[scorerror]

Mine look 100% the same in exactly the same spots!

I got mine in the end of May. I'm 195 lbs with 33" waist. Gotta love the cheap foam.

My mom's old Mazda Protege (2000) still look in relatively good condition (full cloth), and i used to drive it when i was a fat bastard (260 lbs 40-42" waist)

I bought at the exact time, end of the may (May 25th) I'm 150 lb 30" waist.

It sucks that we have to replace the seats after 4 months.

 

[oushi]

Can anybody with GT leather seats verify if this is happening as well? Or is this isolated to the leatherette seats of the Touring?

 

[ExB5]

Thanks for the info, I'm planning on stopping by the dealership tomorrow if I have time and show them my seats. Hopefully they will replace both of them, because I feel like the only reason passenger seat is not in the same condition simply because is being used way less.

ahh! GRR Sometimes I just want to go return my touring w tech and pay a few k extra and get a GT! !

I plan to bring mine in a month for them to work on, along with the 1st OCI.

Since you mentioned the passenger seats, it seems that the foams on those are alot sturdier and robust compared to the fronts. I've been giving them some seat time, esp the left rear passenger side seat. Firm, stout and very comfortable I can say, with the foaming of the rears.

One time, I had an empty 5gal water bottle (it sat on the rear left passenger foot well, for refill for home dispenser) pressed so hard against the left rear seat pad (same side I'm giving some seat time lately). Apparently, I had my driver power seat slide rearward to the max when I arrived for work that morning and left it inadvertently near whole day (forgot the 5gal bottle was behind me, imagine the pressure via power seat motor). When I came back to drive off for home..I just realized I goofed badly and nearly panicked since I noticed the squished left rear seat pad (and foam) with huge wrinkles on the leatherette seat pad. I thought the damage was going to be somewhat "permanent", from the way it looks.

Since sliding the power driver seat back forward (to drive at right position, for home) and thus releasing the pressure...it only took nearly an hour and surprisingly, by the time I got home that day, the leatherette seat pad and foam reverted back to the same normal state...as if nothing had happened. Like wow! No leatherette seating surface wrinkles, no foam misshapen, no damage at all. Nothing!

Score, please update us what Corporate and dealer would do for you. Hope things will be rectified appropriately and promptly, to your M6 pride and joy.

 

[kosomoto]

Can anybody with GT leather seats verify if this is happening as well? Or is this isolated to the leatherette seats of the Touring?

The GT has leather "seating surfaces" which means the bolsters on the sides are made from leatherette. Since it seems the bolsters are experiencing this issue noticeably, it's safe to say the GT has the issue on the bolsters at the least.

 

[Jerrycobra]

I just took a second look today and realized I haven't been looking at the side view of the seats like the pictures show. mine shows similar wear, but not as bad as you guys

 

[badself]

Okay, well I emailed and sent pics to Corporate & my dealer..they said B2B will cover these and agreed to replace the foams.

Not sure what B2B is, but I digress. OK, so Mazda will take out your driver seat, and at your insistence, maybe the front passenger seat also. They will remove the leatherette covering from the seat bottom and install it back onto a new seat bottom made of the same mateial that failed initially, seems to be failing for most owners, and will certainly fail again since it's constructed of the same material as your current seat bottom. Unless the foam moving inside (as you stated) is due to the seat manufacturer covering an already torn bolster with its leatherette covering, then you will again experience the same or near-same failure as before, and as others here are already experiencing.

What is there to gain. I'll tell you. The leatherette covering will be re-used and may or may not fit as well (or as badly) as before the seat bottom replacement, and the trim panels around the seat bottom will start popping off from your body weight because they never secure as strongly and tightly as they did before disassembly. The locking points of the trim pieces are cheap plastic and once pried apart will only stay together if there's no weight pressing down on them, like the weight of your body as you sit in the car to drive it.

