The Mazda DPF fault that wasn't.

May 8, 2013

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Regular readers may recall my painful experience earlier this year with a DPF failure on our Mazda 6.

What I don’t think I’ve blogged, though I know I tweeted, is that the saga didn’t end there. We had a second breakdown, almost identical to the first – gradual loss of power from the engine, followed by a Christmas tree effect of warning lights on the dashboard, meaning I stopped in a layby and the children missed their booked science day out with friends. Another friend recovered them, and I didn’t make it home until nearly 6 o’clock after the RAC weren’t quite as efficient as they had been previously. The car then had another holiday at the garage and this time the DPF was replaced, running cost of repairs reaching £800.

Last week the light came on again. Tim took the car in and the DPF was repressurised? An adjustment sometimes required after a new one has been fitted we were told.

Today I set off for a britmums meetup in Cambridge. I took Tigerboy with me, and left home at 8.30 this morning. Cruising along the A14 it seemed to me that the car was a bit laggy, not as responsive as it could be, but given that it’s got a new DPF in it, I convinced myself that I was just being paranoid and kept going.

As I pulled off the A14 towards Cambridge power dropped off completely, and with that sinking feeling, I knew I was going to break down again. Decision time – nurse it along into the centre so I could get to my meetup, or pull off and call for rescue? I continued on, and I’m pleased I did. If I’d called immediately, maybe I’d have got a different patrol man.

The meetup was great, although I was rather distracted by the knowledge the car was broken down – the tracking, DPF and check engine light had all come on about 10 minutes out of the centre. So after an hour or so I called the RAC, knowing it would take them a while to get to me.

It did. Well over the hour predicted – but given the patrolman had rung to give me an update, I wasn’t too fussed. I took Tigerboy to the library, and he had a great time climbing and scuttling about, so by the time we got the car out of the carpark to go somewhere the patrol van could get to it, he was tired and fell asleep.

It’s a story train!

And then the fun really started. I described all the experiences we’d had with the DPF problem. How the power drops off – you can have cruise control on and the revs and speed just fall away, even if you put your foot down flat the engine just doesn’t respond. This is supposedly the engine management kicking in to protect the engine from the effects of the DPF fault, given that the DPF is clogged at this point and needs regenerating.

But,

I was directed to this video:

Seems ridiculous to assume that this short procedure could make any difference.After all, as the manual says, the DPF light flashing indicates that the DPF requires regeneration by driving for 10-15 minutes at a specified high level of revs to burn off the accumulated particulate. And if you can’t regenerate it, you have to replace it. And the other lights did stay on. But the diagnostic computer thing (technical term) got plugged in and there was no fault found, so the codes were reset and I got in and tried driving. Car felt responsive – back to normal. Lovely RAC man followed me down the A14 to be sure – and after 20 miles we waved our goodbyes and I drove very happily home.

Now, tell me how sticking a wire in a hole and pumping the accelerator ten times could possible fix problems with loss of power and then all sorts of warning lights coming on on the dashboard? Because I don’t see how it could. Which means I’m wondering whether the DPF light really indicates a problem with the DPF, or whether it is at least partially set up to get you to take your Mazda to a dealer for an expensive service. (Once the light comes on, the loss of power and so on is the engine management cutting in to protect your engine from the effects of the clogged DPF. Surely if you reset the sensor, but the DPF was still clogged, it would just trigger the sensor again?) This has cost us £800 and lost me three days this year. We missed a family party (not a huge deal, but very disappointing for the extended family) and the children missed a booked educational activity and day with their friends. If we didn’t have bells and whistles RAC membership (which trust me, we’re keeping) it would have cost us two recoveries, one over 100 miles, the other around 70. I’m told that recovery is £10 a mile? All in all, I’m thinking that we won’t be buying any more Mazdas, I’ve completely lost faith in their attitude to their customers.

I’d love to hear what you think. Am I overreacting? Or is this whole situation akin to fraud? Any other Mazda drivers out there experienced DPF issues?

Thanks for Reading: You’ve Discovered Something Special!

If you’ve found this post helpful, you might be wondering what else you’ll find here on Live Otherwise. Well, here’s the thing. While this Mazda DPF saga might seem like a bit of an outlier, it actually reflects the same approach I take to everything I write about: questioning conventional wisdom, sharing real experiences, and helping people find practical solutions.

What I actually specialise in is home education.

