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Hello everyone, here in Chile we have the same problem. Personally, I cannot even wash the car quietly without this warning appearing, even once the vehicle did not start and I had to bridge with another vehicle.
 
  • At home, three occasions - within the first month of ownership
  • Low battery warning message and audio alert
  • 2021 CX30 SEL LUX Auto 186
  • No recovery, placed on charge with CTEK 5 charger
  • Passed issue to dealer to resolve
  • Unknown update
The day after collection I had the warning, following washing the car, where I had the doors open for 15 mins. I was advised to drive the car, leave the engine running stationary for 30 mins and put on charge. Sadly none of these actions has worked. From speaking to Mazda and the retailer it seems very much that's is a proximity problem waking the media system (so you don't have to wait for it to boot when opening the car). In all fairness to my retailer, they're going to take the car back and conduct an investigation.

I was annoyed at Mazdas suggestion that I shouldn't be worried, as I had breakdown cover. That's not the solution, but better to acknowledge there is an issue and work on the remedy transparently. I'll post an update once the investigation has taken place and whether it's resolved.
 
  • At home, three occasions - within the first month of ownership
  • Low battery warning message and audio alert
  • 2021 CX30 SEL LUX Auto 186
  • No recovery, placed on charge with CTEK 5 charger
  • Passed issue to dealer to resolve
  • Unknown update
The day after collection I had the warning, following washing the car, where I had the doors open for 15 mins. I was advised to drive the car, leave the engine running stationary for 30 mins and put on charge. Sadly none of these actions has worked. From speaking to Mazda and the retailer it seems very much that's is a proximity problem waking the media system (so you don't have to wait for it to boot when opening the car). In all fairness to my retailer, they're going to take the car back and conduct an investigation.

I was annoyed at Mazdas suggestion that I shouldn't be worried, as I had breakdown cover. That's not the solution, but better to acknowledge there is an issue and work on the remedy transparently. I'll post an update once the investigation has taken place and whether it's resolved.
According to Mazda UK Customer Relations Manager they actually have a solution, they just can't be bothered to implement it. Here is a quote from one of her replies to my official complaint:
"The factory however have taken customer feedback on-board that this warning is an annoyance rather than being a preventative measure and therefore have considered extending the 30 minute counter to the longest possible period. This is an enhancement and just extending the time that the warning will appear when the battery really needs input rather than the current 30 minute warning. At this moment in time we do not have a software release date. In our opinion the car is currently operating as designed thus there is no manufacturing defect."
The key word here is "an annoyance". This is how it is perceived by Mazda and, therefore, problem is that Mazda Japan doesn't see any urgency in the release of the software update and more than likely will fit it in their normal software update cycle (which is at its best is once a year) or even coincide it with the next generation of MHEV platform release for 2022-2023. According to what I was told they don't have a lot of official complaints to Mazda about this issue to generate an urgent response. Owners usually complain to dealers, but this is futile at least in the UK.
You are right, the proximity of the key fob is likely to generate this warning each time the car door is opened even when the car is unlocked. However, after the first warning (following cumulative 30 minutes of onboard electronics awake time) the car goes into a state of "deep sleep". This means that, if you keep a fob in RFID protected pouch of away from the car, opening doors will no longer generate subsequent warnings. There are certain actions that will still bring the car out of "deep sleep" and these are mainly related to the checks software needs to perform on the EPB, such as pressing the EPB button or brake pedal, pressing the clutch pedal (for manual transmission), locking/unlocking the car, etc. I have no idea, why Mazda is so obsessed with EPB checks, but here we go. Also opening/closing liftgate and opening/closing the bonnet does similar things, but, I guess, these are related to the alarm system rather than the EPB. Personally, I can wait a few seconds for the car to boot up before starting it and driving away. On my 3-year old Mazda 2 I simply disabled the Advanced keyless entry, but unfortunately this can't be done on CX-30. Funny enough, this pre-booting of CX-30 doesn't make any noticeable difference in comparison with non pre-booted Mazda 2, as far as getting going is concerned. Well, if you are a getaway driver for bank robbers, this pre-booting might be important, but not for a family SUV.
 
