Mazda CX-5 Owners Manual: When Warning/Indicator Lights Illuminate/Flash

If the brake system warning light illuminates

If the light stays on after the parking brake is fully released there may be a problem with the brakes.

Drive to the side of the road and park off the right-of-way.

You may notice that the pedal is harder to depress or that it may go closer to the floor. In either case, it will take longer to stop the vehicle.

1. With the engine stopped, open the hood and check the brake fluid level immediately, and then add fluid if required .

2. After adding fluid, check the light again.

If the warning light remains on, or if the brakes do not operate properly, do not drive the vehicle. Have it towed to an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

Even if the light turns off, have your brake system inspected as soon as possible by an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

NOTE

Having to add brake fluid is sometimes an indicator of leakage. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible even if the brake light is no longer illuminated.

WARNING

Do not drive with the brake system warning light illuminated. Contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer to have the brakes inspected as soon as possible:

Driving with the brake system warning light illuminated is dangerous. It indicates that your brakes may not work at all or that they could completely fail at any time. If this light remains illuminated, after checking that the parking brake is fully released, have the brakes inspected immediately.

If the master warning light illuminates

The light illuminates continuously if any one of the following occurs. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

• There is a malfunction in the battery management system.

• There is a malfunction in the brake switch.

If the antilock brake system (ABS) warning light illuminates

If the ABS warning light stays on while you're driving, the ABS control unit has detected a system malfunction. If this occurs, your brakes will function normally as if the vehicle had no ABS.

Should this happen, consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.

NOTE

When the engine is jump-started to charge the battery, uneven rpm occurs and the ABS warning light may illuminate. If this occurs, it is the result of the weak battery and does not indicate an ABS malfunction.

Recharge the battery.

If the brake system warning light and the ABS warning light illuminate simultaneously

If the electronic brake force distribution control unit determines that some components are operating incorrectly, the control unit may illuminate the brake system warning light and the ABS warning light on simultaneously. The problem is likely to be the electronic brake force distribution system.

WARNING

Do not drive with both the ABS warning light and brake warning light illuminated. Have the vehicle towed to an Authorized Mazda Dealer to have the brakes inspected as soon as possible:

Driving when the brake system warning light and ABS warning light are illuminated simultaneously is dangerous.

When both lights are illuminated, the rear wheels could lock more quickly in an emergency stop than under normal circumstances.

If the charging system warning light illuminates

If the warning light illuminates while driving, it indicates a malfunction of the alternator or of the charging system.

Drive to the side of the road and park off the right-of-way. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

CAUTION

Do not continue driving when the charging system warning light is illuminated because the engine could stop unexpectedly.

If the engine oil pressure warning light illuminates

This warning light indicates low engine oil pressure.

If the light illuminates while driving:

1. Drive to the side of the road and park off the right-of-way on level ground.

2. Turn off the engine and wait 5 minutes for the oil to drain back into the oil pan.

3. Inspect the engine oil level .

If it's low, add the appropriate amount of engine oil while being careful not to overfill.

4. Start the engine and check the warning light.

If the light remains illuminated even after you add oil, stop the engine immediately and have your vehicle towed to an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

CAUTION

Do not run the engine if the oil pressure is low. It could result in extensive engine damage.

If the check engine light illuminates or flashes

If this light illuminates while driving, the vehicle may have a problem. It is important to note the driving conditions when the light illuminated and consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

The check engine light may illuminate in the following cases:

• The fuel tank level being very low or approaching empty.

• The engine's electrical system has a problem.

• The emission control system has a problem.

• (U.S.A. and Canada)

The fuel-filler cap is missing or not tightened securely.

If the check engine light remains on or flashes continuously, do not drive at high speeds and consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.

If the high engine coolant temperature warning light (red) illuminates or flashes

The light flashes when the engine coolant temperature is extremely high, and illuminates when the engine coolant temperature increases further.

Handling Procedure

Flashing light

Drive slowly to reduce engine load until you can find a safe place to stop the vehicle and wait for the engine to cool down.

Illuminated light

This indicates the possibility of overheating. Park the vehicle in a safe place immediately and stop the engine.

Refer to Overheating .

CAUTION

Do not drive the vehicle with the high engine coolant temperature warning light illuminated. Otherwise, it could result in damage to the engine.

If the AWD warning light illuminates or flashes

The warning light will illuminate or flash under the following conditions:

• Illuminates when there is an abnormality with the AWD system.

• Illuminates if there is too much difference in tire radius between the front and rear wheels.

