Mazda bulletin 05-004-23
What it saysSome customers may complain about a surging at low speeds and during acceleration. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mazda filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 1, 2023, received Sep 3, 2023, about the power train. It names 5 model years (2018–2020). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Some customers may complain about a surging at low speeds and during acceleration. This surging is in the longitudinal direction, felt about 2 cycles per second, and occurs in the locked up 1st gear. This may be caused by the torque fluctuation and the torsional resonance in the torque converter. To correct this concern, the PCM software has been modified to reduce the torque fluctuation.
Trouble codes it names: P2610 U2120 U2500 all 3 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-004-23 | Service bulletin | Aug 1, 2023 | 10241608 | PDF, 225 KB |
What the document itself lists
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5555-18-881 | CX-5: 5555-RP-PCM | — | eBay Motors → |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (4 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Mazda’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 5 model years this bulletin names have filed 842 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 446 of them name Engine, Power Train — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2018 Mazda CX-5, the 29 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 28,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
From a full stop, vehicle lags or lurches from takeoff when you hit the accelerator. This is a known problem by Mazda on this vehicle (gen 7) after 3000 miles or more. When I hit the accelerator (especially on a new car), I expect it to go. This lag in moving off the line can be dangerous, in my opinion, but apparently not in mazda's.
2019 Mazda Mazda3 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Mar 16, 2020 · ODI 11318310
For some reason this vehicle will make a whoop sound after driving it for a little then idle, either at a stop light or sitting in a parking lot. The first time we heard it we thought that there was a police vehicle in the area. We took it to Mazda dealership, and they didn't what why it was making that sound.
2020 Mazda CX-5 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jun 19, 2022 · ODI 11469991
Vehicle went into limp mode while passing on two lane road. Cause was determined to be wrong logic in PCM for cylinder deactivation. This worng logic caused low oil pressure in the lifter during deactivation which in turn caused the rocker arm to become dislodged rendering the associated valve inoperable.
2018 Mazda CX-5 · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 6, 2019 · ODI 11205743
In depth: 2019 Mazda CX-5 engine problems → · 2018 Mazda CX-5 engine problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the power train
Source: same model, same component group23 other manufacturer communications filed against these Mazda models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Mazda list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01-008-26 | Service bulletin | May 1, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. The changes are noted in Red. 01-008/23 06/05/23 Some vehicles ma… |
| 01-003-26a | Service bulletin | May 1, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. The changes are noted in Red text. 01-003/26 01/30/26 Some vehicl… |
| 01-007-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 2, 2026 | Some vehicles may exhibit the check engine light ON with DTC P2112… |
| SA-056-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 27, 2025 | When inspected, the differential or PTO oil is dark or black. This is considered normal and NO repair should be performed. During production… |
| 05-001-25a | Service bulletin | Nov 23, 2025 | Some customers may see the A/T warning light on during (or immediately after) engine start-up with DTCs P073D:00-TCM / P1738:00-TCM stored.… |
| SA-040-25a | Service bulletin | Nov 18, 2025 | A New Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF-A7) is being used for some 2023-2026 models. ATF-A7 is an extremely low viscosity formulation with l… |
| SA-052-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 6, 2025 | Some customer's might state that they notice fluid or oil leaking/dripping on the ground when the vehicle is parked. For this concern, inspe… |
| SA-040-25 | Service bulletin | Aug 27, 2025 | A New Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF-A7) is being used for some 2023-2026 models. ATF-A7 is an extremely low viscosity formulation with l… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Mazda, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Mazda 05-004-23 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 05-004-23 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Mazda warranty extension on file lists the ones Mazda has filed.
Which vehicles does 05-004-23 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 5 model years: 2020 Mazda CX-5, 2019 Mazda CX-5, 2018 Mazda CX-5, 2020 Mazda Mazda3, 2019 Mazda Mazda3. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: built before 11 Jan 2020; built before 20 Jul 2020 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.