Owners have filed 20 complaints
about the 2026 Mazda CX-5 with NHTSA between 2026 and 2026.
The largest single group is the electrical system.
Across this model's run it ranks 14 of 14 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 4
Against the median year of the Mazda CX-5. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 0
0% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2026 Mazda CX-5
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Other & Unspecified
525.0%
Electrical System
525.0%
Median failure at 930 miles
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
315.0%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
210.0%
Median failure at 300 miles
Equipment & Accessories
15.0%
Median failure at 300 miles
Seats
15.0%
Lights
15.0%
Brakes
15.0%
Transmission & Drivetrain
15.0%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Apr 2026peak 6Aug 2026
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Louisville, KY
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The Mazda cx5 2026 I purchased has a white film behind both headlights. Mazda refuses to replace headlights stating this is normal. However it is a manufacturing defect. This is a structural problem from outgassing causing a permanent haze on inside of each lens which is considered to be a night visibility hazard. I bought vehicle second week in XXX.Took it back to service dept on XXX. They said no to replacement . Contacted corporate XXX to no avail. Same story. Mazda will no replace even though under full warranty. contacted attorney general and he said to make report here. In process of retaining lawyer because at this point I don’t know what else to do. I expect perfect vehicle for my money plus expect Mazda to be honest and do the right thing. Never had anything like this happen in my life buying a new car. Thank You. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11758032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Harrisburg, PA
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Have a cracked windshield from a chip near the wiper area Mazda says needs to be replaced But they are on National back order Was told that when the windshield caves in or collapses Then an emergency order can be put in
NHTSA complaint #11755455 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ludlow, MA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This is a new rebuild of this vehicle with the electronics now being within the screen. Initially had SOS and telematics issues which most of these cars are having. These seem to be fixed after two updates by Mazda. Have continuously been having issues with connectivity with their app and the ability to access my car through the app. Including locking/unlocking the doors, starting the car, having access to info about my car like: mileage and tire pressure etc. Mazda continues to see these cars without proper fixes. I have been thru three updates. And there has been no fix to these issues. I am unable to access alerts or updates regarding the car as well.
NHTSA complaint #11753049 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
LAS Vegas, NV
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
SOS sounds at random Telemetry not working comes up at random Touchscreen on infotainment freezes
NHTSA complaint #11750817 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Detroit, MI
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The windshield of my 2026 Mazda CX-5 suddenly fractured and developed a severe crack without any external road hazard or heavy stone impact. Under micro-photography, the root of the crack presents as a smooth, continuous stress fracture ("white line") with no physical crater or concentric shattering pattern. The authorized Mazda dealer and Safelite AutoGlass provided entirely contradictory diagnostic locations regarding the alleged "impact point," proving the source of the failure is highly ambiguous. On this vehicle, a standard, everyday micro-pit from normal road dust triggered a catastrophic structural fracture across the glass. This is a disproportionate failure indicating excessive internal manufacturing residual stress or structural pressure from the vehicle frame rather than owner wear-and-tear. Furthermore, this severe fracture directly obstructs the driver's forward vision and threatens the calibration and safety functionality of the i-Activesense forward-facing safety cameras mounted behind the rearview mirror, creating a sudden, severe driving safety hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11747280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seattle, WA
SEATS
About a week ago, a "telematics error" message displayed, a single red light on the SOS button turned on, and it started beeping loudly. This has repeated multiple times. In this state the vehicle cannot automatically summon emergency help following a crash, and I cannot manually trigger an SOS call. More recently, June 17th, a new symptom has occurred. Vehicle's touchscreen display would not turn on. This display is required to access heating/cooling features including defrost/defog, and is used to show the backup camera. The dealer has informed us that these issues were all caused by a manufacturer-initiated over-the-air software update. We are currently scheduled to have a new software update installed to replace it on June 22nd.
NHTSA complaint #11744809 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seattle, WA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
About a week ago, a "telematics error" message displayed, a single red light on the SOS button turned on, and it started beeping loudly. This has repeated multiple times. In this state the vehicle cannot automatically summon emergency help following a crash, and I cannot manually trigger an SOS call. More recently, June 17th, a new symptom has occurred. Vehicle's touchscreen display would not turn on. This display is required to access heating/cooling features including defrost/defog, and is used to show the backup camera. The dealer has informed us that these issues were all caused by a manufacturer-initiated over-the-air software update. We are currently scheduled to have a new software update installed to replace it on June 22nd.
