vs
Thermostat OEM Mazda or AISIN
I narrowed it down to a bad thermostat and bad radiator. I ordered the OEM Mazda parts for $450.00
Pros: OEM parts
Cons: bad thermostat
Some of the newer Mazda Skyactives have thermostat issues, but it's a minor problem (only symptom is taking longer to warm up) and Mazda extended the warranty on them. It's the only issue I've brought the car to the dealer for on my 21 Mazda 3 without roughly 50k on it.
Pros: minor problem, extended warranty
Cons: thermostat issues
Vehicle:
Mazda
Mileage: 50000 km
Your 2013 ford escape is actually built on the same platform as a 2013 cx-5, different engine though. Earlier ford models would actually use Mazdas engines like the escort, focus, and fusion. Mazda and ford had a long partnership that ended around 2013 and since then Mazdas quality and reliability has steadily increased. For the price ranges they are solid cars, I think the mazda3 shines here, it’s pretty competitive and affordable in its class. Also one of the few eco cars that has a real automatic. They don’t have any major issues, my 21 3 has been solid. It needed the thermostat replaced, but Mazda covered me since they have a lengthy extended warranty for that specific part.
Pros: solid, competitive, affordable, real automatic
Cons: thermostat replacement needed
Vehicle:
Mazda 3
Read about the recall, had dealer swap thermostat. Had a reason to leave right away with outside temp at 38 F. Warm air by the stop sign.
Pros: warm air
Vehicle:
Mazda
I had the same issue, in the end, the thermostat was faulty, and the dealership replaced it for free. I didn’t have any warning light on the dashboard either.
Pros: replaced for free
Cons: thermostat was faulty
New thermostat (Aisin brand), fresh oil, fresh coolant, replaced at that time. Coolant system bled well. No leaks. Heat worked flawlessly. AC worked after the swap. Overheated the drive home after that swap, turns out the radiator fan module got fried on the final drive (it was above 250 on coolant temps before replacing the engine, on a 30 minute, fast, highway drive). Ordered a new one. Everything working perfect now at the right temperature points. Engine times reading perfect too (watching live data). On a 30 minute highway drive tonight, returning home after the same drive 2 days ago with zero issues, it overheats again. Radiator fans are working. The one thing I changed during the drive was turning down the heat from HIGH to 75. No more than 10 minutes later I hear the bubbling in the heater core area. Take my exit from the highway, and the red temp light starts flashing, temps read 239, and the bubbling worsened. Temps stayed above 228 until I made it home from my exit. Worse at red lights. Turned off for 10 minutes, turned back on, temps went up to 232 at idle, holding steady. Lower radiator hose read 102 degrees, upper hose reads 190.
Pros: heat worked flawlessly, AC worked
Cons: overheated, bubbling in heater core
Vehicle:
Subaru Outback
I have the ‘19 CX-5, live in NH. Seems normal to me, when it’s below zero outside and the at idle, it should not be hot. Warm after 5-10 yes, but not warm as it would be after driving for 10 minutes.
Pros: Warm after 5-10
Cons: not hot at idle
Vehicle:
Mazda
Batteries crap and so is the thermostat / heat and the trim on the steering wheel and gear shifter is thin and cheap and will come off everything else. Car is great
Pros: car is great (overall)
Cons: crap battery, cheap thermostat, trim comes off
Vehicle:
Mazda
I just got this fixed at the dealer on my 21. Its the thermostat. They put in over a million bad ones and don't want to own it with a recall so they sent out a TSB. There's also an extended warranty for all the cars for this part/labor.
Pros: fixed at dealer, extended warranty
Cons: defective part, no recall
Vehicle:
Mazda
I replace thermostat even the whole block. Same issue. This fucking car don’t heat.
Cons: car doesn't heat, same issue
Vehicle:
Mazda
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Which thermostat to choose — OEM Mazda or AISIN?
If choosing thermostat across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare thermostat across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which thermostat are better — AISIN or OEM Mazda?
In March 2026 on PartReview, thermostat AISIN were overall better than OEM Mazda.
- OEM Mazda received a PR Score of 54 out of 100, and AISIN scored 83 points.
- OEM Mazda ranked 11 in the overall ranking, and AISIN ranked 5.
- The average rating is higher for AISIN (4.3) than for OEM Mazda (3.1).
-
Thermostat AISIN have better feature ratings than OEM Mazda:
- Cabin heat - owners believe, that by this property OEM Mazda does not differ from AISIN.
- Overheating - drivers claim, that this property for AISIN is outperforms OEM Mazda.
- Slow warm-up - reviews suggest, that this property for AISIN is preferred to OEM Mazda.
Which thermostat are more popular — OEM Mazda or AISIN?
Thermostat OEM Mazda and AISIN were equally popular according to data in March 2026.
By vote balance, thermostat AISIN surpassed OEM Mazda:
- For OEM Mazda, the ratio of positive (35) to negative (29) votes is 6 votes.
- For AISIN, the ratio of positive (26) to negative (5) votes is 21 vote.
By number of reviews, thermostat OEM Mazda surpassed AISIN:
- For thermostat OEM Mazda there are 20 reviews: 9 positive, 4 neutral, 7 negative.
- For thermostat AISIN there are 10 reviews: 8 positive, 1 neutral, 1 negative.
Which thermostat do car owners prefer — OEM Mazda or AISIN?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, thermostat OEM Mazda and AISIN have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of thermostat
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of thermostat OEM Mazda with: MotoRad, Wahler, OEM Volkswagen, Mahle, MOPAR, MISHIMOTO, Gates, OEM BMW, OEM Nissan, OEM Audi.
Also available: comparisons of thermostat AISIN with: MotoRad, Wahler, OEM Volkswagen, Mahle, MOPAR, MISHIMOTO, Gates, OEM BMW, OEM Nissan, OEM Audi.
You can also see who is better among other thermostat manufacturers: Wahler or MotoRad, OEM Volkswagen or MotoRad, Mahle or MotoRad, OEM Mazda or MotoRad, MOPAR or MotoRad.