According to Mazda UK Customer Relations Manager they actually have a solution, they just can't be bothered to implement it. Here is a quote from one of her replies to my official complaint:
"The factory however have taken customer feedback on-board that this warning is an annoyance rather than being a preventative measure and therefore have considered extending the 30 minute counter to the longest possible period. This is an enhancement and just extending the time that the warning will appear when the battery really needs input rather than the current 30 minute warning. At this moment in time we do not have a software release date. In our opinion the car is currently operating as designed thus there is no manufacturing defect."
The key word here is "an annoyance". This is how it is perceived by Mazda and, therefore, problem is that Mazda Japan doesn't see any urgency in the release of the software update and more than likely will fit it in their normal software update cycle (which is at its best is once a year) or even coincide it with the next generation of MHEV platform release for 2022-2023. According to what I was told they don't have a lot of official complaints to Mazda about this issue to generate an urgent response. Owners usually complain to dealers, but this is futile at least in the UK.
You are right, the proximity of the key fob is likely to generate this warning each time the car door is opened even when the car is unlocked. However, after the first warning (following cumulative 30 minutes of onboard electronics awake time) the car goes into a state of "deep sleep". This means that, if you keep a fob in RFID protected pouch of away from the car, opening doors will no longer generate subsequent warnings. There are certain actions that will still bring the car out of "deep sleep" and these are mainly related to the checks software needs to perform on the EPB, such as pressing the EPB button or brake pedal, pressing the clutch pedal (for manual transmission), locking/unlocking the car, etc. I have no idea, why Mazda is so obsessed with EPB checks, but here we go. Also opening/closing liftgate and opening/closing the bonnet does similar things, but, I guess, these are related to the alarm system rather than the EPB. Personally, I can wait a few seconds for the car to boot up before starting it and driving away. On my 3-year old Mazda 2 I simply disabled the Advanced keyless entry, but unfortunately this can't be done on CX-30. Funny enough, this pre-booting of CX-30 doesn't make any noticeable difference in comparison with non pre-booted Mazda 2, as far as getting going is concerned. Well, if you are a getaway driver for bank robbers, this pre-booting might be important, but not for a family SUV.
Thanks. I've put my second key in permanent sleep mode (4 presses, key light on, followed by another press and indicators flash). My retailer is looking at changing the advanced keyless setting, they want to fix it, so all credit to them. They're keeping the car for a few days to get to the bottom of it. If their solution works, I'll ask exactly what they did and post in this feed.
 
Thanks. I've put my second key in permanent sleep mode (4 presses, key light on, followed by another press and indicators flash). My retailer is looking at changing the advanced keyless setting, they want to fix it, so all credit to them. They're keeping the car for a few days to get to the bottom of it. If their solution works, I'll ask exactly what they did and post in this feed.
Great. Please let us know if your dealer finds the way to disable the advanced keyless entry and the effect it will have. I asked Mazda UK technical department to either disable the warning on my car, or disable advanced keyless entry, or at least disable the audio for this particular warning. They told me that nothing could be done, but I am not convinced they were 100% sincere. I felt that they simply were tagging Mazda's "party line". Apparently, there is a YT video where a German dealer indicates that potentially in Q1 2022 Mazda will release a software update increasing cumulative 30 minutes to 90 minutes. This 300% increase indicates that no proper evaluation was done by Mazda when the original 30 minutes were selected and we (2021 generation owners) were used as guinea pigs to test their solution. I guess Mazda are reluctant to admit their fault in fear of legal actions.
 
Sadly, I have experienced this today. I was washing my windshield, actually trying to buff a scratch off with baking soda. Anyway, when I got in my car to without touching anything yet, it was beeping almost like when i turn the ignition on. But when I checked the dashboard, it waa saying my battery us about to fail, turn the engine on. And so I did. I kept it on for a few minutes, then I turned it off then tried it on again. I didn't see the issue again. Will keep an eye on this.
 
Hey guys, new cx-30 owner here. Greetings from New Zealand!

Today I had the same issue. This afternoon I was cleaning the interior and kept the driver's door open for 15 mins. Then this low battery warning popped up. Very annoying.