NHTSA complaint #11744809 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Seattle, WA
VISIBILITY/WIPER
About a week ago, a "telematics error" message displayed, a single red light on the SOS button turned on, and it started beeping loudly. This has repeated multiple times. In this state the vehicle cannot automatically summon emergency help following a crash, and I cannot manually trigger an SOS call. More recently, June 17th, a new symptom has occurred. Vehicle's touchscreen display would not turn on. This display is required to access heating/cooling features including defrost/defog, and is used to show the backup camera. The dealer has informed us that these issues were all caused by a manufacturer-initiated over-the-air software update. We are currently scheduled to have a new software update installed to replace it on June 22nd.
NHTSA complaint #11744809 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Pittsburg, CA
POWER TRAIN
I leased a brand new vehicle on June 8th. On June 12th, I took it to the dealer's service center because of a warning message, accompanied with a loud chime that said: "Emergency Call Unit Malfunction", the SOS red light was also on. I picked the car up today, June 15th. Shortly leaving the dealership, I was driving on the freeway crawling traffic with my husband and 4 year old child in the vehicle. Suddenly, the service/wrench icon started flashing on the dashboard, and the car's engine completely died and stalled while we were moving on the highway. At the exact second the engine died, dash and infotainment screen went completely black, the A/C shut off as well. I instantly lost my speedometer and all safety alerts while stuck in traffic. I was still stepping on my brakes, and turned my hazard lights on so we could pull over to safety. Screens went back on and engine came back on. We were fortunate to be by the nearest exit and took it. The screens went back on, but service light was still flashing. We were able to drive the car to Mazda, and was provided a loaner car. This is a massive safety issue and hazard that put my family in immediate danger on a busy highway just following a dealer service.
NHTSA complaint #11744358 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Pittsburg, CA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I leased a brand new vehicle on June 8th. On June 12th, I took it to the dealer's service center because of a warning message, accompanied with a loud chime that said: "Emergency Call Unit Malfunction", the SOS red light was also on. I picked the car up today, June 15th. Shortly leaving the dealership, I was driving on the freeway crawling traffic with my husband and 4 year old child in the vehicle. Suddenly, the service/wrench icon started flashing on the dashboard, and the car's engine completely died and stalled while we were moving on the highway. At the exact second the engine died, dash and infotainment screen went completely black, the A/C shut off as well. I instantly lost my speedometer and all safety alerts while stuck in traffic. I was still stepping on my brakes, and turned my hazard lights on so we could pull over to safety. Screens went back on and engine came back on. We were fortunate to be by the nearest exit and took it. The screens went back on, but service light was still flashing. We were able to drive the car to Mazda, and was provided a loaner car. This is a massive safety issue and hazard that put my family in immediate danger on a busy highway just following a dealer service.
NHTSA complaint #11744358 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Saint Petersburg, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Complete software issues… 1-Yellow triangle with a red exclamation point 2-SOS alarm tone continuously goes off 3-Radio screen will freeze up, stop and restart to clear 4-Hey Google commands, will not turn AC off, Hey Google turn AC down, responds with turning the AC UP 4 degrees 5-Software turns off traction control 6-Extremely dangerous when Google does not work, and you have to look at the screen and not the road 7-Mazda has removed physical knobs for entertainment system, and AC system. With a failure of software this is dangerous 8-Why did Mazda put this model out for sale to the public, and NOT NOTIFY CUSTOMERS OF THIS POTENTIAL DANGEROUS ISSUE AT THE TIME OF SALE 9-In 2 months I have had to go back for service 3 times, with as many as 5 warning lights on the Custer at 1 time, all regarding software issues 10- Each time from the service department we get the… Mazda is aware of this issues but does not have a fix at this time 11- Paid $40,000 cash for this 2026 mazda cx5 premium, Is and or will this be considered lemon law in the state of Florida. 12- As of now the only fix is a hard reset by disconnecting the battery.
NHTSA complaint #11740879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Villa Park, IL
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle's Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) / Smart Brake Support system intermittently triggers "false positive" emergency braking events during critical driving maneuvers, specifically while accelerating to merge into highway traffic. During these events, the system violently applies the brakes with no external hazard present. Crucially, the vehicle fails to acknowledge driver override input. Depressing the accelerator pedal fully does not disengage the automatic braking, stripping the driver of vehicle control and exposing the vehicle to a severe risk of being rear-ended at high speed. Simultaneously, the vehicle experiences a persistent "In-Unit Telematics Malfunction" error on the dashboard, accompanied by rapid-fire mobile app notifications (14 alerts in a single day) stating "Critical Vehicle Malfunction: Vehicle cannot be driven." These communication module errors have persisted despite the dealership applying Mazda's latest software updates, indicating a critical network failure or hardware defect that compromises active safety systems.