For over 20 years, I’ve been “making it up as we go along”: home educating my four children (two now adults) and sharing everything I’ve learned along the way.

Just like I questioned whether that DPF fault was really what the dealers claimed, I encourage parents to question whether traditional schooling is the only option for their children, especially neurodivergent children who might thrive in a different learning environment.

If you’re curious about home education, here’s where to start:

New to home ed? Begin with this essential guide that covers everything you need to know
Considering taking your child out of school? Here’s exactly how to deregister and what you need to know
Looking for practical ideas? Browse my home education activities and inspiration

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Comments

56 responses to “The Mazda DPF fault that wasn't.”

Michelle
9 May 2013
Hmm. Interesting. I’ve not heard this but your conclusion seems reasonable to me. We had all that hassle with a teeny split in an air inlet pipe on the saab finally found and replaced. Also British gas being useless at finding a boiler fault and just replacing mother board each time. All this technology and problems are less easily identifiable or in your case, caused by the technology itself.
Reply
1. Jax Blunt
  9 May 2013
  it’s as if people think systems take on a life of their own. They are all designed and run by individuals. And individuals need to take responsibility. Someone at Mazda thought this was a great idea – I’ve looked up the light in the manual and it doesn’t say anything about using it as a service indicator, but if you go on forums, it’s common knowledge.
  I’m really very cross.
  Reply
2. Dave the engineer
  13 March 2014
  Hi,
  Strange as it may seem,the DPF light flashing on the Mazda is the service indicator.
  All that means is you need an oil change and service, AND THE SERVICE INTERVAL COUNTER RESET. This is often “forgotten”,even by MAZDA main dealers !
  The wire and accelerator trick is a way of forcing the service indicator counter back to zero miles. That’s all.
  HOWEVER……if this light comes back on after a reset, get it checked by a mechanic because a fault can occur where the lubrication oil is flooded with diesel (from the DPF regeneration system). This will INCREASE the oil level in the engine and can be fatal to the engine.
  Finally the DPF being on all the time indicates a blocked DPF that needs attention.
  Hope that clarifies things. Cheers
  Reply
  1. Jax Blunt
    14 March 2014
    It’s only strange in that that’s not disclosed by Mazda in the manual, or indeed when you ask them about it. So a warning light is being used to drag you to a main dealer for an expensive process.
    Reply
    1. Dave the Engineer
      14 March 2014
      That, is modern car companies for you.
      It is only possible to service and repair cars at anywhere other than the main dealer, because anti-monopoly legislation was passed in many countries against car manufacturers,since the mid 1980’s
      In particular the requirement to standardise fault codes ( such as the OBDII) systems we see today, where you can buy a fault code reader/resetter (eg from ebay) for £10-£20.
      It’s not just Mazda… there all at it !!
      Reply
  2. Denise
    28 September 2014
    I’m reading through this with a personal interest and have exactly the same infuriating problem on a Mazda 6! Having had the oil and filter changed, the correct recommended oil put in and lights reset we unfortunately have the DPF light flashing yet again and the Engine management light on – I think we may have the fault where the lubrication oil is flooded with diesel that you referred to! Do you think complete removal of the whole DPF system is the best option? – I know there are a few places specialising in this now….any advice much appreciated!
    Reply
    1. Jax Blunt
      28 September 2014
      Although I’ve seen a few places advertising removal, it’s my understanding that that is illegal as it would be an MOT fail. I’m neither a lawyer nor a mechanic so I can’t say for sure though.
      We had the DPF replaced and then reset again and we’ve got the lights flashing again. I would never buy another Mazda, or another diesel with DPF.
      Reply
      1. Shane Enniss
        20 June 2017
        G’day Jax, just read about all your woes. Sorry to hear that like many people you got sucked in by Mazda’s nasty DPF secret. That is a flashing DPF light ONLY means the service interval is reached & needs to be cleared & as you now know is a very simple procedure. Indeed knowing this I drove for 100,00km with a flashing DPF light with ZERO ill effects untill I finally found the way to clear it. ONLY if the DPF light comes on and is SOLID does it mean that there is a problem. I can confirm that this issue
        exists on both Mazda 3 & 6 diesel’s.
        Now, I would like to say that my Mazda 3 MZR-CD 2008 is without question the best vehicle I have owned to date. I have always been a Toyota man as they have always proven to be bullet proof as you may have seen with the Landcruiser on Top gear a few years back.