So, at best, your seats will be taken apart and replaced with the same faulty seat bottom and bolster material that will ultimately fail again unless the bolster was damaged in a one-time freak incident at the seat manufacturer level. You will hope the leatherette covering will fit nicely again and that the removal and re-installation of the seat does not cost you rocker panel sheet metal/paint damage if the tech is not astutely careful, and you will again have to petition Mazda for replacements, this time for the seat surround trims because they will now be popping off under load, and later for more new seat cushion because they will surely fail again. I know this because my previous Mazda had the same type of seat trim issue when the seat bottom was disassembled to satisfy a recall, and more recently, the exact same work was done to my Infiniti and the seat surround trims starting popping apart on it also. Not only that, but the leather cover now fits like poop and they now claim it's normal wear (and they refuse to make good), because Infiniti is as crappy of a warranty administrator as was my Hyundai before it was lemon law repurchased. You've had good luck, it seems, with Mazda. Maybe you know somebody, maybe you don't. Either way, at some point, they will see that your car is racking up quite a bit of warranty administration cash (if I recall your trans and clutch assembly was replaced with new units) even though non of the warranty claims are your fault. Mazda is no better at backing their cars than anybody else (except Lexus as a manufacturer-not their dealers), and they will eventually start to buck as the invoices start to stack up and the profit of selling this unit diminishes.

Again, none of this is your fault, and we are all apparently stuck with Skyactiv light body parts (a.k.a. feather light seats, bumper covers, etc) that have no resilience over time and are therefore Skyactiv=cheap.

I don't know. Maybe I should have purchased the 9th gen Accord v6 Touring for a few dollars more and some handling ability less. But, forgive me for saying, in your case, the seat replacement(s) in your case may not solve your troubles long, and may actually be putting you in worse off condition down the road than you are now. Please don't think I'm saying ANY of this is your fault, but I'm giving you the scenario that will very likely unfold in your founded desire to have your car made whole, which is what you and all of us deserve with any and all warranty concerns.

Good luck, and please don't think I'm hating by giving you my experience with car seat issues and the automotive warranty administration across several manufacturers, including North American Mazda.

 

[cpnfantstk]

^^^^ I can agree with a lot of this. They will probably put the same cheap foam they did before and fit may not be perfect. Mazda really should have been better in choosing more durable materials. A more resilient foam would probably not cost that much more. If Mazda wants long term sustainability, they have to consider everything they do in making their cars. Not what they can get away with.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[ExB5]

Not sure what B2B is, but I digress. OK, so Mazda will take out your driver seat, and at your insistence, maybe the front passenger seat also. They will remove the leatherette covering from the seat bottom and install it back onto a new seat bottom made of the same mateial that failed initially, seems to be failing for most owners, and will certainly fail again since it's constructed of the same material as your current seat bottom. Unless the foam moving inside (as you stated) is due to the seat manufacturer covering an already torn bolster with its leatherette covering, then you will again experience the same or near-same failure as before, and as others here are already experiencing.

What is there to gain. I'll tell you. The leatherette covering will be re-used and may or may not fit as well (or as badly) as before the seat bottom replacement, and the trim panels around the seat bottom will start popping off from your body weight because they never secure as strongly and tightly as they did before disassembly. The locking points of the trim pieces are cheap plastic and once pried apart will only stay together if there's no weight pressing down on them, like the weight of your body as you sit in the car to drive it.