NHTSA complaint #11739803 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Villa Park, IL
SERVICE BRAKES
The vehicle's Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) / Smart Brake Support system intermittently triggers "false positive" emergency braking events during critical driving maneuvers, specifically while accelerating to merge into highway traffic. During these events, the system violently applies the brakes with no external hazard present. Crucially, the vehicle fails to acknowledge driver override input. Depressing the accelerator pedal fully does not disengage the automatic braking, stripping the driver of vehicle control and exposing the vehicle to a severe risk of being rear-ended at high speed. Simultaneously, the vehicle experiences a persistent "In-Unit Telematics Malfunction" error on the dashboard, accompanied by rapid-fire mobile app notifications (14 alerts in a single day) stating "Critical Vehicle Malfunction: Vehicle cannot be driven." These communication module errors have persisted despite the dealership applying Mazda's latest software updates, indicating a critical network failure or hardware defect that compromises active safety systems.
NHTSA complaint #11739803 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle's Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) / Smart Brake Support system intermittently triggers "false positive" emergency braking events during critical driving maneuvers, specifically while accelerating to merge into highway traffic. During these events, the system violently applies the brakes with no external hazard present. Crucially, the vehicle fails to acknowledge driver override input. Depressing the accelerator pedal fully does not disengage the automatic braking, stripping the driver of vehicle control and exposing the vehicle to a severe risk of being rear-ended at high speed. Simultaneously, the vehicle experiences a persistent "In-Unit Telematics Malfunction" error on the dashboard, accompanied by rapid-fire mobile app notifications (14 alerts in a single day) stating "Critical Vehicle Malfunction: Vehicle cannot be driven." These communication module errors have persisted despite the dealership applying Mazda's latest software updates, indicating a critical network failure or hardware defect that compromises active safety systems.
NHTSA complaint #11739803 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 930 milesChelsea, AL
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
The contact owns a 2026 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster displayed a black screen. The contact stated that several warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. In addition, the contact was informed that the failure was a known failure of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 930.
NHTSA complaint #11739383 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Garland, TX
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Three Loud Beeps on Startup. Car in Park, Doors Closed Seat Belt On No passengers Three Single Tone Loud Beeps are coming from right front speaker only. Concerned for unknown potential system(s) failure
NHTSA complaint #11736256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Antonio, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The failures are intermittent but recurring, and I have personally experienced them multiple times under normal driving conditions. The dealership has not been able to reproduce the failures consistently, and Mazda has provided no inspection, no investigation, and no acknowledgment of the issue despite multiple attempts to contact them. In addition, numerous other 2026 Mazda CX‑5 owners are reporting the exact same problems across multiple online forums and owner communities. These include: • Complete center display blackouts • Random system errors • Telematics failures • Driver‑assist malfunctions • Connected Services not working at all Owners are actively seeking help from one another because Mazda is ignoring customer reports, providing no guidance, and offering no official communication or support. This widespread pattern strongly suggests the issue is not isolated, but rather a potential systemic defect affecting the 2026 CX‑5 platform.
NHTSA complaint #11734987 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Antonio, TX
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The failures are intermittent but recurring, and I have personally experienced them multiple times under normal driving conditions. The dealership has not been able to reproduce the failures consistently, and Mazda has provided no inspection, no investigation, and no acknowledgment of the issue despite multiple attempts to contact them. In addition, numerous other 2026 Mazda CX‑5 owners are reporting the exact same problems across multiple online forums and owner communities. These include: • Complete center display blackouts • Random system errors • Telematics failures • Driver‑assist malfunctions • Connected Services not working at all Owners are actively seeking help from one another because Mazda is ignoring customer reports, providing no guidance, and offering no official communication or support. This widespread pattern strongly suggests the issue is not isolated, but rather a potential systemic defect affecting the 2026 CX‑5 platform.
NHTSA complaint #11734987 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 300 milesWest Jordan, UT
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
The contact owns a 2026 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the infotainment system failed to operate as intended, and unknown sensors were illuminated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 300.
NHTSA complaint #11734269 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 300 milesWest Jordan, UT
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT
The contact owns a 2026 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the infotainment system failed to operate as intended, and unknown sensors were illuminated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 300.
NHTSA complaint #11734269 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.