        That being said the finish, design, performance & fuel economy of my car are excellent.
        Now here’s the thing MOST people don’t know. Diesel Particulate Filters do NOT work efficiently in city stop/start driving or where engine rpm is below 2000. If you are in this situation you need to find a highway and drop back a gear or 2 & maintain the engine rpm at about 2500 for say 5 minutes.
        This is effectively re-burning all the built up particulate matter inside the DPF & is essentially the same as what the service guys do in the workshop. You will need to do this regularly say once a week for constant city driving conditions. I live in a rural area where most driving is above 100kph so I have never had a single DPF problem apart from the erroneous flashing light which I csn now fix myself. I would absolutely purchase another Mazda diesel
        when this one gets too old but at nearly 10 years it’s still going strong.
        They are very popular here in Australia.
      2. Jax Blunt
        20 July 2017
        I’ve never managed to burn off the DPF by driving above the recommended revs – it’s been tried many a time. I would wonder if the Australian version is a tiny bit different, or maybe the different conditions affect the chances?
Monika MumontheBrink
9 May 2013
This whole situation throws a brand such a Mazda onto very dodgy ground, completely losing the trust of their customers and potential customers.
Not smart!
I have to admit I’ve been driving my van around with an engine earning light on for almost a year now. At first I panicked, then figured out it was EGR valve (recirculates exhaust fumes for a cleaner burn) and the implications if it not working properly. The engine management system throttles back the performance to protect the engine, so I’m not fussed about it now. We go a bit slower and don’t accelerate as fast. Heyho… we also save fuel this way. We’ll get it fixed… One day! 🙂
Reply
1. Jax Blunt
  9 May 2013
  That sounds similar to the limp mode I’ve been experiencing – but in our car it’s really quite dangerous as you get next to no acceleration. I’m losing faith with big companies at the moment. They seem to have forgotten about what the customer really wants and needs in their drive to remove as much of our money as possible.
  Reply
Jem
10 May 2013
I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but from what Karl has waffled at me it’s fairly typical for cars to have a reduced power / “limp” mode for various reasons, but you’re not the first person I’ve heard say that they reckon some of the “features” of these protective modes are to get you back to the dealer garage for an expensive diagnostic.
On the flip side, most of the testing / reset kit is available cheaply on ebay if you know what you’re looking for. I can’t remember how much Karl paid for his – something like £20? – but it’s saved his bacon numerous times. He’s a bit of a mechanical nerd though 😉
Reply
1. Jax Blunt
  10 May 2013
  That’s interesting to know, I’ll look into it. Thanks.
  Reply
  1. Tim Berisford
    11 May 2013
    Have a look at this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/V1-5-ELM327-Bluetooth-OBDII-OBD-II-OBD2-Car-Diagnostic-Scanner-Tool-UK-Stock-/310657777937?pt=UK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item4854a58111 less than £10 including postage then you download Torque light onto any android device, the plug for the sender is apparently under the dash near the steering column
    Reply
    1. Jax Blunt
      11 May 2013
      Thanks Tim, I’ll check that out.
      Reply
Not Me
15 July 2013
Hi, you may have looked at this some more online and, hopefully, can see that this is a common fault across all makes of modern diesel cars. I mention this just in case you hope to avoid it again by buying a different brand. With anything under (approx) 8-10 years old, you can expect the same technology and issues. However, mileage at which problems can occur depend on driving style, make, attempted repairs etc. I am summarising the many sites and forums I have read since my Mazda developed the same fault. What I have also read is that the DPF warning light may result from a number of different causes (it seems)… DPF clogging, faulty sensors, using non-OEM replacement parts, poor fitting of parts, and (surprisingly) the engine control unit not being reset following a standard service. My message is that all makes which are affected and there is no one, single solution. I’ll not recommend a way forward as I am no expert, just a sympathetic bystander. Keep googling “DPF Problems” and some interesting options may come up… although tread carefully as there is a lot of misinformation out there and most options have significant costs attached…. or, dare I say it, change to a petrol car 🙁
Reply
P preston
3 October 2013
