Mazda Reviews

A powertrain warning light can be triggered for literally hundreds of reasons. So there’s no point trying to guess what’s wrong here. Instead, have the vehicle electronically scanned at a workshop and see if the on-board computer can shed any light on what components or systems are at fault.

Theoretically, the computer should have logged the cause each time the warning light has flashed on. During a scan, these faults will show up as a series of fault codes which the mechanic will be able to decipher to get a good idea of what’s wrong. Without this information, you could be chasing up blind alleys for weeks and months.

The other thing you can do is make a note of what the vehicle is doing when the light comes on. For instance, if the warning light flicks on when you’re towing, you may have a driveline overheating issue.

Here’s the simple test. Does the vehicle have a body coloured front bumper-bar and chrome exterior door handles and mirrors? If it does, it’s an XTR. If not, it’s an XT.

This sounds like a potentially very dangerous fault. Any car that wanders across the road or doesn’t go where the driver points it is an accident waiting to happen. A serious one, at that. At this point, the first piece of advice is to not drive the vehicle any farther and have it towed to a workshop for it to be inspected.

There’s one other possibility here. And that is that what you’re feeling is the car’s lane-keeping assistance program. This can often feel as though the steering it trying to plot its own course (which it is, in a way) in order to keep you centred in your lane. It only works up to a point, beyond which driver input will overcome it. I wonder if that’s what you mean by 'unsticking' the steering.

However, as far as I can tell, this model Mazda didn’t some with lane-keeping assistance (it has lane-departure warning only) so I think you’re back to square one and a tow-truck. Either way, this should be a warranty issue if there’s anything seriously wrong, so don’t be afraid to try a different dealership.