Mazda bulletin 09-023-26
What it saysDESCRIPTION Some customers may complain that the Adaptive LED Headlights (ALH) aim upward for several seconds just before the vehicle comes to a stop during nighttime driving. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mazda filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 12, 2026, received Sep 2, 2026, about the exterior lighting. It names 6 model years (2024–2026). 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.
DESCRIPTION Some customers may complain that the Adaptive LED Headlights (ALH) aim upward for several seconds just before the vehicle comes to a stop during nighttime driving. This is caused by improper control logic of the ALH. To eliminate this concern, the control software of the ALH has been modified. REPAIR PROCEDURE 1. Verify the customer concern. 2. Reprogram the ALH with the Mazda Modular Diagnostic System (M-MDS), using Mazda Diagnostic And Repair Software (MDARS). Refer to MDARS ECU Reprogramming Procedure.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09-023-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 12, 2026 | 11036696 | PDF, 154 KB |
What the document itself lists
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5555-51-027 | — | — |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (2 pages), read Sep 29, 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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 73 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 3 of them name Exterior Lighting — 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.
The high beams would turn on by themselves, and no matter what I did, they wouldn't turn off. Each time the high beams turned on, I would have to fiddle with the control stick for a few minutes until the high beams turned off. Sometimes they would turn off for a second and then just turn back on.
2026 Mazda CX-30 · Exterior Lighting · filed with NHTSA Aug 20, 2026 · ODI 11758126
The vehicle has a recurrent malfunction of the Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS), part of the exterior headlight system and advertised as a safety feature within Mazda’s i-ACTIVSENSE® technology. The failure presents as a dashboard warning stating: “Headlight System Malfunction.
2024 Mazda MX-5 · Exterior Lighting · filed with NHTSA Dec 20, 2025 · ODI 11706227
After driving on slight up or down hill with headlights on, I'm getting Headlight malfunction warning on my almost brand new (700 miles) Miata
2025 Mazda MX-5 · Exterior Lighting · filed with NHTSA Jul 20, 2026 · ODI 11751572
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 exterior lighting
Source: same model, same component group8 other manufacturer communications filed against these Mazda models under the same component group (exterior lighting), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09-011-26 | Service bulletin | Feb 26, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. The changes are noted in Red. 09-019/25 04/15/25 Some vehicles equi… |
| SA-034-25 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2025 | Some vehicles equipped with the Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) may exhibit the exterior light warning light/exterior light warning ind… |
| 09-029-25 | Service bulletin | Jul 30, 2025 | Some customers may notice an abnormal noise (i.e. whine, groan, rattle or squeak) coming from the front combination lights when turning them… |
| SA-023-25a | Service bulletin | Jul 14, 2025 | Some customers may complain about any of the following: 1. Infotainment Center Display does not provide the Authorization Code (OTP) during… |
| 09-015-23c | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2023 | Some customers may notice an abnormal noise (i.e. whine, groan, rattle or squeak) coming from the front combination lights when turning them… |
| 09-015-23b | Service bulletin | Aug 29, 2023 | Some customers may notice an abnormal noise (i.e. whine, groan, rattle or squeak) coming from the front combination lights when turning them… |
| SA-009-23g | Service bulletin | Aug 15, 2023 | Some customers may complain about any of the following: 1. Infotainment Center Display does not provide the Authorization Code (OTP) during… |
| 09-015-23a | Service bulletin | Jul 26, 2023 | Some customers may notice an abnormal noise (i.e. whine, groan, rattle or squeak) coming from the front combination lights when turning them… |
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 09-023-26 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 09-023-26 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 09-023-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2026 Mazda CX-30, 2025 Mazda CX-30, 2024 Mazda CX-30, 2026 Mazda MX-5, 2025 Mazda MX-5, 2024 Mazda MX-5. 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 31 Oct 2025; built before 12 Feb 2026; built before 28 Nov 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.