I bought a 2006 mazda5 about a month ago. it had the dpf light flashing and mil on when I bought it, which is why I got it cheap. After trying the online ways to reset with the wire all attempts failed. After a few weeks the engine decided to not even rev past 1000rpm. So I resorted to drilling holes down the middle of the dpf, which got the car running again. I then bought a new dpf off eBay for 300 quid. Fitted it and lights were still on. A couple of days later I took it Mazda, who reset the fault and the car regenerated for only 52 euros. Mazda is now running gr8. Hope this helps someone with this problem as I found the only way to correct fault was to replace dpf.
Reply
1. Jax Blunt
  3 October 2013
  we found that the problem persisted after a new dpf was fitted, and the only solution was to get it reset at Mazda, which wasn’t expensive. It is possible you could have had an oil change and a reset which would have fixed it, although once the dpf goes past a certain point, I understand it does need replacing, and on a 2006, you might have reached that point (between 80k and 100k miles, depending on type of driving).
  Reply
2. sm
  4 March 2015
  Instead of drilling it could you have removed the middle of the dpf and welded it or got someone to weld it back up again?
  Reply
Joanne Mason
6 February 2014
I had the same DPF problem with my Mazda 6 and found this blog.
My husband followed the instructions on the youtube video but there was no change.
After having received ridiculous quotes which ranged from £790 to £1140 we decided to do some further research before blindly throwing our hard earned cash at the problem.
We managed to find a great guy through various motor enthusiast forums who knew exactly what he was doing in regards to DPF Systems and it only cost us £80 to rectify the issue in the end!!!
Car Surgeon 07853355415 Nationwide call out service available.
Thank you Jax Blunt for getting us started in our journey.
All the best,
Joanne
Reply
Dave
18 March 2014
Mazda has been claiming to have “fixes” for the diesel problems since 2006. It’s all BS — the problems are inherent in the design, as we have found to our great cost. No informed buyer will take on a Mazda diesel second-hand. Expect it to be worthless in about 100,000km, when the diesel particulate filter fails and the vehicle goes into “limp mode”. Mazda quoted almost $9000 to replace the filter on our wagon, but we hadn’t set aside the $60 a week (over three years) required to replace it. We also had recurrent problems with the front brakes, injectors and turbocharger, and the air-conditioning died completely (twice). A complete financial disaster for us (and many others, if you read the blogs).
Reply
1. Dan
  25 November 2021
  I too had a similar problem. DPF cut out the engine. Mazda quoted £3500 to replace it. In the end my local did it for £900 but then they found the EGR valve blocked and 3 heat sensor needed doing. That was a year and a half ago and now the lights are flashing again. Garage says the DPF has regenerated too many times and this may indicate a fault with the fuel injection system. Strangely only Mazda can properly diagnose it for £120 and then I guess I’ll need to replace some injectors. Although local can’t find any faults. I’ve never had a car with so many engine/exhaust issues! Mazda diesels are more hassle than they are worth.
  Reply
Damian Hill
20 August 2014
Took my car to In n Out in Cardiff today for a service as my DPF light suddenly started flashing yellow, but driving normally when I was away in devon for the weekend. I was assured by them that they could reset the DPF and Oil Data. Upon collecting the car I was told the oil data had been reset, but you can only reset the DPF by taking to Mazda and paying for a forced regeneration.
So glad I came across this blog, as this has resolved the problem, although it took some trial and error between the various ignition settings (Acc, Ignition and engine started). This has saved me a fortune I’m sure.
Reply
1. Jax Blunt
  22 August 2014
  Glad to have helped.
  Reply
2. Steve
  31 January 2017
  Hi.
  Although a few years ago…this continues to be a problem. Must admit I do mainly drive short runs and didn’t realise this had an impact. What annoys me is no prior warning (other lights) to say…dpf is being affected. I’ve since done a few runs at high revs but light still on.
  Reason for the message – WHICH ignition setting was it you found worked for this ‘wire fix’?? Thanks.
  Reply
3. Wayne Hughes
  29 March 2019
  Seems alot of confusion over the dpf issues and what flashing and non flashing dpf light means. My understanding is that the dpf light will flash at 13000 mile as a service indicator no matter what. Can reset this with simple wire trick and pumping gas pedal 5-10 times… plentyof videos on youtube showing you how. Takes 2 minutes. I have done this several times.. I have however just had dpf light flash after recently resseting and after reset was still flashing.. oil level is steady and no where near the X mark. Drove to pick up some new oil and filter as it is due a change and it went out(make sure to use ultra low ash oil).. no loss of power or other lights so guessing it just needed a regen and may have cleared but changed oil anyway…reset service/dpf light again..not returned. You can also do a forced regen with same wire trick which will save you a few hundred getting it dobe at Mazda stealers..
