Mazda 3 Issues

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mattwnz

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Topic # 183878 2-Nov-2015 13:36

Currently got a 6 month old mazda 3. It has developed a problem with the indicator where if you indicate to change lane, then change the lane, and you then manually flick the indicator off , the indicator in the other direction sometimes flashes for a few seconds.
The result of this is that cars think I maybe returning back to the other lane. Potentially I could get fined for by a cop for this, as it is incorrect indicating, or it could be a safety issue if vehicles think I am going to move in that direction but I don't. I reported this to the mazda dealer, as I have never had this problem with any other car before. They had a bit of a look at it, but said it was fine, and that is normal. Any other mazda owners have this problem when indicating?

The thing is that it doesn't always do it, so it is intermittent. So if it was normal it should be doing it all the time, not only sometimes. I am guessing it is a problem with a contact or the spring, where when it is flicked back (normal action), it is over correcting and hitting the other electrical contact to signal in the opposite direction.

The other problem I have been having with it, is the Map/GPS is malfunctioning, and the blue arrow is often not on the road, for the journey, it moves all over the place. So if you are going somewhere and using the GPS , it is usless, as it keeps saying 'route recalculation' as it can't work out where I am exactly. This is another intermittent problem. Beucase if I stop, switch the car off, and then restart it, which reboots the GPS,it often fixes itself. In this case mazda has reflashed the maps on it, so hopefully that fixes it. Any other mazda owners have this problem with GPS?
These types of issues sometime turn me off this sort of technology in cars.

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Vocus

Reply # 1418783 2-Nov-2015 13:43

Indicator should not behave this way. Push the dealership to get this fixed.

dclegg

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Reply # 1418787 2-Nov-2015 13:46

mattwnz:
Currently got a 6 month old mazda 3. It has developed a problem with the indicator where if you indicate to change lane, then change the lane, and you then manually flick the indicator off , the indicator in the other direction sometimes flashes for a few seconds.

We've also got a current model Mazda 3, so I can keep an eye out to see if our car does this. How do you know when the car is doing it? Does the light on the dashboard also flash? Or can it only be observed on the external indicator lights themselves?

I can't help with the GPS problem though, sorry. We don't have that option in our car.

Batman

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Reply # 1418789 2-Nov-2015 13:48

It usually happens because you whack the indicator ever so slightly past midline/neutral/off so it activates the indicator in the other direction, and some indicators will blink THREE times at MINIMUM.

Annoying, but you are like me, way too strong for the car.

Try going to some yoga classes, or pilates, or some breathing techniques.

trig42

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Reply # 1418807 2-Nov-2015 14:03

I had the indicator thing happen to me once on a rented Audi A6 in Australia.

I figured out, that a feature of the car was that if you just flicked the indicator stalk one way or the other, it would flash for about 5 seconds in that direction. It was specifically for lane changing, and was a feature, but if you didn't know about it, and went to flick the indicator off, it would trigger the opposite flashes (exactly as you are describing). Are you certain that the behavior you are seeing is not 'by design'?

As for the GPS - sounds like the GPS antenna is obscured or faulty. Definitely get Mazda to fix.

JoshWright

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Reply # 1418808 2-Nov-2015 14:06

I think everyone's right about this. Our Audi will flash for 3 seconds if you just push the stalk without actually clicking it into staying on always. You just gotta be a bit more careful that you don't push it past the neutral position when turning it off. I actually love this feature when changing lanes, it's very useful because you don't need to turn it off.

rendezvous

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Reply # 1418824 2-Nov-2015 14:18

I have this on my Ford Falcon. It's called lane change and can be turned off in the settings menu. It gives my wife grief. She is learning to drive and always pushes it too far when turning it off, so I disable it when she's going for a drive.

I would assume it can be turned off in other cars too

Fo0L

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Reply # 1418859 2-Nov-2015 14:37

This lane change indicator feature exists in our Mazda CX5, it can be turned on/off within the cars GPS/audio system.

I can't recall the exact path to get to it, but just have a play around (or if you have the manual, a flick through), you'll soon find it.

I quite like that feature myself, although its not as nicely executed in the Mazda as in some other cars I've driven.

Not sure about that GPS issue though sorry, doesn't sound like fun.

mattwnz

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Reply # 1418866 2-Nov-2015 14:45

dclegg:
mattwnz:
Currently got a 6 month old mazda 3. It has developed a problem with the indicator where if you indicate to change lane, then change the lane, and you then manually flick the indicator off , the indicator in the other direction sometimes flashes for a few seconds.

We've also got a current model Mazda 3, so I can keep an eye out to see if our car does this. How do you know when the car is doing it? Does the light on the dashboard also flash? Or can it only be observed on the external indicator lights themselves?

I can't help with the GPS problem though, sorry. We don't have that option in our car.

