[hotbreeze]

Hello folks, I just picked up a Canadian spec GT Turbo (Polymetal Grey with black interior) and I have noticed a few things -

1. Steering panel gap: the steering wheel appears that it didn't click in place properly (picture attached). Also, while the alignment looks right (no pulling left or right), the steering wheel angle appears to be off when going in a straight line.
2. Wireless charger: tried to charge my Pixel 6 Pro and it just flashes red and shows as wireless charging unavailable. Tried it with an iPhone and Pixel 4a 5G as well, no luck. Wireless Android Auto without wireless charging is draining the battery super quick.

Anyone experiencing similar issues? This is my first Mazda and I am not sure if I should be concerned

Overall, the vehicle definitely drives great and I am enjoying the experience putting aside these two issues.

 

[LeeShadow]

Definitely looks like the steering panel isn't fully snapped into place. You could try pushing it back into place yourself, but probably best to have the dealer address it. Could have happened post-factory, maybe during transport, as that being missed at the factory during QA checks is mildly concerning. Wouldn't really be surprised if a dealer during vehicle prep missed that.

There is a TSB for steering wheel alignment (attached), but not sure if that's exactly what you are describing.

Do you have a case on your Pixel? I had to switch to another more narrow phone case on my iPhone 12 Pro Max as the highly protective one I originally had increased total width too much. That caused the phone's charging area to be too far out of alignment with the wireless charger's sweet spot. I had the same same red light as you until I did that. Now it works perfectly. I realized it was an alignment/size issue as my other half's iPhone 12 (smaller size) with the same model protective case worked fine from the start. Removed my original case and the bare phone then started working on the charger.

 

[ILikePoutine]

i don’t have the steering issue but my steering wheel leather is defective. I’ll need a warranty on that. I have the same wireless charger issue. It’s very annoying. It over heat the phone after 1-2 minutes of charging or just won’t charge. iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro max. I tried my Z fold 2 no luck too. I’m about to warranty a new charger. Now I’m just using apple mag safe adapter with a 20w 12v adapter

 

[LeeShadow]

i don’t have the steering issue but my steering wheel leather is defective. I’ll need a warranty on that.

Not specifically for the CX-50 at this time, but there's an ongoing TSB (06-002-21-3782) covering flaking/peeling steering wheel leather on multiple recent year Mazda models.

 

[ILikePoutine]

Not specifically for the CX-50 at this time, but there's an ongoing TSB (06-002-21-3782) covering flaking/peeling steering wheel leather on multiple recent year Mazda model.

Well it’s not really a flaking or peeling issue it’s more like the guy on the production line don’t know what he/she/they are doing with the leather. A part of it feel like it’s collapsed or skimmed to thin. The stitching is slight off and leather has been stretched in a bad manor. Not an urgent matter but it can be fixed.

 

[hotbreeze]

Thank you all for your replies. I went to the dealership and spoke to the service manager about these issues and they asked me to bring it in on Monday. I will update here with what I learn.

As for the wireless charger, I don't use a case with my phone. I tried it with other phones as well, with and without cases on them and still no luck. The service manager tried his phone (an iPhone) without a case and it didn't work either. We tried it in a brand new CX-50 that's on display and that didn't work either.

 

[ILikePoutine]

Thank you all for your replies. I went to the dealership and spoke to the service manager about these issues and they asked me to bring it in on Monday. I will update here with what I learn.

As for the wireless charger, I don't use a case with my phone. I tried it with other phones as well, with and without cases on them and still no luck. The service manager tried his phone (an iPhone) without a case and it didn't work either. We tried it in a brand new CX-50 that's on display and that didn't work either.

You might have to flip your phone around to make it work. Even you can get it to work due to a design flaw it will over heat the phone in minutes. I’ve tried a dozen phone now even include a pixel 4a from my phone stash. I’d advise just get a magnetic cable and use 12v socket to charge your phone. It works just like wireless charging and also the storage below the 12v socket is perfect for a phone. I’ve contacted my dealer they said they will be looking into it but I feel like it’s one of those unfixable issue

 

[LeeShadow]

As for the wireless charger, I don't use a case with my phone. I tried it with other phones as well, with and without cases on them and still no luck. The service manager tried his phone (an iPhone) without a case and it didn't work either. We tried it in a brand new CX-50 that's on display and that didn't work either.