I had to drive it to the beach to charge the battery since I do not want to be calling Mazda to get help on Monday morning.

Now I am thinking about what could possibly cause this issue... i-stop may be one of the reasons. It is very hot in NZ now and I have to keep the AC on. I noticed that when i-stop turns off the engine, the air conditioner will consume huge power and the vehicle will automatically start to provide electricity.

Anyway, if the issue happens again I am going to call the dealer. I like CX30 so much but this issue is Intolerable!! Even my super old Tiida 2005 won't give me this.
 
This thread is a log of when members are affected by the Low Battery issue on the Mazda CX-30 2019/2020/2021 models in all markets.

This is as a result of requests from members who are affected so that some form of evidence can be gathered in one place.

For background information the following threads should be reviewed:

To add your record, simply enter the following information in a new post below:
  • When and where the incident occurred
  • What the incident was (low battery warning/failed to start etc.)
  • Your car model and year
  • Did the car need to be recovered from the incident
  • Was a dealer involved
  • (if known) has the Battery Discharge update been applied by Mazda
We may update this as things go on.
To keep the thread tidy, I will remove posts made once details are entered into the table.
We have only had our 2021 CX30 GS AWD Soul Red for one week. I asked about the “Low Battery” alarm which I had heard about when we took delivery. Both the salesman and finance manager said the issue had been resolved and I would have no problems. There have been 4 instances already in this week while we were exploring the phone and music features in our condo parkade. We stopped exploring each time. The first time we drove the car for awhile as directed. Two other times we just stopped and locked the car until the next day. The car started fine and we never needed a boost. Interestingly, the fourth time I only ran the engine for a little over one minute instead of five since we were in the underground parkade. When I turned off the engine the alarm turned back on flashing and beeping like mad. I guess you really need to run the engine for more than five minutes. We have not been back to the dealer nor has the dealer called to follow up with us as an after sales courtesy. Somewhat disappointed but still loving our CX30. Seems like a “Low Battery“ alarm could be a good feature if battery was really low. Perhaps, Mazda has set software parameters too low and need to change alarm timeout for a longer duration? I emailed Mazda Canada about the alarm this evening to try to get their feedback. Hope this helps.
 
We have only had our 2021 CX30 GS AWD Soul Red for one week. I asked about the “Low Battery” alarm which I had heard about when we took delivery. Both the salesman and finance manager said the issue had been resolved and I would have no problems. There have been 4 instances already in this week while we were exploring the phone and music features in our condo parkade. We stopped exploring each time. The first time we drove the car for awhile as directed. Two other times we just stopped and locked the car until the next day. The car started fine and we never needed a boost. Interestingly, the fourth time I only ran the engine for a little over one minute instead of five since we were in the underground parkade. When I turned off the engine the alarm turned back on flashing and beeping like mad. I guess you really need to run the engine for more than five minutes. We have not been back to the dealer nor has the dealer called to follow up with us as an after sales courtesy. Somewhat disappointed but still loving our CX30. Seems like a “Low Battery“ alarm could be a good feature if battery was really low. Perhaps, Mazda has set software parameters too low and need to change alarm timeout for a longer duration? I emailed Mazda Canada about the alarm this evening to try to get their feedback. Hope this helps.
You are correct that you need to idle the engine for at least 5 minutes to re-set the the timer. Of course, it is not enough to charge the depleted battery, it is simply a nominal number arbitrarily selected by Mazda for a timer re-set. The timer simply counts 30 cumulative minutes of the car electronics being in the awake state between successive engine runs. When this time is reached the "Low battery risk" warning is generated irrespective of the 12V battery's actual state of charge or state of health, as you found on your new car. It is a pity that Mazda pushed out such poor and not well considered software, but there are indications that an update is on the way for Q1 of 2022. Still great that you contacted Mazda Canada. The more owners push them the more likely we are to get this update earlier.
 
