382 of the
3,269 complaints filed about the Mazda CX-5
are about the other systems —
12% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2014.
My CX-5 has 25,000 miles and recently the a/c failed culminating in a distinct chemical smell in the cabin. The issue was identified as a leaking/failed evaporator which apparently is located behind the dashboard and in turn “dump” the leaking refrigerant into the cabin! The total cost of repair due to the location of the evaporator is between $3000-$4500 in my area, seems a high cost to be poisoned by a vehicle that only has 25,000 miles on the clock!
NHTSA complaint #11756577 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In early 2025, my 2019 Mazda CX5 automatic would not shift always shift when it should - - it would take several seconds. This was especially concerning when I merged onto freeways and when I drove up hills or steep roads, and needed to pass a slower vehicle. The problem was especially noticeable & lasted longer when the engine was cold. I took the car to my mechanic who said it was the TCM, there was a recall notice, & that I needed to take my car to a dealer. (I never received a recall notice.) I took my car to Mazda in Sacramento because my local dealer (Salinas, CA) would not address the issue without me paying a $395 "diagnostic fee" - - even though I had the recall info from my mechanic. Maita Mazda ([XXX]) reprogrammed the TCM XXX, but now 16 months later, my car is exhibiting the exact same symptoms as before the TCM was reprogrammed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11755884 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased a brand new Mazda CX5 in 2020 that now has 46,000 miles on it. It is experiencing the known “ghost touch” issue in which the entertainment system and screen displayed in the center of the dashboard turns itself off and on, changes settings, shuts off navigation while driving, changes the radio from FM to AM, changes the time zone, drops hand free phone calls, initiatives hands free phone calls, does not allow me to control the volume, freezes, and more, while driving without me touching the system or even when it isn’t on. It is incredibly disruptive and distracting when driving and is a major safety problem. There was a class action lawsuit for this issue for 2016-2020 Mazda CX5s that expired in 2025 in which Mazda was required to pay up to $1750 for repairs. I was not having this issue at that time and have been told Mazda will only pay a portion to correct this issue. Considering how popular this vehicle is and the likelihood of this being cost prohibitive for many people to pay for themselves this has the potential to be a major safety problem throughout the country.
NHTSA complaint #11756022 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2021 Mazda CX-5 has developed a persistent rattling/vibration noise from the A-pillar and upper corner of the windshield. The noise appears to originate from the windshield/A-pillar attachment area and may be related to improper adhesion, mounting, weatherstripping, or other components near the top of the windshield. I have found numerous similar owner reports involving Mazda CX-5 and other fourth-generation Mazda models describing rattling, clicking, or vibration from the same windshield/A-pillar area. Because this issue appears to affect a significant number of vehicles, I believe NHTSA should investigate whether there is a common manufacturing or assembly defect and determine whether a manufacturer repair campaign or recall is warranted.
NHTSA complaint #11755858 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
I have a serious safety issue with my 2025 Mazda CX-5, purchased new in January 2026 from Island Mazda on [XXX]. A few days before the critical alert, I noticed the car stopping on its own before pressing the brake. While driving on the highway, I received a “faulty sensor” alert that went away. On July 10, 2026, I received a Critical Vehicle Malfunction Alert in the MyMazda app. The app gave no specific details. I called Mazda Customer Experience. They confirmed via email the system labels it as a Parking Brake Malfunction and instructed me not to drive the vehicle. They advised it could stop at any time or not stop. I also experienced pulling and unprompted braking while driving. On XXX, I called Island Mazda service multiple times (calls went to a call center). No callbacks. I went in person. General Manager [XXX] was unavailable; Sales Manager [XXX] advised towing to [XXX]. The car was towed XXX at 1:29 PM. No confirmation call. I called again at ~2 PM. Technician [XXX] called first. Service Manager [XXX] later called and was rude/dismissive. He yelled when I mentioned lemon law saying he can no longer speak to me when i mention that, downplayed the issue, refused to discuss documentation, and suggested I test drive the unsafe vehicle with them to figure out whats wrong. He spoke over me and said it would take a long time to fix because they are busy. He said he would forward my case to someone else and i agreed he is not capable of handling this appropriately. This is a brand new vehicle under warranty. I have a [XXX] son with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (rare condition requiring stress-dosing for injury). I do not feel safe driving it since the alert never even appeared in my actual car just the mazda app on my phone i do not trust the dealership after this treatment to fix it. Requesting full investigation into the defect and dealership handling. