A launch year that shipped its bugs — eleven recalls fixed most of them free, but the steering and the 48-volt battery still need receipts.

The I6's mild-hybrid system uses a 48-volt lithium-ion pack to fill in launch power, and on 2024s it developed a documented cell-imbalance fault. Mazda's dealer service alert is explicit: the imbalance sets trouble code P0DAB, the fix is a software reflash (part of the 7024J recall campaign), the battery gets replaced 'as required' — and replacement packs (part K6Y8-67-ZBXD) were on national backorder. A mechanic explainer in our sources makes the practical point: the code is usually the over-sensitive software, not a dead pack, so insist on the update before anyone starts replacing hardware. Related federal items: recall 24V816 (engine may not restart after the i-stop auto-shutoff — a powertrain and battery-module reprogram) and recall 25V568 (fuel gauge can read wrong on mild-hybrids — you can run out of gas at an indicated quarter tank). Owner reports add a 12-volt side: drain warnings and 'Battery Saving Mode' messages have their own family of service bulletins. And the tow-truck gotcha — with a dead battery the transmission cannot be put in neutral (the park lock is hydraulic), so the car has to be dollied, not pulled.

The plug-in variant's version of the launch-year story is harsher: warning storms — 'Hybrid System Malfunction', 'Critical malfunction: electrical leakage detected' — followed by the car refusing to drive or even shift out of Park, on cars with double-digit and triple-digit mileage. Complaints describe tows off flatbeds, weeks-long dealer stays, and repair parts on months-long backorder. The federal response came in waves: recall 23V719 (engine and motor can shut down unexpectedly), then the October 2024 trio — 24V814 (a supply-unit software fault that can also disable the high-voltage battery cooling), 24V815 (drive-power loss), and 24V817 (inverter software, drive-power loss in EV mode). Mazda also quietly extended the plug-in's water-heater warranty to 8 years with no mileage limit under SSP D9 — an SSP is a Special Service Program, the industry's quiet extended-coverage mechanism, and this one includes towing. On any 2024 PHEV, all four campaigns plus the SSP need to show complete on the VIN history.

Mazda's new 8-speed uses a hydraulic clutch pack instead of a torque converter. An independent mechanic reviewer in our sources explains the consequence: at low speed it behaves like a manual transmission — a lug or lurch when creeping away from a stop is inherent to the design, and the 48-volt motor exists partly to paper over it ('Innovation, yes. Terrible idea,' in his words — an opinion, but a mechanically-grounded one). Owners report a grunt or grind on the 1st-to-2nd shift under throttle; Mazda has told complainants it is a 'known and documented condition' that is 'operating as designed.' Early-build shift behavior was also improved by the recall-era software updates, so a 2024 that's had all its reprogramming done drives noticeably better than one that hasn't. Judge it on the test drive with your own calibration: character, or dealbreaker.

Two brake stories, both with official fixes. First, phantom automatic emergency braking: the car brakes hard for objects that aren't there. Recall 24V349 reprogrammed the forward system, and a separate dealer campaign (SSP D6, a Special Service Program) fixed false obstacle detection when backing up — tires of adjacent parked cars, painted lines, and shrubs could trigger warnings or braking in reverse. Second, rear brake squeal: loud, persistent, and common enough that Mazda opened CSP14 — a Customer Service Program that extends warranty coverage for the rear brakes on 2024–2026 CX-90s built through mid-November 2025, including reimbursement for owners who already paid out of pocket. When CSP14 launched, repair parts were not yet available, so many cars are still waiting. A squealing test-drive car isn't a mystery — it's a coverage check.