You are correct that you need to idle the engine for at least 5 minutes to re-set the the timer. Of course, it is not enough to charge the depleted battery, it is simply a nominal number arbitrarily selected by Mazda for a timer re-set. The timer simply counts 30 cumulative minutes of the car electronics being in the awake state between successive engine runs. When this time is reached the "Low battery risk" warning is generated irrespective of the 12V battery's actual state of charge or state of health, as you found on your new car. It is a pity that Mazda pushed out such poor and not well considered software, but there are indications that an update is on the way for Q1 of 2022. Still great that you contacted Mazda Canada. The more owners push them the more likely we are to get this update earlier.
I am still having the annoying alarm, even after the latest software update.

Loaded some items into the boot/trunk and this activity bought it on.

Ran the car for about 7 minutes (drove down the road and back) and no more alarm.

This running of the engine for >5 minutes seems to me to negate any fuel savings generated by the stop/start function and wonder if this impacts upon the fuel economy figures or, if it is even taken into account. It may be a case of mis-representative advertising similar to that of the Volkswagen fiasco.
Because the dealers have been advised to disable certain functions when displaying vehicles to prospective customers certainly looks like it to me.

:rolleyes::( Dino
 
I am still having the annoying alarm, even after the latest software update.

Loaded some items into the boot/trunk and this activity bought it on.

Ran the car for about 7 minutes (drove down the road and back) and no more alarm.

This running of the engine for >5 minutes seems to me to negate any fuel savings generated by the stop/start function and wonder if this impacts upon the fuel economy figures or, if it is even taken into account. It may be a case of mis-representative advertising similar to that of the Volkswagen fiasco.
Because the dealers have been advised to disable certain functions when displaying vehicles to prospective customers certainly looks like it to me.

:rolleyes::( Dino
I agree and had the same suspicions. I reported it to the UK Consumer Association and it was passed to their researches specialising in vehicles. Not heard anything back and, somehow, I don't think I will. However, I guess any decent eco lawyer would jump at the opportunity to hit Mazda and other manufacturers (Toyota, for example) for instructing owners to senselessly run their engines and pollute the environment just to deal with car makers faulty software. During the lockdown Toyota were instructing the owners of their hybrid cars to run them periodically in READY mode for at least 60 minutes meaning that the car was stationary and starting and stopping the engine just to charge the hybrid battery. The owner also was expected to sit in the car for the whole 60 minutes, as Toyota was advising against leaving the vehicle unattended during this process. Funny enough, a lot of owners reported that they were putting the car into READY mode with the battery indicating 7/8 of charge level and finishing with it indicating 2/8 level. Obviously, they were very concerned that this process instead of maintaining the battery's state of charge was reducing it. These examples question the whole concept of self-charging hybrids and MHEVs. It becomes clear that manufacturers can't manage properly power drains in these vehicles without running their engines and really should provide a plug and a charger to deal with situations when the owner, for whatever reasons, can't run the car daily for hours or only runs it on short journeys. However, these will make those vehicles plug-in hybrids (PHEV), which already exist and have their own problems (inefficiency). Anyone knows a good lawyer? :sneaky:
 
Hello everyone, here in Chile we have the same problem. Personally, I cannot even wash the car quietly without this warning appearing, even once the vehicle did not start and I had to bridge with another vehicle.
Hello Pezhan--how long do you usually take to wash your car? At least for that time you had to jump-start your car?
 
Weekend of 1/17/22 – Central Florida. Battery failed. Would not start. Battery was at 25% and recharged to 100%. Started car normally (but didn’t drive it). Sat in Garage overnight and in the morning would not start again. Had the car towed to dealer. Notes from dealer: “Jump started, no throttle, multiple warning lights, checked DTC’s. Tested battery w/D.C.A and battery failed. Replaced car battery cleared DTCs recheck , no codes came back no warning lights on after. Service Completed. Failed Battery code 8U79L7C8TG” Print out shows many modules reporting “Circuit voltage below threshold”. Car Model 2021 CX 30/ 4D AWD TRB Prem Plus. Purchased Mar 2021. Miles as of Jan 2022 are 3575; VIN structure indicates Mexico mfg.

