Mazda bulletin SA-051-25
What it saysNoise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) Diagnostic Guidelines Diagnostic Guidelines When diagnosing NVH concerns, it is essential to first classify the issue into one of three primary categories: Noise, Vibration… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mazda filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Nov 8, 2025, received Dec 5, 2025, about the suspension. It names 70 model years (2016–2026). 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 communicationNoise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) Diagnostic Guidelines Diagnostic Guidelines When diagnosing NVH concerns, it is essential to first classify the issue into one of three primary categories: Noise, Vibration, or Harshness. Many customer complaints may involve overlapping symptoms, such as both noise and vibration, so identifying the dominant characteristic is critical. Once the primary symptom is determined, follow the appropriate diagnostic path. For example, if a concern includes both noise and vibration but is related to vehicle speed, the vibration diagnostic path should be followed. When considering component replacement during the diagnostic process, it is best practice to start with the lowest cost or most accessible part unless diagnostic evidence clearly identifies a more expensive or complex component as the root cause. This approach helps minimize repair costs and avoids unnecessary part replacements. For example, a growling or bearing whine noise may be mistakenly attributed to internal components in the differential, transfer unit, or transmission, when the actual source is a wheel bearing. Misdiagnosis like this can lead to unnecessary repairs, added time and cost. To help prevent this, always follow the guidelines in the repair procedure.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA-051-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 8, 2025 | 11026350 | PDF, 1,535 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 30 more on this site: 2023 Mazda MX-30, 2022 Mazda MX-30, 2026 Mazda MX-5, 2025 Mazda MX-5, 2024 Mazda MX-5, 2023 Mazda MX-5, 2022 Mazda MX-5, 2021 Mazda MX-5, 2020 Mazda MX-5, 2019 Mazda MX-5, 2018 Mazda MX-5, 2017 Mazda MX-5, 2016 Mazda MX-5, 2026 Mazda Mazda3, 2025 Mazda Mazda3, 2024 Mazda Mazda3, 2023 Mazda Mazda3, 2022 Mazda Mazda3, 2021 Mazda Mazda3, 2020 Mazda Mazda3, 2019 Mazda Mazda3, 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.
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 70 model years this bulletin names have filed 4,125 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 606 of them name Power Train, Steering, Suspension — 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 2016 Mazda CX-5, the 41 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 5,411 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
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 · ODI 11278910
I own 2020 Mazda cx 30 with 66000 miles. The transmission was shifting with jerky motions. On july 14, 2025 I brought the car to palisades Mazda in rockland county new york to have transmission looked at and to change transmission fluid changed. After I dropped the car off later that day I got a call that the transmission was condemned.
2020 Mazda CX-30 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 18, 2025 · ODI 11674592
The contact owns a 2023 Mazda CX-50. The contact stated that while in a parking lot, the steering wheel was moving to the left and the right. The contact stated that the wheel was wobbling. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering wheel bolt was loosened.
2023 Mazda CX-50 · Steering · filed with NHTSA Feb 27, 2024 · ODI 11574292
In depth: 2016 Mazda CX-5 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2024 Mazda CX-90 steering 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 suspension
Source: same model, same component group28 other manufacturer communications filed against these Mazda models under the same component group (suspension), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Mazda list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02-001-26a | Service bulletin | Oct 27, 2026 | This bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. The changes are noted in Red. 02-001/26 04/29/26 Some customers may… |
| PF-26-02 | Other | Jul 28, 2026 | Supersession between B60S-34-300G/350G and B60S-34- 300H/350H. Please be advised that the G-level and H-level control arms are not interchan… |
| SA-028-26a | Service bulletin | Jun 30, 2026 | DESCRIPTION Some vehicles may exhibit a clicking, popping, tapping or knocking noise from the front end when turning left or right and accel… |
| 02-002-26 | Service bulletin | May 27, 2026 | Some vehicles may exhibit a creaking or squeaking noise from the lower control arm at the front suspension when traveling over a bump while… |
| 02-001-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 30, 2026 | Some customers may complain that an abnormal noise is heard from the front suspension when driving on rough road surfaces or when passing ov… |
| 02-002-25a | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2025 | Some vehicles may experience a knocking noise from the front suspension when driving on a rough road or traveling over bumps. This noise is… |
| 02-002-25 | Service bulletin | Jul 4, 2025 | Some vehicles may experience a knocking noise from the front suspension when driving on a rough road or traveling over bumps. This noise is… |
| 02-001-25a | Service bulletin | May 29, 2025 | Some vehicles may exhibit a creaking or squeaking noise from the lower control arm at the front suspension when traveling over a bump while… |
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-051-25 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-051-25 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-051-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 70 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.