My stereo one day started popping and cracking in the speakers. The noise continued until it made one last loud pop. Ever since that last pop, there has been no sound at all. The dealership offered to replace the stereo and it was $1,200 and I advised them I would seek a second opinion. My friend who owns a car audio shop said it was the factory amplifier. I took it back to the dealership to inform them of the issue and they said, " your not the first person to report this problem and until we receive a recall notice; we cannot fix the issue for free." They offered to fix it at a rate of $1,500. I have not fixed the issue, hoping more people complain and a recall is issued.

I noticed some light intermittent popping and crackling with the stereo and didn't think anything of it. A few days later when I got off work and pushed the button to unlock the car door, I immediately heard loud rapid fire popping, like machine gun fire, when I opened the door. The noise stopped when I pushed the button to lock the doors again but started up when I started the car. The noise stopped after a few minutes but neither the stereo, CD player nor Blue Tooth had any sound. I took the car to a local Mazda dealership and after an hour and a half wait, was told that the amplifier failed and that it would be about $1,100.00 to replace it (parts, labor and taxes). I thought $904 for an amplifier was ridiculous and wasn't really confident that the amp was the full problem. I think it may need the amp and sub replaced but either way, I believe I can get an aftermarket amp, sub and stereo plus installation for less than $1,100.