Definitely then sounds like a problematic charger, not a phone alignment issue. I hope they can fix it or replace it and you can successfully use it.

As for overheating issues, I have not experienced that with my own phone, but the phone does get rather hot over time. But that also happens with my two home wireless chargers and one is MFI (officially approved by Apple). My understanding is that heat is an expected side result of the inefficiencies built into wireless charging tech at this time. And as per Apple, and I'd assume the same for Android phones, there is built-in overheating protection and the phone will shut down if truly overheated. So, while we may find the phone hot to touch, it may not be truly overheating according to manufacturer specs.

Wired charging still is more efficient and in general faster. And a quick online search shows that OEM car wireless chargers in general cause a lot of headaches and excessive heat. But I appreciate the convenience of just dropping my phone in the tray.

 

[hotbreeze]

Alright, I have a few updates -

1. The panel gap at the steering wheel appears to be a factory defect according to the service manager and they have ordered a replacement piece for me.

2. The steering wheel centering issue is not resolved. The dealership I went to uses a Hunter alignment machine that didn't have the CX-50 factory specs loaded into it. So, they tried to adjust the toe rod assembly by trial and error, it didn't fix my problem. I can still tell that the steering wheel is off center when going in a straight line. I brought it up with the service manager and they agreed to redo the alignment in a couple of weeks (let the steering wheel trim piece come in and by that time the numbers will also be loaded into the Hunter machine).

3. I found the issue with wireless charging myself. For some reason, enabling NFC payments (i.e., Google Pay) doesn't play nice with wireless charging in the Mazdas. I had to turn off NFC payments and charging worked without an issue since then.

 

[good_infotainment]

Alright, I have a few updates -

1. The panel gap at the steering wheel appears to be a factory defect according to the service manager and they have ordered a replacement piece for me.

2. The steering wheel centering issue is not resolved. The dealership I went to uses a Hunter alignment machine that didn't have the CX-50 factory specs loaded into it. So, they tried to adjust the toe rod assembly by trial and error, it didn't fix my problem. I can still tell that the steering wheel is off center when going in a straight line. I brought it up with the service manager and they agreed to redo the alignment in a couple of weeks (let the steering wheel trim piece come in and by that time the numbers will also be loaded into the Hunter machine).

3. I found the issue with wireless charging myself. For some reason, enabling NFC payments (i.e., Google Pay) doesn't play nice with wireless charging in the Mazdas. I had to turn off NFC payments and charging worked without an issue since then.

Does the charger actually increase the charge of your phone now?

The QI charger in my Subaru Outback shows as charging but the charge never actually increases and Subaru refuse to do anything about it.

 

[hotbreeze]

That's a good question. I never actually had to drive the car long enough to notice whether the charge percent increased or not. Will report back next week (planning a decent drive over the weekend).

 

[LeeShadow]

Ditto here. Had plans last weekend for a trip that would have been an hour and a half each way, but a tropical storm cancelled that.

Hmmm, will need to confirm if on a longer drive the wireless charger is actually increasing my battery levels. I will say I haven’t noticed any obvious battery depletion for my ~30 minute local trips when charging wirelessly and using CP for playing on-phone (non-streaming) music.

I’ve seen online that depending on the exact mix of car and phone hardware and what apps are being run through wireless CP, the wireless charging can essentially be canceled out by the concurrent phone & apps usage. People specifically said they end up with around the exact same battery charge as they started their trip with. That seems to make logical sense to me (load equals or even exceeds charging levels/speed), even if that means to actually increase battery level you’d want to switch to wired charging.

 

[good_infotainment]

Ditto here. Had plans last weekend for a trip that would have been an hour and a half each way, but a tropical storm cancelled that.

Hmmm, will need to confirm if on a longer drive the wireless charger is actually increasing my battery levels. I will say I haven’t noticed any obvious battery depletion for my ~30 minute local trips when charging wirelessly and using CP for playing on-phone (non-streaming) music.

