Horn issue

[Banditxx]

My roommate's 2018 Mazda CX-5 has a dead horn and we're trying to figure out why. We found a loose connection under the hood but aren't sure if it's part of the horn system. Could someone confirm if there are specific wires or connectors for the horn in this model? If it's not the wiring, what should we check next?

 

[Faygo]

Yep, the horn wiring is usually near the front driver's side behind the grille and I've got 3 ideas for you.
Firstly if a loose connector is in that area, it could be it but if reconnecting doesn't fix it, then that brings to the second, which is to check the horn fuse and relay under the hood, but if those are good, then the horn itself might be dead.

 

[Banditxx]

Yep, the horn wiring is usually near the front driver's side behind the grille and I've got 3 ideas for you.
Firstly if a loose connector is in that area, it could be it but if reconnecting doesn't fix it, then that brings to the second, which is to check the horn fuse and relay under the hood, but if those are good, then the horn itself might be dead.

Thanks for laying that out. We'll check the fuse and relay next and see if that gets us anywhere. If it turns out the horn's shot, is replacement pretty straightforward or does it need pulling the bumper?

 

[QueenLiz]

I had the same issue on my '18 CX-5, turned out the horn wiring sits right behind the grille with a simple two-wire connector. If that's fine, check the fuse and relay before replacing the horn itself

 

[Banditxx]

I had the same issue on my '18 CX-5, turned out the horn wiring sits right behind the grille with a simple two-wire connector. If that's fine, check the fuse and relay before replacing the horn itself

Thanks for confirming the same troubleshooting steps. Having everyone agree on checking the connector, then the fuse and relay and finally the horn itself made things much clearer. We followed that advice over the weekend. After checking everything, it looks like the horn unit is the issue. Since you've done this repair before, were you able to reach the horn from behind the grille or did you have to take off the front bumper cover?