NHTSA Complaint #11451570 — 2017 MAZDA CX-5

The car battery does not get fully charged even after long trips and continuous use of the vehicle. It has been so ever since the vehicle was purchased brand new and maintained meticulously with all service performed on-time at the dealership. Even after long trips exceeding 350 miles, the battery would charge only up to 50% (12.2 volts) and never to 100% (12.7 volts). Thereafter it would quickly discharge to Low (<11.9 volts) if a few shorter trips were made. Upon bringing this to the dealer’s attention while the car was still under warranty, they ran a battery and alternator test and quickly dismissed the issue saying that both the battery and alternator were working fine. Nevertheless, in just two years the OEM battery failed from constantly being in a state of low charge, despite using the vehicle regularly for long trips. Because the dealer refused to honor the warranty, I had to replace with a new battery at my own cost. Now the new battery doesn’t charge beyond 50% (12.2v) either, and I have to routinely charge it every few days to full (12.7v) with an external battery charger just so the battery doesn’t die and either gets me stranded on the road (safety issue for myself and others) or damages computers/other electrical components (reliability and repair issue).