SA-006-22a

BULLETIN NOTES
This service alert supersedes the previously issued service alert(s) listed below. The changes are noted in Red text.
Previous Service Alerts:
Date(s) Issued:
SA-006/22
02/28/22
SA-032/21
05/11/21
SA-016/19
04/08/19
APPLICABLE MODEL(S)/VINS
2012-2022 Mazda3
2016-2021 CX-3
2016-2022 Mazda2
2013-2022 CX-5
2016-2022 CX-9
2020-2022 CX-30
2014-2021 Mazda6
2016-2022 MX-5
2023 CX-50
DESCRIPTION
There have been warranty claims submitted for growling or bearing whine noise in differentials, transfer units and
transmissions where the source of the noise was a wheel bearing. This misdiagnosis can lead to multiple repair attempts,
warranty debits, and additional inconvenience and/or cost to the customer. To reduce the chance of this occurring,
please follow the steps outlined in the repair procedure.
REPAIR PROCEDURE
1. Before test driving the vehicle, visually inspect the tires for excess or unusual wear and verify they are all the same
size, brand, and overall wear.
2. Compare the vehicle to another like vehicle (same trim, model year, and tires) to confirm the concern is not a
characteristic of the vehicle.
NOTE: Record the noise heard in the customer vehicle and make a recording in the known good vehicle when
driven under the same conditions.
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3. Check for another published document for the vehicle you are working on that describes the noise. Is there another
published document?
• YES: Follow that repair procedure first and retest.
• NO: Continue to the next step.
4. Lift both vehicles in the air.
a. Run both vehicles at the speed the noise is heard on the road. Are both vehicles equal in operational noise
when run on the rack?
YES: Go to step 5.
NO: Go to step b.
b. Use a stethoscope and listen to each wheel bearing and compare it to the known good vehicle. Are any bearings
significantly noisier on the customer's vehicle vs. the known good vehicle?
YES: Replace the suspect bearing(s).
NOTE: If you can hear the noise without a stethoscope, make a recording of it and then make a recording
of the known good vehicle under the same conditions.
NO: Go to step 5.
5. If the source of the noise was not confirmed in the previous steps, swap the wheels and tires with those from a known
good vehicle.
NOTE: If tires are required, contact the tire manufacturer for warranty replacement. Contact phone numbers for
the various brands are found in the Mazda Quick Reference to Warranty booklet. In the 2021 edition, it is found
on page 26.
6. Contact the Technical Assistance Hotline with all of your test results.
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