  Reply
Danny Stannard
27 August 2014
I have owned a Mazda 6 2ltr diesel (143) since 2010 and have issues with the dpf light and all the issues that go with it. I have had it to various garages (including my local Mazda dealer) and the problem always reappears after a certain amount of time.
I am now coming to the conclusion that it is not the dpf but a faulty egr valve. Mazda cleaned this last year and we had happy motoring for almost a full year until a week or so ago when all of a sudden I lost all power and the lights all came back on.
I then got out a company called terraclean who basically clean the whole dpf,egr and fuel system. I also replaced the maf sensor. They also reset the dynostics but still it is not running properly.
I am now 95% certain it is the egr valve sticking either open or closed (if you check the symptoms for this you will find it is very similar to the problems that you are suffering).
In will repost on here when I get this replaced and let you know how I get on.
Danny S
Reply
1. Danny Stannard
  7 October 2014
  I have now had the egr valve fitted for over a month now and the Mazda is driving so much better now. Fuel consumption is down and the general performance has improved to the point I don’t think it has been as good since I bought the car 4 years ago. I still have my fingers crossed that it stays this way as I have been let down by it so many times in the past.
  I do however firmly believe that I have not had a fault with my dpf at all, but instead all along I have had an issue with the egg valve. It is worth everyone having similar symptoms as I had checking the egr valve, rather than wasting money trying to sort out the dpf!
  Good luck….
  Reply
  1. Dan
    25 November 2021
    My DPF replacement could have been prevented if the EGR valve had been checked right at the start!
    Reply
Katy
30 October 2014
I’m currently experiencing similar issues with my Mazda2 diesel, loss of power (usually in the most inconvenient places, like the fast lane on a busy motorway), powertrain light comes on, shuddering and deceleration… We’ve cleaned the ERG system once ourselves, which seemed to sort things out, but the problem is now recurring. I have a suspicion that it could be a faulty valve, although I’ve mostly been using the car for city driving, so it could also be clogged up. Some good advice here, but I’m tempted to change the car rather than face increasing bills for a problem which doesn’t seem to be solveable.
Reply
1. Jax Blunt
  30 October 2014
  Can’t say I blame you, I’m really wishing we’d got shot of it the moment we worked out what was wrong.
  Reply
Richard K
29 June 2015
Hi All,
I had similar DPF light and limp-home-mode problems for two years. Two dealers gave me $5000 quotes for different solutions. Instead, I used a diesel injector cleaner additive (added to the fuel) to clean the fuel injectors, and the problems went away. I also cleaned the MAF sensor, just to exclude this as a possible fault source. I have since travelled over 10,000km without any problems at all. For the cost of a bottle of injector cleaner ($12 in AUS), it’s worth a try.
Regards,
Richard
Reply
Hate My Mazda
24 October 2015
Our mazda 6 (2007) diesel is having the same issues described above: dpf light flashing, enging light on meaning limp mode, lack of power and a very unpleasent feeling.
I won’t spend a penny in this matter, I will simply sell it and buy a good car and will never again for any reason buy another mazda in my life. I will also mention my story to every person I know wishing to buy a car, advising them NEVER to buy mazda
Reply
1. Dave B
  12 February 2016
  Lots of Mazda negativity. My 57 plate 2 litre diesel Mazda 6 Kumano had DPF light coming on at around 70k. Now done 188k, and runs like a dream. DPF light comes on once a year, get it serviced for £130 at a local garage and away it goes for another year. Replaced front discs, all pads a couple of times and nothing else.
  Reply
seb
14 November 2015
Hi do any one know how to reset pdf mazda 6 from 2013 , I did reset my last one from 2009 but new one has different fuse box
Reply
ukguy
29 November 2015
I’m having this same problem with my Mazda 6 – 2007 Diesel.
First the DPF light went on, I had no idea whatb this was as I’ve never driven a diesel car or a Mazda either.
Anyway ………. then the DPF light started flashing after a few days.
THEN ….. the engine light shows up and
THEN .. I noticed that no matter how hard I accellerated the car just seemed to lose all power. I bought it as a used car for £1500 about a month ago and already it’s got problems that are very very frustrating.
Reply
Max R
24 January 2016