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11750407 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Repeated Failure and Rebooting of Mazda Connect Infotainment System I am the owner of a 2016 Mazda CX-5. The factory Mazda Connect infotainment system has developed a recurring defect in which the system repeatedly reboots to the Mazda logo while driving. Prior to complete failure, the navigation system became intermittent and Bluetooth connectivity frequently disconnected, requiring repeated attempts to reconnect devices. The system now continuously cycles through the startup screen, making navigation, hands-free phone functions, and system settings inaccessible. These repeated reboots occur while the vehicle is in motion and are distracting to the driver. The flashing and rebooting screen repeatedly draws the driver's attention away from the road and interferes with the use of navigation and hands-free communication features that are intended to promote safe driving. After researching this issue, I found numerous reports from other Mazda owners experiencing the same symptoms involving the Mazda Connect system, navigation SD card, and Connectivity Master Unit (CMU). The frequency and similarity of these reports suggest that this is a widespread and well-known defect rather than an isolated incident. Because this defect affects driver attention and the safe operation of the vehicle's communication and navigation functions, I respectfully request that Mazda and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate this matter and require Mazda to issue a recall or establish a repair program for affected vehicles. Vehicle: 2016 Mazda CX-5 Mileage: 70k
NHTSA complaint #11745804 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
In 2024 I started having problems with my battery replaced it 3 times last time with a Mazda battery per Mazda advice. The car started to jerk while driving took it back to Mazda said it could be fuel injectors. They cleaned them and problem persists. Took it back they cleaned purve valve and then I broke down while leaving on [XXX] . Called service dept called police since it was in the middle of the blvd. And in traffic. We were lucky no one hit us. They took my car gave me a loaner had it for 10 days. Couldn’t find any problems. Then in 4/2025 it completely died at my home I called Mazda they were able to jump the battery and had it for a month. Couldn’t find any problem. And now we are in 5/2026 my car was in my drive without out being driven for 3 days and now is dead once again. But it is so dead that I cannot open with fob and dash board is black. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11741365 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
Touch Screen and/or infotainment center causing ghost touch. Available for inspection. Ghost touch (known Mazda issue) with touch screen has been changing radio stations, increasing volume to max. Will go into user settings and change guidance voice to full volume, increasing bass to full volume, fast forward songs, mute phone call feature, randomly switch from bluetooth to handset of phone. All of this is done without the driver or anyone else in the car touching anything. When this happens there is no easy fix. I cannot just stop the song, mute the volume. We have to wait for it to decide to stop and fix itself. It is a safety issue because You are driving and randomly volume goes to full blast an startles you, cannot hear what is going on around you, and hurts your ears. This is distracting and I have swerved my car because of it. Bluetooth capability is suppose to be handsfree, so if it keeps muting my call or switching to my phone, that is now a safety hazard as well. vehicle was inspected in 2021 by Mazda dealership. At that time they said the only thing they can do it remove the SIM card, and we would lose navigation. However the issue did not stop. It would cost us about $1000+ between labor and parts and inspection to get this fixed. It was addressed again in 2023 and 2025. 2025, when the infotainment system had a class action law suit but ours wouldn't be covered because its the touch screen and not the computer. No warning systems.
NHTSA complaint #11740394 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sunroof glass failure that occurred on my 2024 Mazda CX-5. While driving to work on May 9th at 11:16 pm going 67 miles per hour on route XXX in [XXX] , I suddenly heard a very loud popping/explosive sound from above the vehicle. Upon safely pulling over, I discovered that the sunroof glass had shattered unexpectedly. There was no known object strike that I or my two passengers observed, no prior cracks or chips visible before the incident, and no warning signs of damage beforehand. The glass appeared to have exploded outward/ upward and appeared curved upward. Most of the glass we believe hit the vehicle behind us as it was gone by the time we were able to safely pull over. It was approximately 58 degrees outside with no inclement weather. The vehicle currently has approximately 53,000 miles and has been properly maintained. The incident was extremely startling and created a significant safety concern while driving. Luckily, the interior sun visor was closed when this incident occurred, preventing the glass from entering the vehicle and injuring myself or my two passengers. Because the vehicle is relatively new and the damage appeared sudden and unusual, I would sincerely appreciate Mazda reviewing this matter for possible warranty or goodwill assistance. I have always valued Mazda’s quality and reputation, and I am hopeful the company can help support resolution of this unexpected issue. I have attached photographs of the damage and would be happy to provide any additional information needed. I would also appreciate the dealership documenting whether any definitive impact point or external strike evidence was identified during inspection. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. I look forward to working together toward a resolution. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11738271 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Unintended acceleration incident. I entered the parking lot of a business where the Salvation Army is located to drop off a donation. The parking spaces were on the left side. As I pulled into a parking space and was in the process of parking, the vehicle suddenly lurched/accelerated forward unexpectedly and struck the concrete wall of the building. The airbags did not deploy despite the frontal impact. No one was seriously injured, but my husband, daughter, and I experienced soreness the following day from the impact. Thankfully, I had chosen a parking space in front of a concrete wall rather than the glass storefront windows, which could have resulted in far more serious injuries or damage. I contacted my insurance company, and the vehicle has since been repaired.
