I just found out about this issue, and now I feel awful. Is this as bad as it seems?https://youtu.be/YJMWvyDP3j8
Hey, don’t let it get you down! These have extra warranty coverage up to 120k miles for this issue. If you’ve got an older one that’s past that, I’d be a little more worried.
I’ve replaced a bunch of these, and yeah, it’s a big job, but I’ve got it down to about six hours now. Dropping the engine and swapping the head gasket takes time, but it’s not much different from other modern cars.
Look at older CX-9s and Explorers with the V6… when their water pumps fail, it’s a nightmare, and the repair bill is huge.
Also, if you’ve got code P111A in the PCM, Mazda might replace the whole engine instead of just the head gasket because of overheating.
Honestly, these are still great cars, and they’ve made changes to fix this problem.
@Tegan
That’s not true anymore. They don’t just hand out engines unless they’re completely wrecked.
@Tegan
Not trying to be rude, but this is crazy to me…
How many head gaskets on brand-new CX-90s and CX-70s have you had to replace that you’ve got it down to a routine?!
I believe you, but this just gives me another reason to stay away from modern Mazda.
@Brynn
CX-9, not CX-90.
I get jealous sometimes about not having the power of the 2.5T in my 2017 Mazda6, but at least the 2.5G + 6AT combo is super reliable.
This is just how modern cars are now. I thought I might have a simple spark plug issue in my 2016 Cadillac CTS, so I looked up how to change them. Turns out it’s just as much of a pain as this. Something that used to take 30 minutes on my old 2002 Subaru now takes 4 hours—if you know what you’re doing!
It’s not just this car… this kind of thing happens all the time now.
I was watching a guy on YouTube fixing a timing cover leak on a 2004 Ford Ranger with a V6. He had to pull the whole transmission out and lift the engine just to get to it.
And then there are engines with ‘wet belts’ for timing or oil pumps, stuck between the engine and transmission. You have to remove both just to change them! If you don’t, your engine could blow when the belt falls apart inside your oil.
They don’t design cars to be easy to work on anymore. It’s a problem across the whole industry.
Car Wizard is the man!
I’m a retired tech… and trust me, the car won’t ever drive quite the same again. Maybe for a little while, but moving that many parts around always leads to other issues down the road.
That’s why I avoid cars with major repairs when I’m buying. Just not worth the risk.
That said, sometimes they actually run better after a proper rebuild. Rare, but when everything gets fine-tuned, the engine can respond better.
At the end of the day, mechanics are like doctors—fixing things and making a living at the same time.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what the video covered:
The Car Wizard goes over how complicated and expensive a head gasket repair is on a newer Mazda CX-9 with the Skyactiv 2.5 engine.
He shows how many parts have to come out—literally six carts full—to get to the head gasket, which explains why this job can cost over $4,000.
He also talks about some of the engine design choices that make things worse, like the built-in exhaust manifold and hidden coolant plugs that might start leaking in the future.
The video also touches on how smaller repair shops struggle with these huge jobs and why bigger places, like his shop, have an advantage.
If you own a Skyactiv 2.5, he gives some good advice about those coolant plugs and why they should be checked while doing a head gasket replacement.
Basically, it’s a deep dive into why modern engine repairs are so expensive and why it’s important to stay on top of maintenance.