Major Problems with Mazda CX-5 Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Mazda CX-5 to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

Mazda CX-5 complaint overview

927 recorded complaints across model years
Years covered 2013–2019
Most recorded categories ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (174), POWER TRAIN (131), UNKNOWN OR OTHER (129)
Highest recorded count 301 in 2016

Complaint counts are reports, not confirmed defect rates. Older model years have had more time to accumulate reports, and sales volume and reporting coverage differ by year. A higher count does not by itself make a year the least reliable, and these figures are not a failure probability.

Compare two model years

Year A Year B

Problem category

Mazda CX-5 FlawScore

Best and Worst Years for Mazda CX-5

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Mazda CX-5.

Model Year	Complaints
2019 CX-5	8
2018 CX-5	45
2017 CX-5	31
2016 CX-5	301
2015 CX-5	95
2014 CX-5	296
2013 CX-5	151

Worst 3 Mazda CX-5 complaints

2013 Mazda CX-5 UNKNOWN OR OTHER Victims: 5

2014 Mazda CX-5 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Victims: 2 Mileage: 25000 miles

2013 Mazda CX-5 SEATS Victims: 2 Mileage: 20000 miles

Browse Mazda CX-5 complaints by category

Problems with ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER and ENGINE are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Mazda CX-5 owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM this is the second occurrence of the same issue but while driving the vehicle at highway speeds all dash lights...	174 ~ 44110 miles
POWER TRAIN i just purchased this vehicle in september 2014. while i was driving on interstate 15 at approximately 70mph all a...	131 ~ 28805 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER driver side view mirror will vibrate while driving and hard to see the objects properly in the mirror. they had...	129 ~ 34341 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING i purchased a new 2015 mazda cx5 in may of 2015 with the tour technology package. therefore i have the...	122 ~ 38458 miles
SERVICE BRAKES this is the second occurrence of the same issue but while driving the vehicle at highway speeds all dash lights...	115 ~ 20780 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER first incident cracked windshield appeared over night. started out about 8 inches long and grew to about 18 inches. i...	104 ~ 11363 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE i bought this car new in may. within the first month the car wouldn't start i bought the car in...	87 ~ 9367 miles
ENGINE accelerating onto the freeway the engine lost power and the check engine as well as several dash warning lights illuminated....	86 ~ 35804 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL our vehicle is equipped with the "smart city braking" feature that automatically prevents collisions at low speed. this system triggers...	56 ~ 21936 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL our vehicle is equipped with the "smart city braking" feature that automatically prevents collisions at low speed. this system triggers...	31 ~ 38436 miles
WINDSHIELD > VISIBILITY vehicle parked. got into vehicle and noticed large crack in windshield. the crack was not there 2 hours earlier when...	27 ~ 7007 miles
AIR BAGS i was driving on a highway at approximately 50 mph. i was hit in the right side back of the...	23 ~ 23993 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM the service department people of koeppel mazda in woodside ny was evading to help me schedule a service appointment in...	21 ~ 18172 miles
SEATS i have a 2015 mazda cx5 with only 4 800 miles on it. yesterday i experienced something very scary while...	21 ~ 15966 miles
STEERING this is the second occurrence of the same issue but while driving the vehicle at highway speeds all dash lights...	12 ~ 17477 miles
SUSPENSION after making a right hand turn there was a sudden loud noise. the car then came to a sudden stop...	10 ~ 25421 miles
STRUCTURE i was parking my car in the garage last night when i noticed a fracture line propagating from the base...	10 ~ 9054 miles
WHEELS . the tires that it has are the ones that came originally with the car when i purchased brand new...	9 ~ 20821 miles
SEAT BELTS during hard breaking (abs engaged) at 30 mph city traffic followed by a front end crash both seat belt retractors...	6 ~ 25983 miles
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY > VISIBILITY the car was in my carport overnight. my husband got something out of the car and shut the door. the	5 ~ 8846 miles
VISIBILITY purchased a 2014 mazda cx5 on 06-10-2013. on 07-03-2013 while our mazda was parked at the hospital came out to...	4 ~ 5351 miles
PARKING BRAKE electronic parking brake stays engaged while driving causing brakes excessive wear and brake failure. five 2016 cx5 vehicles manufactured in...	3 ~ 32900 miles
