Mazda bulletin SA-018-24
What it saysThe 7G large platform utilizes a new 8-speed automatic transmission. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mazda filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 15, 2024, received Apr 2, 2024, about the parking brake. It names 2 model years (2024–2025). 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 NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
The 7G large platform utilizes a new 8-speed automatic transmission. Due to changes in the parking lock mechanism, which is now hydraulically operated, the neutral range in the transmission can only be achieved if the engine is running (or “Ready-On” for PHEV). With this design, there is no provision to manually engage neutral. This can cause challenges to dealers, customers, or towing providers when a vehicle cannot start and can't move, usually due to a discharged (dead) battery. In the event that a vehicle cannot be started or achieve “ready-on”, wheel dollies must be used to allow the vehicle to be rolled and moved. NOTE: The following procedure is for moving vehicle around the service shop and not for towing purposes. Please reference the owner's manual for towing instructions.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA-018-24 | Service bulletin | Mar 15, 2024 | 10252377 | PDF, 132 KB |
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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 519 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 113 of them name Electrical System, 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.
Hybrid system electrical leakage. Literally makes the car unusable. Dozens of examples on both Reddit and Facebook
2024 Mazda CX-90 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 18, 2024 · ODI 11572606
In depth: 2024 Mazda CX-90 electrical 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 parking brake
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against these Mazda models under the same component group (parking brake), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA-041-23 | Service bulletin | Jul 19, 2023 | The 7G large platform utilizes a new 8-speed automatic transmission. Due to changes in the parking lock mechanism, which is now hydraulicall… |
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 SA-018-24 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 SA-018-24 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 SA-018-24 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2025 Mazda CX-70, 2024 Mazda CX-90. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.