The tire pressure sensor illuminated and I checked to see if the tire was flat. It was not. I drove to a filling station to top off the pressure and as I was driving away from the air pump the valve stem to the rear driver side tire broke and the tire deflated instantly. The valve stem was corroded. Apparently it was initially cracked slightly causing the tire to first lose air slowly. Then, upon manipulation from the pump fitting, the stem was further damaged causing the stem to break off. I did have this happen once before. The explanation from a service station was the same. In this model the valve stem and pressure sensor is a single assembly so when the tire is changed the valve stem is not changed even if it is old and showing signs of aging. Otherwise the cost of replacing a tire would be nearly doubled. The sensor itself will last much longer than its valve stem. Consequently, the stems do eventually corrode and break off at inconvenient, possibly dangerous, times. The service stations say this is common for this vintage of Mazda. The service rep said mine was the second they repaired on the very same day! as I said, this happened once before when a stem broke off as I was backing out of my home parking spot. A couple of days before the this reported event, I took a long road trip and a sudden deflation like this could have happened at highway speed. It would have been tragic! I have checked on-line and have found many identical complaints. If it has not been reported to NHTSA before now, I am quite amazed.

- Chadds Ford, PA, USA

TPMS sensor-valve failure: I was driving to work going about 40 mph when TPMS light went on. I could not pull off immediately because of road conditions. Shortly after that I could hear the sound of a very flat tire. When I managed to pull off and check the tires, one was completely flat. Tire was too damaged to re-inflate. The relatively new tire and the TPMS sensor had to be replaced.

- Charlestown, RI, USA

TPMS sensor-valve slow leak: Four new tires (pirelli P6 four seasons) installed at Mazda dealer on Jan 2011. The original TPMS sensor-valves where used on the new tires. After that the TPMS warning light would go on every couple of weeks. I would check the pressure in all the tires using a digital gauge which showed slightly low pressure (high 20?S psi) in one tire, the same tire each time. I would inflate the tire to the correct pressure. One reason I am reporting this is that there is a well-documented history of TPMS sensor valves breaking easily when putting air in the tire. The more one has to inflate the tires the more likely the TPMS sensor-values will break.

- Charlestown, RI, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Mazda Mazda5 equipped with Bridgestone potenza tires, size: P205-50-R17 go19grid. The contact stated that while the tires were being inspected, blisters were located on the tires. The tires were not replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,000.

- Killeen , TX, USA

Auto has had to have complete set of tires because of premature wearing on outer edge of tires after only 32,000 miles. New tires are already showing signs of premature wearing even though they are being aligned and rotated regularly at only 52,000 miles.

- Mckinleyville, CA, USA

This van has 67,000 miles on it and I've had to replace the tires two times. I have flats going down the road. The inside of the tire is eat away. We have had the tires balanced and aligned to no avail and complained to Mazda. Looking at forums on the web, there seems to be many issues with this happening.

- New Johnsonville, TN, USA

On Dec.8,2011, I was driving eastbound on interstate hwy 167., the rear end of the vehicle on the passenger side had gone flat. I was able to get on the auxiliary road without getting into an accident. I inspected the tire and could not find any holes. I used a portable tire inflater and drove approximately 1/4 mile to a tire repair station. The tire was removed and upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the entire inner side of the tire had been worn off. The mechanic checked the other tires and showed me that the same type of wear was event on the rear drivers side tire. It was then that the mechanic informed me that this was common in Mazda' and that a simple part has been used on Mazda5S' to correct the problem. I take my vehicle for regular checkups and fluid changes every four months. Yet not once was I ever told of this potential dangerous hazard, that could have been fatal had it occurred on an open highway, where there are numerous turns on stretches of road that located on curves and are well over 200 feet above ground. (I have the tires involved).

- Bayamon, PR, USA

At about 30,000 miles, I noticed considerable vibration and a thumping noise, particularly prominent in the right front quadrant. When the dealership checked the problem it was diagnosed as uneven tire wear on the front tires and I purchased two new tires and had an alignment performed. The problem recurred within 10,000 miles, after the next service. Once again the diagnosis was uneven tire wear, this time on the set of tires which had not been replaced. The dealer indicated that they needed to be replaced as they were a safety risk. Additionally the dealer indicated that the Mazda 5 was hard on its rear tires (from which these had been rotated at the last service). A quick review of a variety of forums would indicate that this is a problem that others have experienced and that, in addition to the poor quality toyo tires which are original equipment, weak alloy wheels may also play a role.

- Glen Burnie, MD, USA