TIRES catastrophic failure of yokohama geolandar g91a p225 65/r17 d.o.t. fdf5-pc51414 oem tire: on july 6 2015 at approximately 12:30pm est...	3 ~ 16281 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES tl* the contact owns a 2014 mazda cx-5. the contact stated that when the door unlock button was engaged the...	3 ~ 6333 miles
REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES > VISIBILITY when driving noticed a stress crack forming below the vehicle review mirror and rake assist cluster on the windshield. this...	3 ~ 1540 miles
FLOOR SHIFT > LEVER AND LINKAGE > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION car does not completely turn off when ignition button is pushed. engine turns off but accessories stay on. it takes...	2 ~ 94500 miles
HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2015 mazda cx-5. while driving 25 mph the headlights failed to illuminate at night without...	2 ~ 31975 miles
PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN when putting the vehicle in park the engine will not cut off am being told it is the shifter position...	2 ~ 46000 miles
CALIPER > DISC > FOUNDATION COMPONENTS tl* the contact owns a 2014 mazda cx-5. while reversing the vehicle the brakes made noise. the vehicle was taken...	2 ~ 23500 miles
TREAD/BELT > TIRES catastrophic failure of yokohama geolandar g91a p225 65/r17 d.o.t. fdf5-pc51414 oem tire: on july 6 2015 at approximately 12:30pm est...	2 ~ 19142 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING i pulled out of a parking lot after having the vehicle parked there for about 2 hours- the vehicle is...	2 ~ 9633 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE on july 4 2014 approximately 10:15 p.m. i was driving about 35 mph when the engine rpms were far above...	2 ~ 41545 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC tl* the contact owns a 2013 mazda cx5. the contact stated that the rear brakes failed. the vehicle was taken...	2 ~ 19400 miles
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY on multiple occasions over the winter when temperatures were below freezing and snow was present on the car and it...	2 ~ 4250 miles
ACCELERATOR PEDAL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL tl* the contact owns a 2018 mazda cx-5. when the engine was warmed up and the vehicle was placed in...	1 ~ 7226 miles
OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION > SENSOR > AIR BAGS the passenger seat air bag sensor failed and it cost me 1 000.00 to repair replace sensor car is less	1 ~ 85000 miles
SWITCH > IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2014 mazda cx-5. after switching the shifter to the park position turning the engine off...	1 ~ 53000 miles
IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2014 mazda cx-5. the contact stated that the engine failed to turn off when the...	1 ~ 60000 miles
REAR/OTHER > SEAT BELTS tl* the contact owns a 2016 mazda cx-5. the contact stated that the rear passenger side seat belt did not...	1 ~ 22000 miles
GLASS, SIDE/REAR > VISIBILITY 2016 mazda cx5. consumer writes in regards to shattered window on vehicle. *ld the consumer requested to be reimbursed for	1
EXTERIOR > REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES > VISIBILITY the driver side rearview mirror vibrates violently and blurs visibility at speeds higher than 50 mph. a tsb has been...	1 ~ 63000 miles
HEATER CORE > DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY 2013 mazda cx-5. consumer writes in regards to heater core replacement issues. ld updated 06/20/2017js...	1
HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE > BODY > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2015 mazda cx-5. the contact stated that the liftgate independently fell and struck the contact's...	1 ~ 42000 miles
LATCH > DOORS > LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES tl* the contact owns a 2014 mazda cx-5. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v644000 (latches/locks/linkages) for the...	1
POWER ADJUST > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEATS the drivers seat reclines without anyone pressing button while the car is parked. this has happened irregularly for years. i...	1 ~ 30000 miles
AIR CONDITIONER > APPLIANCE > EQUIPMENT 2015 mazda cx-5. consumer writes in regards to vehicle air conditioning condenser issues. *smd the consumer was informed the air	1
POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS > VISIBILITY i bought my mazda cx5 new a 2015 model year and experienced a thumping noise when we slightly put rear...	1 ~ 279 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN 2013 mazda cx-5. consumer writes in regards to vehicle decelerated while driving and tire pressure sensor warning light traction control...	1

FAQ

What year Mazda CX-5 is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 7 years, Mazda CX-5 models of 2019, 2017, 2018 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Mazda CX-5?

Mazda CX-5 models of 2016 and 2014 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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