I have [still] a 2008 mazda 6. I had similar symptoms to everyone on here, I took mine to Mazda dealer. They performed a regen’ at conciderable cost, only to have the light come on AGAIN a month later. I was due to drive to Poland within a couple of days so they suggested a regen’ again and said that I wasn’t driving the car correctly. ??? I managed to get to the far side of Poland and back to the ferry a week later. On boarding the ferry it went into limp mode. I managed to get back to the midlands up the M1 in limp. Mazda said I still wasn’t driving it correctly ….. It had only stopped for fuel in 22 hrs FFS, I think it was probably warm enough in that time. The following couple of days didn’t get me to the diesel specialist, I had the DPF removed and it still wouldn’t run well. The EGR valve had stuck open, we blanked it to prove it and it ran good. I purchased a Mazda EGR and fitted it myself. I have my car MOT done at the same place that removed the DPF. I’m trying to find a crashed 6 to get their DPF because my sensors won’t come out.
Reply
1. Christian
  15 February 2016
  We trusted a Mazda dealer with our 2008 Mazda 6 diesel and was ripped off completely. I suspected the DPF problem and trusted them to perform a proper diagnosis. After they charged us $1000 replacing injectors the car had sent into exact same limp mode 5 mins after leaving the dealer. They did not honor the refund they had promised before the repair was done. We contacted Mazda and never got a reply. At this point we tried to trade in the car but were offered only a fraction of the purchase cost. We arranged to have the DPF removed in Sydney at 1000km journey but the DPF failed just before the trip. Car was towed to Sydney DOF removed by a mechanic who had done thousands of Mazdas. The fix did not hold and the car was pissing smoke and limping randomly. I had the temp sensor replaced and eventually just gave up. Could barely give the car away in the end lost nearly $30,000 on the car.
  Reply
Alan Griffin
10 March 2016
Mazda have a problem with their dpf filters. Ours on the 2008 Mazda 6, went three times before I lost patience and flogged it to be someone else’s problem. I think the next guy will do this as well and eventually Mazda will have no customers at all and be bankrupt which is the best thing that could happen to the greedy b%%€£@^s!
Dealers were hopeless wanting £1000 to fix the problem. They told me it was my fault as I wasn’t driving it at 75mph – what’s the speed limit idiots! We had it “burned” 3 times by the local garage who are doing this about 3 times a week for people they said.
DONT BUY A MAZDA………… no, really DO NOT BUY A MAZDA.
Reply
Neil
28 September 2016
Hello everyone. I have had my mazda 6 since new, Diesel 140bhp. It has now completed +150,000 miles. It is used mainly for long runs and traveled all over Europe from the Artic Circle to Southern Italy and still continues to do so. The DPF is still on and working.
This is the main point I have so far identified. With this car Mazda did not program the ECU and regeneration cycle correctly. EG: Twice after 94 miles I have become stuck in traffic, DPF Regeneration failed warning comes on, DPF blocked illuminates and then 10 seconds later engine limp home mode. This is not a useful function when heading to the Channel Tunnel on a Sunday morning about to head off across Europe! The other point is the design of the system. The system Mazda adopted for the DPF was the same as in Trucks and had been used for years. But, trucks have much bigger engines, 3.0 liters and above. The DPF works because the exhaust flow from the engine is so large the DPF does not have to be regenerated. If you drive the Mazda 6 at 3000 rpm and above all of the time, there is so much flow of exhaust there is no need for the regeneration to operate. Therefore ( Not a school run or city car then)! But does it explain this in the manual? Along with this many trucks have the DPF easily removable as a cartridge – what an interesting concept. An insider at Mazda as informed me that this Model of car the 2007 MK1 Facelift was the Mazda learning car, the models after this are much better and have been programmed much better in as much as they can start the regeneration again while the DPF is still working. However the underlying message here is that Mazda have not admitted they got it wrong and we the customer have had to pay the price. Mazda’s attitude to this issue is appalling. The really frustrating point for me is that this car is super! The value for money and performance and handling is better than many much more expensive cars. BMW drivers who have tried driving this car admit it drives better. How can Mazda
believe this handling of customer relationships benefits their sales and customer loyalty. Being an engineer I will continue to work with my car- I am now looking to find the software and hardware to support it myself. But you can guess it – Mazda will not sell me their software to do this even though the car is now over 9 years old!
Reply
Bill
11 December 2016
Anyone considered suing Mazda? I’ll join a group action!
Reply
1. Jax Blunt
  11 December 2016
  It does slightly surprise me that this hasn’t happened, especially after the other DPF scandal (Volkswagen I think?) but Mazda still seem to be getting away with this.
