Mazda bulletin SA-079-24
What it saysThe SKYACTIV-DRIVE FW6A-EL AT uses “Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) Type: FZ”. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Mazda filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 24, 2024, received Nov 4, 2024, about the power train. It names 52 model years (2016–2025). 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 communicationThe SKYACTIV-DRIVE FW6A-EL AT uses “Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) Type: FZ”. Only use “ATF-FZ” to fill or top off the fluid level. ATF-FZ is specially designed for use in the SKYACTIV-DRIVE series AT. It is a low viscosity formula with less friction for better fuel economy. NOTE: ATF-FZ is colored blue for easy identification.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA-079-24 | Service bulletin | Oct 24, 2024 | 11009654 | PDF, 273 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 6 more on this site: 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 46 model years this bulletin names have filed 3,287 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 252 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.
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 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
From a full stop, vehicle lags or lurches from takeoff when you hit the accelerator. This is a known problem by Mazda on this vehicle (gen 7) after 3000 miles or more. When I hit the accelerator (especially on a new car), I expect it to go. This lag in moving off the line can be dangerous, in my opinion, but apparently not in mazda's.
2019 Mazda Mazda3 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Mar 16, 2020 · ODI 11318310
I bought a used 2017 Mazda Cx-9 from west shore honda in tampa in july of 2020. They screwed me financially and i'll handle that separately. There has been an ongoing issue since the first few days after buying the car. I've complained multiple times via email and phone. I've been trying the service department countless times.
2017 Mazda CX-9 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Mar 13, 2021 · ODI 11402740
In depth: 2016 Mazda CX-5 transmission and drivetrain 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 power train
Source: same model, same component group24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| 01-007-26 | Service bulletin | Apr 2, 2026 | Some vehicles may exhibit the check engine light ON with DTC P2112… |
| SA-056-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 27, 2025 | When inspected, the differential or PTO oil is dark or black. This is considered normal and NO repair should be performed. During production… |
| 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.… |
| SA-040-25a | Service bulletin | Nov 18, 2025 | A New Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF-A7) is being used for some 2023-2026 models. ATF-A7 is an extremely low viscosity formulation with l… |
| SA-052-25 | Service bulletin | Nov 6, 2025 | Some customer's might state that they notice fluid or oil leaking/dripping on the ground when the vehicle is parked. For this concern, inspe… |
| SA-040-25 | Service bulletin | Aug 27, 2025 | A New Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF-A7) is being used for some 2023-2026 models. ATF-A7 is an extremely low viscosity formulation with l… |
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-079-24 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-079-24 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-079-24 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 52 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.