I’ve seen online that depending on the exact mix of car and phone hardware and what apps are being run through wireless CP, the wireless charging can essentially be canceled out by the concurrent phone & apps usage. People specifically said they end up with around the exact same battery charge as they started their trip with. That seems to make logical sense to me (load equals or even exceeds charging levels/speed), even if that means to actually increase battery level you’d want to switch to wired charging.

So in my Outback, not only does my charge not change while cradled in the QI charger, it gets super hot.

 

[ILikePoutine]

So in my Outback, not only does my charge not change while cradled in the QI charger, it gets super hot.

Same in my old outback. Outback charger overheat easier than the CX50. Never worked right. The CX50 will have a chance to charge 5% before your phone over heat.

 

[LeeShadow]

Well well well....same thing here after all....checked battery before running an errand today, 97%. ~8 mile drive each way, phone on wireless charging pad showing green light and phone with charging symbol. Played music stored on the phone over wireless CP and maybe Siri read/responded to 2 texts. Battery at 96% at destination (no phone usage there), and 95% once back home.

Wonder if it is a compatibility thing with some phones or something Mazda can address somehow. Curious now if anyone with any phone actually getting their battery charged in the CX-50.

I have a very thin, non-Magsafe clear case on my phone as my original Magsafe case was too wide to allow the green light. I will test next time with a bare phone to see if it makes any different, but I suspect it won't. There's a lot of similar situations covered on the Internet for all types of cars and phones.

I guess it might be possible to find an aftermarket "retrofit" charger that is known to work with one's phone. Probably can find one will fit under the OEM pad and connect to the existing wiring or at least then into the USB port close by in the center console.

 

[good_infotainment]

Well well well....same thing here after all....checked battery before running an errand today, 97%. ~8 mile drive each way, phone on wireless charging pad showing green light and phone with charging symbol. Played music stored on the phone over wireless CP and maybe Siri read/responded to 2 texts. Battery at 96% at destination (no phone usage there), and 95% once back home.

Wonder if it is a compatibility thing with some phones or something Mazda can address somehow. Curious now if anyone with any phone actually getting their battery charged in the CX-50.

I have a very thin, non-Magsafe clear case on my phone as my original Magsafe case was too wide to allow the green light. I will test next time with a bare phone to see if it makes any different, but I suspect it won't. There's a lot of similar situations covered on the Internet for all types of cars and phones.

I guess it might be possible to find an aftermarket "retrofit" charger that is known to work with one's phone. Probably can find one will fit under the OEM pad and connect to the existing wiring or at least then into the USB port close by in the center console.

Ugh. Don't these guys test their devices before shipping?

 

[hotbreeze]

My observations are similar to what @LeeShadow mentioned. Adding to that, I noticed my phone got considerably hot and the wireless charger started blinking red after 15 min of starting to drive. I took the phone and placed it against the A/C vent to cool it down. That helped to kickstart the charge again. But at the end of the 1 hour long drive, battery depleted by 10% instead of maintaining steady state or even increasing the held charge.

If it helps, I am using a Pixel 6 Pro with no case.

 

[good_infotainment]

My observations are similar to what @LeeShadow mentioned. Adding to that, I noticed my phone got considerably hot and the wireless charger started blinking red after 15 min of starting to drive. I took the phone and placed it against the A/C vent to cool it down. That helped to kickstart the charge again. But at the end of the 1 hour long drive, battery depleted by 10% instead of maintaining steady state or even increasing the held charge.

If it helps, I am using a Pixel 6 Pro with no case.

I've had the exact same experience with the QI charger in my Outback.
👎

 

[hotbreeze]

I've had the exact same experience with the QI charger in my Outback.
👎

Makes me wonder if there is any car out there that handles wireless charging efficiently! 🤷‍♂️

 

[LeeShadow]

Makes me wonder if there is any car out there that handles wireless charging efficiently! 🤷‍♂️

Agreed, based upon what I'm seeing online and in general for various car makes and phones. I mean, some report things work just fine, but a lot of others, nope. Just seems odd as home wireless chargers work fine, so why can't the ones in a lot of vehicles apparently cannot? It seems the tech is mature enough that they should. Maybe it is just more simple and the movement of the phone while a vehicle is moving impacts ideal charging positions, plus on a flat open home charger the user has more adjustment room than in a vehicle cubby/slot/etc. Dunno.