  Reply
Mazda Newbie
13 March 2017
Hi there. I have a Mazda 6 GH diesel 2.2 from 2008. Had the DPF flashing. I paid a small fortune to have it removed and ecu remapped but the guy could not remove the DPF flashing fault. On one of the forums, DPF flashing is also an indicator of timing chain issues. Anyone else had this ? There is a bit of timing chain rattle on the car, but runs great.
Anyone looked into how to pull the wire off the light at the back of the dash to stop it flashing?
Reply
1. Jax Blunt
  15 March 2017
  Hi there
  You probably need to get a mazda garage to reset it – they use it to force people to turn up for an oil change. But if you’ve had it removed, they might refuse to play :/
  Reply
2. Glenn
  9 July 2017
  A friend has had the flashing dpf light on for a while, he hooked it up to a laptop and got it to go through a regen process which took about 40 mins, but it was still there. Last week the timing chain snapped and i have just finished sorting it all out. Ive also lost count of the times ive had the sump off and had to clean the gauze on the oil pump out as it becomes blocked with carbonized oil, another known issue which is caused by leaking injector seals which need to be changed every 30000 miles. Back in 2012 Mazda recalled these cars because of the timing chain stretching and snapping, plenty of issues with these engine, best thing is to remove the dpf system completely which might be next on the cards for him. .
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Dellboi
28 June 2017
Mazda5 71k ’09 plate, FSH, etc. bought secondhand summer 2015. Decent runner until spring 2016 then the ECS light came on, then traction control and then…you guessed it… the DPF. Local mechanic has tried repairing the seized EGR valve, DPF system cleaner, forced regeneration. Today my mechanic did another forced regen and added the DPF cleaner then MOT’d. I collected and took it for a spin, I was buzzing as the car felt like the Sport version I’d originally bought, even the A/C seemed to be working again. I stopped to drop something at friends house, then went home, still buzzing. As I pulled onto the drive the ECS and Traction Control lights came back on. I’ll give it a week and the DPF will be back on. I’m going to part-ex the car, I’ve got young family and need reliability.
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Samuel.Rio@ best car seat cover
12 November 2017
The dpf problem was taken care off by our technician, hes a life saver and a magician!
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Michael Howley
11 March 2019
I bought a ’63 plate 2.2 diesel Mazda 5 estate with 59,200 miles on the clock, about six weeks ago, I bought it from a Citroen main dealer and all seems well. I live in a rural area and drive about 15,000 miles a year.
On Friday night we were returning from a 60 mile round trip (motorway driving) when a red warning triangle lit up and a message saying, “DPG Inspection” appeared. The car drives normally and is booked into the Citroen garage to have it checked/sorted. The red triangle is on constantly and the message does not go away, I am driving my wife’s car whenever possible.
Is this the same issue as described here and what does the static red triangle mean? Am I likely to need a new DPF filter and am I likely to building up issues for the future?
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1. Michael Howley
  11 March 2019
  It’s a MAzda 6 estate: sausage fingers!
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Les Dorritt
19 October 2019
hi, i have the same problem with the dpf light solid and engine check light on, after a regen it is back on again,
the engine failed with me so its a new engine with less than 200 miles on it, ( thats right 200 ) everything has been reset, and i still have this problem, i am considering a dpf delete to be honest, £2k in and i am at my whits end now,
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Arty
12 April 2020
Know this is an old thread but still relevant, I read it before purchasing my diesel last week
I thank you all for the information contained within, just last week purchased a 2007 MZR-CD Wagon with 192k Km’s. The DPF light had been on for a year and they were not going to go the path spoken about on here, so hence it was a bargain. Went in with eyes wide open and if the worst case was a new PDF then so be it. With the price paid was not going to lose on it.
It was running with reduced capacity,but the cruise control was working (sic) so went for a 40 min run that night keeping it above 2500 on the tacho. Waiting for the light to go out, it didn’t. It still drove alright and as my sons MZR-CD has run fine for him for over two years,( tried this out which has the chip on it and wow I thought, if I get it to that level of performance and economy) it was going to be a worth while project.