Thanks. You can see it on the indicator lights on the dashboard that it is indicating in the oppoisite direction after it is flicked back, as well as the normal ticking noise. It only goes for about 2-3 seconds and then stops.

mattwnz

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Reply # 1418868 2-Nov-2015 14:47

rendezvous: I have this on my Ford Falcon. It's called lane change and can be turned off in the settings menu. It gives my wife grief. She is learning to drive and always pushes it too far when turning it off, so I disable it when she's going for a drive.

I would assume it can be turned off in other cars too

Thanks, I will have to investigate that in the manual, that maybe it. The thing is that it is intermittent, so sometimes does it, and sometimes doesn't, so if it was a feature, I would expect it to always do it. It is the first time I have ever encountered this type of problem (or maybe feature),and I have previously had 2 (far older) mazdas.

djtOtago

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Reply # 1418882 2-Nov-2015 15:06

Even if your Mazda does have the lane change feature, something is not right.

If the indicator stalk is in the on position for lets say a right turn, and you manually flick it back the to neutral position to cancel the right turn indication, it shouldn't trigger the left turn lane change feature.

Either you are forcing the indicator stalk back to far and hitting the left turn trigger point or the left turn trigger point (switch) is wrong.

I have driven plenty of cars with lane change feature and manually flicking the indicator back to the off position has never triggered the lane change feature in the opposite direction.

mattwnz

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Reply # 1418885 2-Nov-2015 15:09

djtOtago: Even if your Mazda does have the lane change feature, something is not right.

If the indicator stalk is in the on position for lets say a right turn, and you manually flick it back the to neutral position to cancel the right turn indication, it shouldn't trigger the left turn lane change feature.

Either you are forcing the indicator stalk back to far and hitting the left turn trigger point or the left turn trigger point (switch) is wrong.

I have driven plenty of cars with lane change feature and manually flicking the indicator back to the off position has never triggered the lane change feature in the opposite direction.

Yes, if it isn't that feature, then I suspect that something is out of alignment with the contacts in the stork. I am only lightly flicking it with my finger, not forcing it hard. It could be the spring in it is to powerful, as it is new, so there wouldn't be any wear to the spring yet. I will have to do more testing and video it, so the mazda can tell me if it is right or not.

nzkiwiman

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Reply # 1418886 2-Nov-2015 15:13

I struck this a few months into my new Mazda3, and so turned off the setting in the applications - called the three flash turn signal

Can't help on the GPS issue as I don't have navigation installed

dclegg

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Reply # 1418892 2-Nov-2015 15:20

djtOtago: Even if your Mazda does have the lane change feature, something is not right.

If the indicator stalk is in the on position for lets say a right turn, and you manually flick it back the to neutral position to cancel the right turn indication, it shouldn't trigger the left turn lane change feature.

Either you are forcing the indicator stalk back to far and hitting the left turn trigger point or the left turn trigger point (switch) is wrong.

I tried to reproduce this in my Mazda 3. I can reproduce the behaviour mattwnz is seeing easily enough in one direction, but had to make a conscious effort to do it if I had already wilfully indicated in the opposite direction. As you state, you have to go well past the neutral position before it kicks in.

It can be turned off via the Vehicle tab on the Settings app. Select 'Turn', then uncheck the 3-Flash Indicator option

Wheelbarrow01

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Reply # 1418918 2-Nov-2015 15:41

Yes, if it isn't that feature, then I suspect that something is out of alignment with the contacts in the stork. I am only lightly flicking it with my finger, not forcing it hard. It could be the spring in it is to powerful, as it is new, so there wouldn't be any wear to the spring yet. I will have to do more testing and video it, so the mazda can tell me if it is right or not.

My 2012 Ford Ranger has this feature and until I got used to it I had exactly the same issue you describe (I think)

Lets say I wanted to indicate to change into the right lane, I would flick the indicator stalk, but not actually engage it.The right indicator would blink for about 3 seconds. When I completed the lane change I'd then go to turn the right indicator off, but the stalk was already in the off position because I had not engaged the full turn signal - just the lane change signal. So when I flicked the stalk back the left I was actually engaging the lane change indicator to the left for around 3 seconds in the other direction.

It is a feature of the car and once you get used to it you should find it very easy to use. There is bound to be a Mazda forum somewhere that tells you how to disengage it - you can disable just about anything electronic on the Ranger, which shares probably half it's elecronics with most Mazda cars.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Spark NZ Ltd

mdooher

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Reply # 1418928 2-Nov-2015 16:02

My BMW has the same feature, but if you do a full indicate and you decide to cancel it, it is quite tricky not to push it too far. The secret (on a BMW) is to indicate in the same direction again. This cancels the signal... is that a feature? possibly?

Matthew

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