Mazda bulletin SA-056-25
What it saysWhen inspected, the differential or PTO oil is dark or black. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mazda filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Nov 27, 2025, received Dec 5, 2025, about the power train. It names 58 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 communicationWhen inspected, the differential or PTO oil is dark or black. This is considered normal and NO repair should be performed. During production, differential ring and pinion gears receive a manganese phosphate coating (commonly referred to as black oxide). This coating forms a porous, oil-retentive surface that improves boundary lubrication and reduces adhesive wear during initial contact cycles. Designed as a sacrificial layer, it is gradually removed under load throughout the break-in process. As a result, after the first few hundred miles, or at the initial gear oil service interval, the lubricant may appear darkened by the worn-off coating. It will contain trace ferrous particles from the normal run-in of the gear teeth and bearing surfaces. This condition is expected and does not, by itself, indicate an issue with the differential or PTO gears.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA-056-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 27, 2025 | 11026354 | PDF, 399 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 18 more on this site: 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.
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 58 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,014 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 249 of them name 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.
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
Manual transmission synchronizers fail, causing erratic gear shift operation and the inability to change gears, which could result in an accident. The ND Mazda Miata Owners Group on Facebook has polled its owners and found a 10% failure rate of manual transmissions among owners in the group who required replacement of the transmission.
2022 Mazda MX-5 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jun 18, 2024
On December 7, 2023 at approximately 10:30pm, I was traveling west bound on . Suddenly, there was a loud thumping noise from under the passenger seat. After about 10 seconds, it escalated to an extremely loud banging and the smell of oil. Not a single warning light appeared on my dashboard. I immediately attempted to pull off the road.
2016 Mazda MX-5 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jan 5, 2024
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 group56 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PF-26-04 | Other | Sep 30, 2026 | SUBJECT: ORDERING REQUIREMENT FOR AT COMPONENTS FOR H3T (INLINE 6) Use this guide before ordering or replacing an AT component on applicabl… |
| SA-0-57-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 20, 2026 | This Service Alert supersedes the previously issued SA(s) listed below. The changes are noted in Red. SA-074/24 10/04/24 DESCRIPTION Some c… |
| 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… |
| SA-029-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 21, 2026 | This Service Alert supersedes the previously issued SA listed below: The changes are noted in Red. SA-011/24 02/12/24, 06/06/24, 07/29/24 DE… |
| 30-001-26b | Service bulletin | Apr 10, 2026 | HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE DISPLAYED ON METER WITH DTC P2530:12 This bulletin supersedes the previously issued bulletin(s) listed below. The chan… |
| 01-007-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 2, 2026 | Some vehicles may exhibit the check engine light ON with DTC P2112… |
| 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.… |
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-056-25 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-056-25 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.
Which vehicles does SA-056-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 58 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.