Tried searching for info on problems with the immobilizer system, but did not find much info . Here is the problem: I've had the car for exactly one week and today after making a trip and parking (yes the car was warmed up) it would not start. Immobilizer symbol blinking when I try to start the car, does not even try to turn over, just shows the warning lights, turns on fan, etc. I don't think it could be flooded, as the starter does not ever come on.

Really unhappy right now, my new car is sitting all alone in a parking lot in -30 C. I called mazda roadside assistance, because the tow trucks are so busy they can not even estimate a time for a tow - could be a day. Called the dealership where I bought the car and they informed me it would be towed to a different dealership because it was closer (this is only Winnipeg, folks, not New York) and they did not have an available loaner or shuttle bus available for use anyway.

The really ironic thing is: when I started out today in this miserable weather with my heater on, bun warmer on and ice tires I was thinking: This car is so great!

 

How long did you drive before stopping? Your battery may be dead, regardless of the engine being warmed up.
The stock battery supposedly sucks. A cold battery in -30 weather can take up to 1/2 hour just to warm up enough to START taking a charge from the alternator. So, several short trips in this weather can really drain a crappy battery. The engine is harder to turn over and places more drain on the battery. Considering that a cars computer also needs battery power, weird things can happen when trying to start the car with a very low battery (flooding, long cranking , maybe immobilizer?, etc)
www.canadiandriver.com is a good resource for all kinds of driving including winter driving.
I also live in the Peg so I can appreciate the friggin cold!
I park in an attached insulated garage with a temp right now of about -9 degrees. The car is driven once a week or once eveytwo weeks and I even have a hard time starting the car.
I will be investing in a Battery Tender brand charger for this car.
Not sure what the roadside assistance policy is on where to tow to.
Which dealer did you buy from? I bought from Gauthier Mazda.

 

You might want to check the fuses. The same symptom of a blown fuse I had.

 

Doesnt the immobilizer light always blink? Mine does, although I never paid attention to it when I actually start the car. When mine is parked, the light is always blinking.

 

The light should go off when you insert the key. If it still blinks after you put the key in, the system does not recognize the key as a valid key for that ignition.

 

Good news - last night after still not hearing anything from a tow truck I thought I would go give the car another shot. It worked.!? I knew the moment I had the key in the ignition something was different because the immobilizer light went off. I read something in the owner's manual how "interference" ie:radio frequency, etc. may effect the immobilizer system, but this is frightening. Anyone out there have any thoughts on how this may be avoided for future use?

bean438- thanks for replying. I bought my car at Destination Mazda last Wednesday the day before the big snow dump - haven't driven rear wheel drive for 15 years - and had to drive home on Thursday night when all the snow started. Gotta say, pretty impressed. My Camaro would have never made it through that snow - pushing some ahead of me to get in the residential street. So far the car has been great in the cold, had it parked at work for nine hours (outside, high of -25) and started fine. Actually warmed up quicker than I thought it would, faster than the car I just traded off. The seat warmers are amazing!

 

Glad to hear you started up! What kind of winter tires did you end up putting on your car?
Did your dealer line the package up or did you have to source it yourself?

 

I swung a deal with them to throw in an extra set of Mazda aluminum rims and Dunlop 225/45 r17 Graspic ice tires. Initially they had just mentioned "dunlop" and I thought maybe I'd get the M3's - but so far I am very happy with the graspics. This was important as there was no way I would have even considered trying to drive off the lot in the summer tires, and now in retrospect I'm very glad I did - I'm hearing it's very difficult to get your hands on winter tires around the city right now.