Lemberg Law is investigating numerous consumer complaints about 2024 Mazda CX-90 Hybrid vehicles suddenly losing power while on the road. Drivers say that when this happens, the vehicle becomes completely inoperable. There are also many reports of drivers being unable to shift the gears and get into neutral so they can push the vehicle out of the road and away from traffic. Even though Mazda has issued a recall for the problem, a growing number of owners state their vehicles aren’t included in the recall and dealerships won’t do anything to help them.
What’s Happening with the 2024 CX-90 Hybrid?
There are major issues with the 2024 Mazda CK-90 Hybrid losing power while driving. Complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) vary, but the common factor is that vehicles simply stop running, often on highways. The conversation in the CX90 Forum tells the same story.
While the issues are clearly related to problems that resulted in 4,252 2024 Mazda CX-90 Hybrid vehicles being recalled in October 2023, descriptions of what happens differ somewhat. The general pattern shows that the problem starts with malfunction warnings and ends when the vehicle loses power and stops wherever it is on the road.
There is a recall, but some owners say that their faulty vehicles aren’t covered. Others are furious because they say that they bought their 2024 Mazda CX-90 Hybrid without knowing that there was a recall, only to discover that they are faced with this very same malfunction.
Recall
The recall notice, NHTSA Campaign Number 23V719000, states that the problem is a software error. As a result, the engine and electric motor may shut down unexpectedly, which can result in a loss of drive power. The fix is that dealers will update the software for the powertrain and engine control module free of charge.
The initial safety recall report issued on October 26, 2023, states that the engine and electric motor of these vehicles may shut down suddenly, without any warning, while they are in failsafe mode. Unsurprisingly, the consequent loss of power increases the risk of a crash.
While there is no notification before this happens, the recall notice states that the problem is caused by an increase in the temperature of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) system inverter. The temperature increase activates the failsafe mode that is controlled by software in the powertrain control module. Then, the faulty software program simply stops the engine and electric motor from operating.
Importantly, the report notifies dealers that while there is no defect in the engine control module it must be reprogrammed to align it with the improved powertrain control software.
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Owner’s Experiences
Many of the complaints to the NHTSA and comments made on the CX90 Forum relate to virtually brand new vehicles. Some say that they experienced warning signals literally as they left the dealership with their shiny, new purchases.
Many of the complaints blame a faulty powertrain — not surprising since the recall is listed as a powertrain issue. But lots of others link it to an engine or electrical system problem. Some dealers say that the source of the problem is a failed positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater issue.
NHTSA Complaints
Less than a month after buying a 2024 CX-90, an owner from Colorado experienced multiple failure messages. The vehicle was towed to a dealership because they couldn’t get it to start or go out of park. While this owner hadn’t experienced a complete power loss, the Mazda had decelerated on the highway after these error messages.
An owner from Maine tells how a 2024 Mazda CX-90 with a bit more than 500 miles suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. Warning signs were popping up on the dash screen including “I-active sense malfunction, hybrid battery malfunction, engine malfunction light on, and on top of these, critical vehicle malfunction.” The car wouldn’t start and was basically disabled. Also, it wouldn’t switch to neutral. This meant that his wife, who was in the car with his daughter, couldn’t move the car out of the road. “My wife and daughter’s life was put in danger when this vehicle suddenly stopped in the middle of the road with cars passing by on both ways.”
An owner from California tells how, on a busy freeway during rush hour, the Mazda was suddenly unable to accelerate. Fortunately she was able to pull off, restart, and then limp back onto the road. The car was then towed to a Mazda dealership. But they weren’t able to get the car off the flatbed because they couldn’t get it into reverse. She was told it was simply “a computer system glitch.”
The PTC failure issue was found to be the problem for an owner from Maryland. After experiencing multiple error messages, the car stopped and “became completely immobile.” But, while the dealer found a failed PTC heater to be the problem, the complaint states that the dealer was unable to say “what would cause the unit to fail and how to avoid future problems.”
Forum Conversation
A very worried owner posted on the forum saying he was “very unhappy” and was therefore joining “the bandwagon.” Within less than 24 hours of leaving the dealership, the CX-90 started flashing warning lights. It “looks like we’re on the pace to have a class-action lawsuit soon…”
Others talk about the battery draining before there are errors. “I’m curious if maybe the system was trying to regenerate too much (or too little) energy from the ICU,” says one member.
On the battery topic, another owner was advised by a dealership “to drain and recharge all the batteries. Tomorrow morning we’ll get an answer to see if that solves the issues.”
Then there’s the issue of not being able to put the vehicle in neutral. Another forum member states that because of this, the tow truck couldn’t pull into the driveway and they couldn’t put the Mazda CX-90 into Neutral, so they couldn’t tow it away to be fixed.
In February 2024, an owner was told “the battery on the hybrid (was) going bad.” Because it could take as long as six months to get a new one, they were forced to “take a chance on it tearing up another part like the transmission that would void the warranty.”
Sometimes owners are proactive. One forum member contacted the local attorney general. “He said they have 30 days to try to repair the vehicle or we could sue for purchasing a lemon. So I guess this is where we are. I will never buy another Mazda.”
CX-90 Engine Losing Power on You? Get Help
Lemberg Law is aware that a large volume of 20224 Mazda CX-90 Hybrid owners are reporting power loss problems. Complaints aren’t identical, but it appears that there is a common thread that relates to vehicles stalling, stopping, and sometimes not engaging in gear on roads and freeways.
So, if you have any kinds of power loss issues while you are driving your 2024 Mazda CX-90 Hybrid, we’d like to hear about it. All you have to do is fill out a contact form or call our Helpline. It’s not going to cost you anything because the law says Mazda must pay the legal bills for lemon law cases. We will evaluate your problems free of charge to see if your vehicle can be categorized as a lemon.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
