Mazda bulletin SA-031-23
What it saysSome automotive cleaning products contain strong acid or alkali. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mazda filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 17, 2023, received Jun 4, 2023, about the wheels. It names 55 model years (2016–2024). 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 communicationSome automotive cleaning products contain strong acid or alkali. When these types of cleaners are used to clean the wheels on Mazda vehicles, the chemicals contents penetrate the clear coating of the wheel surface and damage the paint under the clear coating. The damaged area has the appearance of dark stains or discoloration.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA-031-23 | Service bulletin | May 17, 2023 | 10237215 | PDF, 657 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 themand 9 more on this site: 2018 Mazda Mazda3, 2017 Mazda Mazda3, 2016 Mazda Mazda3, 2021 Mazda Mazda6, 2020 Mazda Mazda6, 2019 Mazda Mazda6, 2018 Mazda Mazda6, 2017 Mazda Mazda6, 2016 Mazda Mazda6.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2016 Mazda MAZDA2; 2017 Mazda MAZDA2; 2018 Mazda MAZDA2; 2019 Mazda MAZDA2; 2020 Mazda MAZDA2; 2021 Mazda MAZDA2.
A 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 49 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,630 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 3 of them name Wheels — 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.
I had my 3rd flat tire in a parking lot, my husband came to change my tire, he used the breaker bar he used before (only way to get tire off) and 4 bearings broke, this LED to me needing a whole new hub assembly and tire, I don't feel that a 2 year old car should need a new hub assembly especially because the tire replacement tools that…
2017 Mazda Mazda3 · Wheels · filed with NHTSA Nov 8, 2019
I was driving approximately 75-80 mph (speed limit for I-90 is 80 mph) on I-90 Eastbound in South Dakota (approximately 5-8 miles from Sioux Falls, SD) in the left-hand lane (passing lane with a minimal shoulder) when I heard a terrible noise that sounded like I had a flat tire and the car began to pull to the left.
2021 Mazda CX-9 · Wheels · filed with NHTSA Sep 6, 2023
Rear wheel bearings failed at approximately 30,000 miles and were replaced by Mazda under warrantee. The same rear wheel bearings failed at approximately 72,000 miles and are available for inspection. Dealer has confirmed bad wheel bearings on both occasions.
2022 Mazda CX-30 · Wheels · filed with NHTSA Sep 12, 2025
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 wheels
Source: same model, same component group9 other manufacturer communications filed against these Mazda models under the same component group (wheels), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Mazda list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02-003-26a | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. The changes are noted in Red. 02-003/26 06/24/26 DESCRIPTION Some v… |
| 02-003-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 25, 2026 | DESCRIPTION Some vehicles have reported faster than expected tire wear for vehicles equipped with OEM "Falken 275/45/21" tires, without outs… |
| SA-002-26 | Service bulletin | Jan 6, 2026 | Some customers may complain that the tire sidewalls are distorted or "damaged". Sidewall waviness/indentations/undulations are common on rad… |
| SA-020-25a | Service bulletin | Nov 19, 2025 | There have been warranty claims submitted for growling or bearing whine noise in differentials, transfer units and transmissions where the s… |
| SA-022-24a | Other | Jun 7, 2024 | Some automotive cleaning products contain strong acid or alkali. When these types of cleaners are used to clean the wheels on Mazda vehicles… |
| PF-24-07 | Other | May 24, 2024 | Please be advised that the valve stem seals assigned to the 2.5 Skyactiv Turbo engines in GEPC are incorrect. The Diesel Valve Stem seal SH0… |
| SA-022-24 | Service bulletin | Apr 10, 2024 | Some automotive cleaning products contain strong acid or alkali. When these types of cleaners are used to clean the wheels on Mazda vehicles… |
| SA-013-24 | Service bulletin | Feb 16, 2024 | Some vehicles may exhibit a steering shimmy or body vibration during the PDI test drive or during the first few miles of driving after the v… |
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-031-23 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 SA-031-23 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.
Which vehicles does SA-031-23 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 55 model years: 2021 Mazda CX-3, 2020 Mazda CX-3, 2019 Mazda CX-3, 2018 Mazda CX-3, 2017 Mazda CX-3, 2016 Mazda CX-3 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.