Dealer said the problem was key fob too close and low milage. They recommended a battery tender when not using car or not driving 50+ miles over 50 MPH to recharge battery. History: The car had sat at a dealer for a few months before purchasing. This low battery indicator came on within a week after purchasing the car and the battery was charged to 100%. No problems and no warning message since then until the battery completely failed. We asked if we could put in a higher capacity battery and the technician said that if the “non-standard” battery caused a problem, it would void our extended warranty. We now are much more careful to keep the keys in metal containers. Previously they were just inside the garage door on key hooks. Googling I’ve seen other car models (Volvo) that have the same issue in regards to low milage and impacts on batteries. Suspect this Mazda has same low milage cause plus the bad power management system. When asked, the dealer says there is no MDAS update for this issue. Also, the low battery indicator DID NOT come on before the battery failure this last time.
Yup, poor engineering in what is otherwise a fantastic car (minus the freaking ebrake coming on automatically). Beefier alternator and battery are needed most likely.
 
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MemberDateLocationVehicle DetailIncidentRecovery required?Dealer Involved?Battery Discharge SSP applied
@OERA1
(Mexico)
At home washing car2021, CX-30 Grand Touring FWDLow Battery warningNoNoNot known
@OERA1
(Mexico)
At home washing car2021, CX-30 Grand Touring FWDLow Battery warningNoNoNot known
@savcom
(UK)
9th Apr 2021At home washing car2020 CX-30 Skyactiv-X MHEV GT Sport TechCar wouldn't startNoYesUpdate applied to correct battery discharge after incident
@digitaldoc77
(USA)
May 2021Home, next day after picking up the car.2021 CX-30 Preferred AWD (2.5NA)Low battery alert (Numerous times)NoVehicle subsequently checked, and no issue found.Reportedly delivered with all updates applied.
@almazda
(UK)
May 2021At home or work.
Happens regularly. Having door open triggers warning
2021 CX-30 GT Sport Tech Skyactiv G Automatic.Low battery alert (this remains in place until car is driven again)NoDealer checked and confirmed battery OK. No error codes.
Dealer stated it was a normal warning and that it didn't mean battery is about to die.
Reportedly delivered with all updates applied.
@paulf
(UK)
Started Mar-20At homeGT Sport Tech X, AutoThree "failures to start"Jump-starts requiredYes. Battery replaced following the first event. No fault found sign off after the second event.Yes. Mar-21 as part of service
@Susan
(Canada)
March and April 2021At home2021 CX30 GT AWDRegular 'Low Battery' alarms. One flashing console episodeNo recovery required. Car taken for a drive instead.Not involved with incident but have been to dealership more than once. Battery checked each time and all was okNot known. Complaint made to Mazda Canada.
@DaveHenrie
(USA)
March and April 2021At home2021 C-30 PreferredOne failure to start and several 'low power' warnings, usually after washing car.No recovery required (able to jump-start)No
@SoxFanFeb'21
Mar'21
Apr'21
May'21
At home
At home
At home
At home
2021 CX30 AWD Turbo Prem+Numerous low battery warningsNo
No
No
No
No
Yes and No
No
No
Unknown
@SoxFan2nd Apr 2021Rockville, MD2021 CX30 AWD Turbo Prem+failed to startyes. Mazda app reported interior light on. light was verified not on.
Battery fully discharged
Mazda Roadside AssistanceUnknown.
Reposting - wasn't sure if you would see original post:
Weekend of 1/17/22 – Central Florida. Battery failed. Would not start. Battery was at 25% and recharged to 100%. Started car normally (but didn’t drive it). Sat in Garage overnight and in the morning would not start again. Had the car towed to dealer. Notes from dealer: “Jump started, no throttle, multiple warning lights, checked DTC’s. Tested battery w/D.C.A and battery failed. Replaced car battery cleared DTCs recheck , no codes came back no warning lights on after. Service Completed. Failed Battery code 8U79L7C8TG” Print out shows many modules reporting “Circuit voltage below threshold”. Car Model 2021 CX 30/ 4D AWD TRB Prem Plus. Purchased Mar 2021. Miles as of Jan 2022 are 3575; VIN structure indicates Mexico mfg.