Did the regen thing with wire and twice on the accelerator, revs rose and 1 minute 50 secs later, resumed normal idle, did this three more times but the next time when it passed this time, a whole lot of white smoke and approx 3 minutes later idle normal and light still on – tried 10 more times but each time just the 1 min 50 rise and resume normal idle.
That night went for a 300k journey in 3 gear at 100 and 100Kh with the engine at 4250+ rpm, still the light remained on, cruise operational.
Here’s where the most interesting point comes, I have Forscan (forscan.org) which I have used on the Mondeo cost $30aud licence and about the same for
ELM327 USB Diagnostic Cable With Switch For Code Reader Focccus Forscan FF2 E9F8,
remembered this worked on Mazda too, plugged in it reset all the codes, very easy to do and went for a drive.
Wow Wow Wow Wow – this thing pulled like a v8, axle tramping and spinning the wheels and a real shove in the back (went even better than my sons Chipped Wagon), alas it only lasted about 15 mins and has since then (4 days since I got it) but this time when the light comes on, no cruise – but what a blast until then. The light goes off when reseted for about 5 minutes.
Forgot to mention earlier, had the basic scan put on before the regens and it showed DPF 200% ash but it cant reset the oil fill, service etc. Forscan showed the PDF to be clean post my drives!
The engine light is constantly on and when I put forscan back on it shows an issue with the O2 sensor, but waiting the five minutes and engine back on and this shows up in the history, hence the engine light being on, but does not show up as an issue. Driving again and eventually the DPF light comes back on and reduced power and no cruise and plugging forscan in , issue with Sensor.
The cheapest NEW one I can find at the moment is $400+ dollars, most others around the $100 mark, so taking it out today and going to soak it in petrol for the day. I assume my attempts at regen had cleaned this out to a degree (similar to the filter the tip is coated with burnt on carbon which stops it sensoring the regen probably has a hardrer time cleaning this due to the cover over it) and I surmise this is probably why when people have changed the DPF, they didn’t change the sensors and why it pops again so quickly.
Hope this helps others in future and some in the past in the past as well
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Chas
21 October 2020
Interesting to find this. I have a 2015 2.2 SkyActiv Mazda6 and the warnings are different now… Initially I had a ‘soot too high’ warning, and the advice from Mazda was to drive it for 20 minutes at over 20mph. I did this, and the warning changed to ‘DPF Malfunction’. There is a manual regeneration procedure that I’ve found online, which I’m pondering over doing. It’s under 50k miles so I can’t for the life of me see why it’d fail yet. Admittedly my journeys over the past year have been shorter than they used to be, but it’s still getting a decent run on the motorway at least once a month.
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1. Lee Winter
  6 September 2023
  DPF always flashing!
  2009 Mazda 6 2.2d sport
  Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. So I’ll get straight to it. 6 years ago I had my dpf removed and the car remapped when it wasn’t part of the MOT. It has ran faultlessly in this period, until 4 weeks ago when my dpf light started flashing which was strange as I don’t have a dpf. Anyway, I looked into this, I had the car scanned, 1 fault code P0000-00 present that I can’t clear. The car still runs perfectly. I asked the person who removed the dpf for some advice and he said it could be low or high oil levels, contaminated oil or timing chain stretched.
  To rule things out, the oil level was good but about 14 months old so I flushed the engine and put fresh oil and filter on. This made no difference. I have tried the wire trick to force the service reset, that also didn’t work. It leaves the timing chain. During the scan, no faults were found, no timing issues, the car runs perfectly, 210bhp / 430nm so it pulls like a train, no smoke, no leaks, just this annoying dpf light flashing all the time.
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Seamus
18 March 2024
Hi All, I bought a 2020 MAZDA 3 a year ago, it will be out of Warranty in May 2024. I t is a Brilliant Car to drive BUT it has been back to the Garage Twice because of Excessive Oil Level Warning, I now know that the DPF is dumping DIESEL into THE OIL TANK. I am not getting any Dash warnings lights apart from excessive oli level. Mazda are basically telling that I can’t use this Car for short journeys as the Regen process is not happening. It basically takes about 3 months and it will happen again. My Mechanic has told me I need to bring to motorway once a week and over rev it at running temp for 10 mins to force regen. My Journey to work 5 days a week takes 40 mins there and 40 back and the Engine gets easily to temperature. I am really worried that I have bought Car thats gonna turn bad for me. Mazda are culpable here, I had a qashqai for years never had to worry bout DPF. So Angry.
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