• Flashes when the differential oil temperature is abnormally high.

• Flashes when there are continually large differences between front and rear wheel rotation, such as when trying to pull away from an icy surface, or when trying to extricate the vehicle from mud, sand or similar conditions.

When illuminated

If the AWD warning light illuminates, contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

When flashing

Park the vehicle in a safe place. After a few moments, if the warning light stops flashing, you can resume driving. If the light does not stop flashing, contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

If the automatic transaxle warning light illuminates

The light illuminates when the transaxle has a problem.

CAUTION

If the automatic transaxle warning light illuminates, the transaxle has an electrical problem. Continuing to drive your Mazda in this condition could cause damage to your transaxle. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.

If the power steering malfunction indicator light illuminates

The power steering malfunction indicator light illuminates if there is a malfunction with the power steering while the engine is running.

If the indicator light illuminates, park the vehicle in a safe place immediately and stop the engine.

If the indicator light does not turn off even if the engine is restarted afterwards, consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

NOTE

• If the indicator light illuminates, the power steering will not operate normally. If this happens, the steering wheel can still be operated, however, the operation may feel heavy compared to normal, and the steering wheel could vibrate when turning.

• Repeatedly jerking the steering wheel left and right while the vehicle is stopped or moving extremely slowly will cause the power steering system to go into protective mode which will make the steering feel heavy, but this does not indicate a problem.

If this occurs, park the vehicle safely and wait a few seconds for the system to return to normal.

If the air bag/front seat belt pretensioner system warning light illuminates or flashes

A system malfunction is indicated if the warning light constantly flashes, constantly illuminates or does not illuminate at all when the ignition is switched ON. If any of these occur, consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible. The system may not operate in an accident.

WARNING

Never tamper with the air bag/ pretensioner systems and always have an Authorized Mazda Dealer perform all servicing and repairs:

Self-servicing or tampering with the systems is dangerous. An air bag/ pretensioner could accidentally activate or become disabled causing serious injury or death.

If the tire pressure monitoring system warning light flashes

If the tire pressure monitoring system has a malfunction, the tire pressure warning light flashes for about 1 minute when the ignition is switched ON and then continues illuminating. Have your vehicle checked by an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.

If the KEY warning light (red) illuminates

If any malfunction occurs in the keyless entry system, it illuminates continuously.

CAUTION

If the key warning indicator light illuminates or the push button start indicator light (amber) flashes, the engine may not start. If the engine cannot be started, try starting it using the emergency operation for starting the engine, and have the vehicle inspected at an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.

If the traction control system (TCS)/dynamic stability control (DSC) indicator light illuminates

If the light stays on, the TCS, DSC or the brake assist system may have a malfunction and they may not operate correctly. Take your vehicle to an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

NOTE

• In addition to the indicator light flashing, a slight lugging sound will come from the engine. This indicates that the TCS/DSC is operating properly.

• On slippery surfaces, such as fresh snow, it will be impossible to achieve high rpm when the TCS is on.

qIf the traction control system (TCS) OFF indicator light illuminates

If the light remains illuminated and the TCS is not switched off, take your vehicle to an Authorized Mazda Dealer. The DSC may have a malfunction.

If the adaptive front lighting system (AFS) OFF indicator light flashes

The indicator light flashes continuously if the system is malfunctioning. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

NOTE

• Even if the AFS is not operating due to some malfunction, the normal headlight function is still operable.

• If there is a malfunction with the headlight auto-leveling function, the indicator light flashes.

If the low engine coolant temperature indicator light (blue) does not turn off

If the low engine coolant temperature indicator light remains illuminated after the engine has been sufficiently warmed up, the temperature sensor could have a malfunction. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

If the turn signal/hazard warning indicator light illuminates or flashes at an abnormally high speed

If an indicator light remains illuminated (does not flash) or if it flashes abnormally, one of the turn signal bulbs may be burned out. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

If the security indicator light illuminates or flashes

If the engine does not start with the correct key, and the security indicator light keeps illuminating or flashing, the system may have a malfunction. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

If the blind spot monitoring (BSM) system OFF indicator light flashes

The indicator light flashes if the BSM system has a malfunction. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.

NOTE

If the vehicle is driven on a road with less traffic and few vehicles that the radar sensors can detect, the system may pause (The BSM OFF indicator light in the instrument panel flashes). However, it does not indicate a malfunction.

If the lights-on indicator light flashes

The light continues to flash if the lighting system has a malfunction. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.