I bought a 2014 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring Hatch a few weeks ago, love the car, other than a little vibration problem I've got going on.

I had an old car before that with bent rims and an ancient suspension, so of course, this vibration pales in comparison, but I still think it's a little concerning, considering that this is a brand new $25k "premium" vehicle.

Whenever I am driving, I get a very light vibration at random speeds. It honestly doesn't even feel like a true vibration, but more like a light shimmy. For example, I can be on the highway and half the time it's barely noticeable if I am going over smooth pavement, the steering wheel doesn't really get any direct vibration, just this overall shimmy that can be felt in the seats and kind of runs through my body (keep in mind, this is VERY light). At some speeds/some road conditions, it's more noticeable than others. I also feel it at lower speeds, 35/45 MPH, it almost feels like I can feel the road and the imperfections in the pavement are magnified.

I've had a few friends ride with me, some people say "feels normal to me, you're being picky", some say "this thing definitely shakes".

I've been to the shop once for this issue, they checked the tires, and found that 2 were defective when put through a road force balancer. They replaced those (scratching 2 rims in the process). Then after that, the vibration didn't go away. I went back, and they replaced the rims on my request by swapping off a vehicle on the lot. Again, everything was "balanced" and still the problem is there.

The mechanic and service manager keep saying that "this is as good as you're going to get with these tires and on such a small car with 16 inch rims, it won't be as smooth as a Camry".

Has anyone been having a similar problem? Basically I'm trying to figure out if this mild shimmy problem is just the way this vehicle is built and that's how it is for all of them, or if something is actually defective. (I've asked them to test drive two more vehicles, including their loaner that's used daily, and all of them shake the same way)

 

Well the answer kind of is there, no way 3 cars would be screwed up exactly same way. Mine doesn't feel shaky but my last car was 13 year old diesel Golf IV with one bent wheel so I can't really compare with that. Compared to BMW 5 the mazda is bit less smooth of course. Mazdas are also engineered to have a very immidiate contact to road which always causes a little discomfort compared to cars like Citroën which on the other hand handle like a giant pudding.
If still in doubt take the wheels to some other tyre shop for balancing, if they're off ask your money back from the dealer. (Recommend taking it to service somewhere else after such event)

 

I pretty much agree with Smau. I like to add some considerations.

Wheel alignment: I once overheard the owner of my favorite shop talking to a customer who brought in a virtually new car. He needed an alignment and was surprised. The shop owner said: "It could have been knocked out of alignment when they dropped the car to hard off the trailer. It happens more often than you think."

I am not saying yours is out of alignment but it may be worth checking.

Also: even though brand new there are 4 individual tires. These tires are not exactly the same. As they turn each one has its own sound or frequency. Some times the frequencies match so they amplify each other, then they mismatch and cancel each other which creates that migration of shimmy.

Have the alignment checked or rotate the tires to see if it makes difference.
Consider a brand new set of higher quality tires (check reviews on tirerack.com for selection).
Also read reviews for the tires that are on your car now so you get an idea if other people are having issues with them as well.

 

OE tires are the worst!! In the interest of saving money and the retail cost, manufacturer's often put cheap tires on a new car.
Since your vibration seems to be coming from the rear of the car (no steering wheel shimmy, but with a seat of the pant vibration,) we can ***-u-me the problem is in the rear... probably a bad, out of round or at least out of balance tire. Could also be a bent wheel, as tanprotege says, from misuse or hard handling by the shippers... and it DOES happen more often than you may think.
Suggest moving the back wheels to the front to see if the vibration moves with it. Short of that, put some good tires on it.

 

I'm surprised I actually got a pretty nice set of tires when I bought my 2014. It came with Yokohama Avid S34FV tires. So far they've been doing a pretty damn good job. Even in ice I barely slipped. I'm usually a fan of Michelin tires but so far I've been pretty impressed with these. Big improvement over the factory tires I got with my old 2008. It came with some low end model of Toyo that didn't grip very well. Ended up getting in a minor accident from losing control avoiding slamming into someone, but it was a maneuver that the Michelins I installed later would have handled fine. So far I feel like these Yokohamas would do the job just as well. I took the car through a few twisties in a windy area of town at a higher-than-I-should-have-been-driving speed and it held like it was nothing.

I guess factory tires can just be a toss up.

 

Some of the CX-5 owners got Yoko's too, and many of them are having trouble with these same issues, some even worse. IIRC, it's the GT buyers with the 19" wheels. In any case, it seems to be the tires and not the wheels or the car that's the problem with them. It sounds to me like the same thing here.

 

Thanks for replying folks!

I am starting to believe that it's a combination of:

1) Cheap Yokohama Avid S34 tires (Rating of 6 on Tirerack? Eeeek.)
2) The nature of the suspension.

Also curious...

For all of you 2014 3 owners out there - if you were compare your new 3 to some other cars in the class, like a Corolla, Chevy Cruze, etc, would you say that the 3 translates the "road feel" mores than some of these other cars do? It's just fascinating because I have a Nissan Sentra, as well as a Ford Escape in the household and both those vehicles feel like they are gliding on air - for example, I can put a spring on the dashboard and the spring won't move at all while the vehicle is in motion. With my 3, the spring definitely shows some vibration.

 

Meh... so far I'm having pretty good luck with the S34's. But as Virgin mentioned it must have something to do with the tires put on the 19" GTs? Personally I don't know if I'd like a wheel that huge on a Mazda 3 anyway lol. Just my viewpoint in the looks department I guess. Give me a set of 17" and that's perfect to me. But for now I'll roll the 16's until I wear out the Yokos.

 

It's been almost 2 months now, the car has 3500 miles. After getting two rear wheels/tires swapped from the lot, going to get everything Road Force Balanced twice at two different places, the car still vibrates.

Some people tell me "it definitely shakes a bit", others say "meh, you're being way too picky for a car this class".

Basically here's what I feel:

0-50 MPH, smooth ride.
50+ MPH, increasing vibration.

It's not horrible, like the entire car is not shaking and some people really have to pay close attention to notice it. It's particularly noticeable when I am driving, and no one is in the passenger seat. I glance over, and I see that the seat is actually vibrating, especially visible in the seat belt buckle which shows some significant motion. Otherwise it's not something that makes my steering wheel visually vibrate or anything.

Any ideas? Dealer told me "we aren't sure what else to do, that's the best you're going to get with these tires". I keep asking people online who have 2014 3's and no one seems to have this problem. Maybe I am more picky than most people?

 

I have a 2007 2.3L Mazda 3 hatchback and enjoyed it for at least five years. The past year I have been getting pretty harsh rides, especially over some of our bad pavements. So, after 70k miles, I had the suspension replaced. Les Schwab installed Ford Focus end links on my Mazda and i complained that the harshness and rattling was still there. Finally they replaced these with the KYB struts and end links.

Even after these were installed I still feel the harshness is still there (not the same ride as, say, the previous 5 years) I checked for all loose connections and stuff inside the car that could cause the rattling (not so much a metallic sounding one, but more like squeaking or something loose). Anyone with an older 03 have the same problem? The car drives and rides fine on smooth pavement,but when going over manholes or speed bumps or asphalt patches, I can feel the harshness and annoying noise.