So, at best, your seats will be taken apart and replaced with the same faulty seat bottom and bolster material that will ultimately fail again unless the bolster was damaged in a one-time freak incident at the seat manufacturer level. You will hope the leatherette covering will fit nicely again and that the removal and re-installation of the seat does not cost you rocker panel sheet metal/paint damage if the tech is not astutely careful, and you will again have to petition Mazda for replacements, this time for the seat surround trims because they will now be popping off under load, and later for more new seat cushion because they will surely fail again. I know this because my previous Mazda had the same type of seat trim issue when the seat bottom was disassembled to satisfy a recall, and more recently, the exact same work was done to my Infiniti and the seat surround trims starting popping apart on it also. Not only that, but the leather cover now fits like poop and they now claim it's normal wear (and they refuse to make good), because Infiniti is as crappy of a warranty administrator as was my Hyundai before it was lemon law repurchased. You've had good luck, it seems, with Mazda. Maybe you know somebody, maybe you don't. Either way, at some point, they will see that your car is racking up quite a bit of warranty administration cash (if I recall your trans and clutch assembly was replaced with new units) even though non of the warranty claims are your fault. Mazda is no better at backing their cars than anybody else (except Lexus as a manufacturer-not their dealers), and they will eventually start to buck as the invoices start to stack up and the profit of selling this unit diminishes.

Again, none of this is your fault, and we are all apparently stuck with Skyactiv light body parts (a.k.a. feather light seats, bumper covers, etc) that have no resilience over time and are therefore Skyactiv=cheap.

I don't know. Maybe I should have purchased the 9th gen Accord v6 Touring for a few dollars more and some handling ability less. But, forgive me for saying, in your case, the seat replacement(s) in your case may not solve your troubles long, and may actually be putting you in worse off condition down the road than you are now. Please don't think I'm saying ANY of this is your fault, but I'm giving you the scenario that will very likely unfold in your founded desire to have your car made whole, which is what you and all of us deserve with any and all warranty concerns.

Good luck, and please don't thigonk I'm hating by giving you my experience with car seat issues and the automotive warranty administration across several manufacturers, including North American Mazda.

I totally agree wiith your points. If you read my prior post closely...I'm having second thoughts/reservations of having this done. "Collateral damage" can happen on my car, if you may.

The only thing I forgot to point out, replacing the foam of same type/quality/part number won't solve this (unless its an improved version) and I'm well aware of that. That is why I mentioned too if the repair is worth the bother. I always weigh the pros vs cons on things.

Oh btw, B2B means "Bumper to bumper" (3yr/36k) warranty for short.

 

[ExB5]

My front seats..in it's current state @ 4,369mi/Day 146 of ownership. I'm not that portly at 138lbs and 30in waist. I am btw, well within my BMI.

At it's earliest days of ownership, I keep sitting on the left bolster (at apex points w/ stitches) to get in...nowadays, I avoid doing that habit, just after I noticed the two foam/vinyl side wrinkles are getting more evident. I lift my "rear" pretty often to get in now. I can easily slip in, with that space between the steering wheel and driver seat. I keep the power seat distance fixed, just right for my left foot to step the clutch pedal fully engaged, against the floor wall.

The front passenger..a very faint indication/very early signs of the foam "breakdown", if you look real closely..but hardly a trace to be noticed, really.

Well, I have a little over a month to contemplate on pursuing a fix (1st OCI/6mo dealer visit)...but currently, I'm somewhat leaning against it (weighing pros vs cons). This could be just sign of the Mazda 6 leatherette seats "breaking-in" (just an assumption of mine)...I just might live with it, for now.

 

[IHeartGroceries]

The Skyactiv community ought to band together to confront Mazda for a resolution, which would likely come as a revision in design and or materials and a TSB.

It wouldn't be a problem to get the CX-5 community involved.

**EDIT**
Also, judging from the photos @Mz6s posted, it looks like the actual side bolstering cover material (leatherette?) is stretching, in addition to the deformation of the foam bolstering material.
To be clear, the fabric on my CX-5 seat is not stretching. It appears the only issue with my fabric seat is the foam deformation.

 

[SpartanForLife]

I have noticed this as well. I wonder if my best bet is to wait until I'm close to month 36 before having.the seat (s) replaced, if there is a risk of other things going wrong each time they replace the seats. Or at least wait until I hear how Mazda actually found a solution so the same wrinkling doesn't happen again. Rather annoying...I wonder if the real leather in the gt has the same issue? Seems cloth would be the safest choice for "wrinkle free" benefits. If I recall my 98 saturn, with its numerous issues and cheap materials falling apart, did still have wrinkle free cloth seats. Dirty, smelly, stained cloth...but still wrinkle free!