NHTSA complaint #11737223 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sunroof blew out while driving down interstate highway. There was no impact that we are aware of, just a complete failure of the sunroof glass. The sunroof was closed, with the shade also closed, so no glass fell down into the vehicle. The glass blew out with a very loud explosion that startled and disoriented all within the vehicle causing us to swerve and look around for what had happened. The glass has been inspected and is being repaired by a local auto glass shop today. No warning lamps or otherwise. I have pictures of the glass if needed.
NHTSA complaint #11737283 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I received notice from Mazda about a recall on the infotainment system. The notice required me to provide as much proof of claim as possible. I provided proof from the dealership where the system was replaced. I was within filing time guidelines. Mazda administrator sent notice that my claim was denied with no reason as to why. Claim # XXX VIN [XXX] I am requesting the full amount of parts and labor that I spent for the replacement of the infotainment system. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11735940 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Life-threatening, unoccupied rollaway vehicle with personal injury. Possible and/or suspected issues: "Not-P" switch circuit malfunction; "false park"; lack of cross-module redundancy; lack of BCM and PCM redundancy; Diagnostic Blind Spot; lack of Occupancy-Brake interlock; systematic safety failure culminating in unintended, driverless, runaway Zombie vehicle with personal injury. Background Info: * Low mileage, mainly in-town errands driving. * Not previously reported quirks, possible latent defects: liftgate opening that was hit-or-miss requiring multiple unlock trunk-unlock doors + get out of the car manual attempts; intermittent off-shutdown double-tap issue to power off car; ill-timed "rear seat alert". * Reported "engine won't start" resulting in three key FOB battery replacements and a locked key FOB. Day of Incident: * Auto-lock and the EBS were not used. * Driver intent was to park and unload, then permanently park. Car was in-park twice before ultimately placed in reverse and backed into position, facing downhill on a slight slope and along a left-side stone retaining wall. * Driver thought vehicle was fully in Park. * Attempted open liftgate via "open trunk, open door" routine, which did not work, so I exited the vehicle to try the manual liftgate button, which also did not work. * Three back-and-forth "unlock trunk/doors + manually press liftgate button" did not work. * Note: Upon opening the door or anytime after, I did NOT hear an audible warning that the car was not fully in Park. Nor did the car move/creep in any direction. * Deducing I must need to shut off the car to open the liftgate -- I leaned in and depressed the on/off button. * This caused the car to move forward, driverless, door open and scraping the stone wall, across a secondary road, over an 11" curb, and down a hill before stopping due to a tree. * I was injured. Pinned between a narrowing door and the car, I tried to turn the wheel right before being knocked down/falling
NHTSA complaint #11735788 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
another case of a 2018 cx-5 cracked cylinder head. 70k miles and regularly maintienced. no warning other than oil showing on the ground. took it in to mazda dealership and they came back after looking at it and declared it was a cracked cylinder head priced at 6.8k. after looking it up it appears to be a casting issue that has affected many mazdas but mazda corp. will not take fault.
NHTSA complaint #11735291 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am experiencing “ghost touch” from the faulty laminate on the touch screen. Can literally see it degrading. It is a widely known issue and is dangerous cause I’m cruising along at 70 on the highway then all of a sudden my car randomly changes to different screens or changes sound settings. Very distracting and disconcerting. Unbelievable this hasn’t been a recall - government is certainly complicit in this now.
NHTSA complaint #11734765 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.