Dealer said the problem was key fob too close and low milage. They recommended a battery tender when not using car or not driving 50+ miles over 50 MPH to recharge battery. History: The car had sat at a dealer for a few months before purchasing. This low battery indicator came on within a week after purchasing the car and the battery was charged to 100%. No problems and no warning message since then until the battery completely failed. We asked if we could put in a higher capacity battery and the technician said that if the “non-standard” battery caused a problem, it would void our extended warranty. We now are much more careful to keep the keys in metal containers. Previously they were just inside the garage door on key hooks. Googling I’ve seen other car models (Volvo) that have the same issue in regards to low milage and impacts on batteries. Suspect this Mazda has same low milage cause plus the bad power management system. When asked, the dealer says there is no MDAS update for this issue. Also, the low battery indicator DID NOT come on before the battery failure this last time.
 
Yup, poor engineering in what is otherwise a fantastic car (minus the freaking ebrake coming on automatically). Beefier alternator and battery are needed most likely.
Would love to see what the community thinks the right engineering solution is for battery and alternator. Dealer is mum on this issue. Husband thinks we should just upgrade the battery and hope for the best. . . I'm not so sure.
 
Yes, this is a lawyer's made loophole. The manufacturing defects are covered by the warranty but design defects are not covered. There are many famous cases from multiple companies going this route to make people very happy, for example GM transmission defects when they said no fix because it's just a bad design (made by them :)), or Corvette aluminum wheels spikes falling off when you are driving your ~$100K toy :) and so many other similar cases. This is also a great corporate way to piss of the customers who bought their product. Mazda don't bother to spend money contacting me so many times about my level of Mazda excitement and I bet for the money they spend on the excitement campaign they could fix this annoyance many times over.

The design defects might need to be directed to NHTSA in US and maybe pollution due to unneeded engine use have merit. The complaints just need to be filed.

I guess I just voted for Mazda with my wallet because I was planning to get a second CX30 but got Genesis GV70 instead :).
 
MemberDateLocationVehicle DetailIncidentRecovery required?Dealer Involved?Battery Discharge SSP applied
@OERA1
(Mexico)
At home washing car2021, CX-30 Grand Touring FWDLow Battery warningNoNoNot known
@OERA1
(Mexico)
At home washing car2021, CX-30 Grand Touring FWDLow Battery warningNoNoNot known
@savcom
(UK)
9th Apr 2021At home washing car2020 CX-30 Skyactiv-X MHEV GT Sport TechCar wouldn't startNoYesUpdate applied to correct battery discharge after incident
@digitaldoc77
(USA)
May 2021Home, next day after picking up the car.2021 CX-30 Preferred AWD (2.5NA)Low battery alert (Numerous times)NoVehicle subsequently checked, and no issue found.Reportedly delivered with all updates applied.
@almazda
(UK)
May 2021At home or work.
Happens regularly. Having door open triggers warning
2021 CX-30 GT Sport Tech Skyactiv G Automatic.Low battery alert (this remains in place until car is driven again)NoDealer checked and confirmed battery OK. No error codes.
Dealer stated it was a normal warning and that it didn't mean battery is about to die.
Reportedly delivered with all updates applied.
@paulf
(UK)
Started Mar-20At homeGT Sport Tech X, AutoThree "failures to start"Jump-starts requiredYes. Battery replaced following the first event. No fault found sign off after the second event.Yes. Mar-21 as part of service
@Susan
(Canada)
March and April 2021At home2021 CX30 GT AWDRegular 'Low Battery' alarms. One flashing console episodeNo recovery required. Car taken for a drive instead.Not involved with incident but have been to dealership more than once. Battery checked each time and all was okNot known. Complaint made to Mazda Canada.
@DaveHenrie
(USA)
March and April 2021At home2021 C-30 PreferredOne failure to start and several 'low power' warnings, usually after washing car.No recovery required (able to jump-start)No
@SoxFanFeb'21
Mar'21
Apr'21
May'21
At home
At home
At home
At home
2021 CX30 AWD Turbo Prem+Numerous low battery warningsNo
No
No
No
No
Yes and No
No
No
Unknown
@SoxFan2nd Apr 2021Rockville, MD2021 CX30 AWD Turbo Prem+failed to startyes. Mazda app reported interior light on. light was verified not on.
Battery fully discharged
Mazda Roadside AssistanceUnknown.
 
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