 

[wardorican]

Wrinkling is one thing, but if the foam under actually breaks, my experience was that they just replaced the whole chair. Not piece meal.

But yes, until thousands upon thousands of people bring in their chairs to be replaced, you'll get it replaced with the same crappy chair, unless you were the 6 in a million defect rate that happens even at the best manufacturers. (probably much higher odds of defects with interior parts). Maybe down the road, they'll come up with a fix, if it's a big enough problem. I'd say bottom bolster wrinkling probably won't register high to them, but if the back bolsters fail, that's a bigger deal.

But, since as I stated earlier, this isn't exactly a new issue for Mazda. It's more likely that they'll just replace the seat. It's too much work for them to remove the cover and stitch it up. Heck, I don't think they'd have too many guys trained on that. They'd refer you to an upholstery place.

 

[Chipmb2985]

My i touring has 517 miles and I have this issue already lol. Very early signs, but yep. It's a shame. I feel like taking to the dealer is pointless. Start writing some letters to Mazda.

 

[Sideways the Seven]

No issues with mine, but now I'm watching it like a hawk.

 

[RacingTiger03]

No problem in my sport either. Though the stitching on the back of the seats is coming un-done behind my back (middle upper that goes from side to side). I'm not sure if that's premature wear, or the kids kicking the seat backs at this point =/

 

[RacingTiger03]

Well, I have a little over a month to contemplate on pursuing a fix (1st OCI/6mo dealer visit)...but currently, I'm somewhat leaning against it (weighing pros vs cons). This could be just sign of the Mazda 6 leatherette seats "breaking-in" (just an assumption of mine)...I just might live with it, for now.

Without seeing your face, I have to say you have good taste in sunglasses . Now if they fit you terribly I could change my mind LOL.

As for the seats, I hate to say it, but this is probably one of those things better left alone, or replaced with an upgrade by a pro auto custom upholstery shop =/

 

[ExB5]

Without seeing your face, I have to say you have good taste in sunglasses . Now if they fit you terribly I could change my mind LOL.

As for the seats, I hate to say it, but this is probably one of those things better left alone, or replaced with an upgrade by a pro auto custom upholstery shop =/

With Classic Ray Ban Aviators (even had photochromics and amber versions back in college, been wearing them ever since; NEVER goes out of style)...who needs tints (none on my Touring). These are my tints.

Regarding the driver seat, the wrinkling had long since stopped. I believe it's just part of the "break-in" process. Never had it gotten worse, since...

 

[hai]

My seats look fine, I'm 6FT/190Lbs... nothing other than normal leather wear for me.

 

[Shr3k]

IMO this isn't faulty foam filling but a bit softer foam, greater load and thus wrinkled leather. Your service should carefully iron it out while covered with clean paper.

 

[RacingTiger03]

With Classic Ray Ban Aviators (even had photochromics and amber versions back in college, been wearing them ever since; NEVER goes out of style)...who needs tints (none on my Touring). These are my tints.

Regarding the driver seat, the wrinkling had long since stopped. I believe it's just part of the "break-in" process. Never had it gotten worse, since...

I hear ya.. tint is for my kids (and interior plastics), sunglasses are for me LOL. 10%VLT with a solid blue flash mirror (call me 80's all you want, only way to get em dark as I like and destroy the sun's evil glare from above!) and wavelength tuned polarization for me thanks lol. (let's see a tint come CLOSE to that glare blocking ability and optical clarity..) I still sell lot's of aviators for both ophthalmic and sun wear!!


It would make sense that it's from the foam "breaking in", as the sport cloth doesn't seem to have issue with it. The cloth is much more forgiving to a slight dip or give in the material vs the leather(ette) that needs to be fully tight to prevent waves/wrinkles in appearance