1. Verify that the joint shaft is not twisted or cracked.
2. Turn the joint shaft by hand and verify that the bearing rotates smoothly and freely.

Drive shaft
Joint shaft removal/installationMazda 6 Service Manual: Underbody Maintenance
Road chemicals and salt used for ice and snow removal and solvents used for dust
control may collect on the underbody. If not removed, they will speed up rusting
and deterioration of such underbody parts as fuel lines, frame, floor pan, and exhaust
system, even though these parts may be coated ...
Mazda 6 Service Manual: No.1 while vehicle is in reverse, vehicle locator mark goes forward
When performing an asterisked (*) troubleshooting inspection, shake the
wiring harness and connectors while doing the inspection to discover whether
poor contact points are the cause of any intermittent malfunction. If there
is a problem, check to make sure connectors, terminals and wiri ...