
My 5 is a 2010 and close to being paid off. Our plan is to have it become DH's commuter car because his Civic is heading toward 11 yrs old and I'm going to get a bigger family vehicle. Probably a Pilot.

Didn't the pilot also perform poorly?
 

CMeMeC

New member
Oh gosh, really? Sigh... Off to research that one.

I could be way off on that. I think I read something that the chevy equinox and gmc terrain performed the best out of maybe 9 suvs tested and the pilot was among the worst. I really hope I am wrong, though because I would love to have a pilot. Maybe I should just give in to the minivan and get an odyssey.
ETA: I think this is what I read...
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/25191864/honda-pilot-worst-suv-crash-test
 

DawgDad

New member
I could be way off on that. I think I read something that the chevy equinox and gmc terrain performed the best out of maybe 9 suvs tested and the pilot was among the worst. I really hope I am wrong, though because I would love to have a pilot. Maybe I should just give in to the minivan and get an odyssey.
ETA: I think this is what I read...
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/25191864/honda-pilot-worst-suv-crash-test

Yep, the Pilot did scored the lowest rating on the small overlap test (Poor), but G's across the board (highest rating) on all other crash tests. The Pilot is due for a new model soon.

However, while the Terrain and Equinox did score well, they aren't the same size as the Pilot. The Traverse and Envoy are the direct competitors to size, and they have not been tested for the small overlap. The Envoy scored quite poorly on all the crash tests.

Best overall family carrier that is the safest is without a doubt the Honda Odyssey. It's safety scores have been consistently higher than all other family vehicles for years...so if you are a family of 5-8, there really is no other logical choice for all-around safe, fuel efficient, comfort, convenience, and resale value.
 

DawgDad

New member
Well, I watched the video and the side impact wasn't as terrible as I thought. And the overall IIHS rating isn't awful. CR just retracted their recommendation, though. Thanks, CR, for RETROACTIVELY deciding this car is a bad choice.

The problem is, if I were to try and trade it in I would probably have to stick with Mazda. The CX-5 is too small and the CX-9 didn't do any better on the crash tests than the 5.

Maybe I'll wait a year or two and trade it in for whatever vehicle is rumored to replace the 5?

The side impact was a marginal score, but it gets bad scores for most likely killing or leaving the driver paralyzed from the waist down with possible brain damage and giving the passengers in the back internal bleeding. Part of that is due to the poor deployment of the side airbag system, and the other is frame damage. The airbags could be fixed with a recall, but the frame damage cannot.

Personally, I would, if I had the time, explore my options...kick tires...look at other cars and see what I could get. Working off assumptions of being stuck with the Mazda brand or not being able to trade it in & remain affordable is not confirmed. CarMax is always worth a shot to see what if anything they would offer for your car not to mention looking at the lot to see what other cars are available. The longer you keep your car, the faster it will depreciate if Mazda doesn't handle the bad safety press on it well. Seen it happen WAY too often in the car industry. There is a finite moment in time where the majority of the population still doesn't know the news on the car...dealerships know, but the buying public does not. You wait a year, that will all change...especially if Mazda completely abandons the platform & car like it's heavily rumored it will do.
 

CMeMeC

New member
Yep, the Pilot did scored the lowest rating on the small overlap test (Poor), but G's across the board (highest rating) on all other crash tests. The Pilot is due for a new model soon.

However, while the Terrain and Equinox did score well, they aren't the same size as the Pilot. The Traverse and Envoy are the direct competitors to size, and they have not been tested for the small overlap. The Envoy scored quite poorly on all the crash tests.

Best overall family carrier that is the safest is without a doubt the Honda Odyssey. It's safety scores have been consistently higher than all other family vehicles for years...so if you are a family of 5-8, there really is no other logical choice for all-around safe, fuel efficient, comfort, convenience, and resale value.

While it may not be a logical choice, I have to drive an envoy. It is paid for and was purchased before I knew or cared about safety ratings. Otherwise, it is very nice and meets our needs. Our budget does not allow for a new car purchase for another couple of years. I would love to have a new odyssey or pilot, but I woild not love the debt that would come along with that.
 

DawgDad

New member
While it may not be a logical choice, I have to drive an envoy. It is paid for and was purchased before I knew or cared about safety ratings. Otherwise, it is very nice and meets our needs. Our budget does not allow for a new car purchase for another couple of years. I would love to have a new odyssey or pilot, but I woild not love the debt that would come along with that.

Understood. Life is about choices and you need to do what is best for your family.
 

nataliem257

New member
A quick Google search might give some of the people who are driving a 5 and can't financially afford to trade some peace of mind. If I'm giving bogus stats someone correct me, because I didn't have time to fact check. The insurance industry estimates that a person will be in some form of accident, on average, once every 18 years. That's any type of accident, including fender benders. Of those accidents, only 3 out of 1000 or so involved a fatality. And of those 3/1000 fatal crashes, around one out of 3 involved a side impact. That being said, I'm trading, but only because I can afford it. Not everyone has that option. My point is, the statistical chances of having this particular type of crash is very very likely to be a non issue, but financially strapping your family will most definitely be a very very big issue every single day. It's easy to freak out when you hear words like paralyzed from the waist down and internal bleeding, and if you can, I would trade in ASAP as dawg is likely right about the value going off a cliff in the very near future, but if you can't sleep well at night knowing your car will likely provide plenty of protection in the event of MOST types of crashes. Just food for thought :)
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Best overall family carrier that is the safest is without a doubt the Honda Odyssey. It's safety scores have been consistently higher than all other family vehicles for years...so if you are a family of 5-8, there really is no other logical choice for all-around safe, fuel efficient, comfort, convenience, and resale value.

Best overall I'd agree with the Odyssey. None of the midsize or smaller fullsize SUVs can match it for 3rd row comfort, cargo space, passenger space or seating flexibility.

I'll make my case for the safest and most comfortable family carrier in my upcoming Acura MDX review;-) And the fuel economy in the new 2WD trim is pretty reasonable now, too.

That said, I like our Prius and Highlander Hybrid. There are safer and more flexible family vehicles, and sometimes I miss my Odyssey for convenience, but I'd much rather be driving my Highlander. I know when I reviewed the Mazda5, it was pretty nice to drive compared to just about anything else on the road with 6 seats or more. And it's a bargain price with great fuel economy. Those are pretty important factors for some buyers as well. While the Mazda5 certainly isn't among the safest family vehicles in terms of crashworthiness, it's likely safer than most any SUV or van that was on the road 15 years ago! It's all relative, of course, but I think it's still a reasonable family vehicle in its niche.
 

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