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Crossover SUVs have become a very popular segment in America. The 2020 Mazda CX-5 is praised as being “poised under pressure,” but owners tend to disagree. From the faulty electrical system to the malfunctioning service brakes and defective wheels, this vehicle only seems to put people in danger.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2018 2019 2021 2022
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Mazda CX-5
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Structure:body | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Air Bags | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Wheels | |
| Fuel/propulsion System |
Problems with the Electrical System
Here’s just one example from Edmunds. “The computer issues started. Weekly they got worse until they are now a daily issue. The problems are random- suddenly the dash goes dark, Sirius not available, car won’t unlock, car won’t lock, message that the cruise control is not available under 20 mpg flashes while I’m driving at 40 mph etc. I could go on and on. Of course the dealership service department tells me there is nothing wrong so the 2nd time I put in (my brand new car of 3 months,) I gave them a memory card with numerous videos and pictures. Received the dumb broad act for that. They get one more chance to fix this before I invoke the Lemon Law.”
Don’t let Mazda fool anyone. The company is fully aware of many electrical problems. One such instance is illustrated with Service Bulletin #SA-049-20, which talks about how the engine might not start because of a parasitic drain and low battery voltage. However, instead of offering a fix, the company can only say, “Mazda is aware of the issue and is working on a solution.” A lot of good that does for customers that are waiting to get to work, but have a dead battery instead.
Problems with the Brakes
On the flip side of being able to start the vehicle, it’s also imperative that the SUV stops. For this to happen, the brakes must be in optimal working condition, but they are not.
Another Edmunds review states, “I’m a mechanic/auto enthusiast and have owned about 30 cars in my life. The 2019 cx-5 was the first time I bought a brand new car. At 12,000 I had to bring it in for service due to all four calipers sticking. Mazda said they just need grease due to them being improperly grease to begin with and set me on my way. Now at 23,000 I’m back with same problem and need rotors, pads and calipers. Mazda says it all comes out of my pocket and its due to the weather elements. Now out of all the cars I’ve had and work on…..normally pads go at least 35,000. I personally have never had to change sooner than 50,000. I’m blown away by this and going to make hit Avenue possible to let everyone know about this.”
Yet again, Mazda is fully aware of problems, even talking about brake dragging, juddering and other noises with Service Bulletin #SA-019-20. Driving the CX-5 is like having a one-man band on the street. Who knows what sounds will come out of it next?
Problems with the Wheels
Finally, customers are put in danger simply because of the wheels and further defects.
This next story from an NHTSA complaint is alarming. “After picking up a brand new car from Mazda dealership, I was returning home using a 3-lane I-75 highway, as always extremely busy. To stay in this traffic I was forced to drive at 70 mph, which is the local speed limit. It turns out that from the speed of 60 mph up, the car didn’t want to drive in a straight line on its own and required continuous steering wheel corrections. This created a hazardous driving condition considering the fact that the adjacent lanes were packed up with other vehicles. Upon arrival, I examined the tires installed on the car and found them to be M+S Toyo A36 – the type used for mud and snow conditions, typically in cold climates. The irony is I live in South-Central Florida, the dealership is also in South-Central Florida, and the new Mazda cars were shipped from the producer to the Jacksonville Port in Florida for the local markets. Thus, while perfectly acceptable in Montana or Michigan, this type of M+S tire is just dangerous when used on hot, South-Central FL interstate highways. I contacted the Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) asking for replacing the type of tires on my car and pointing to the fact that Mazda Japan specifies a different, safer type (tread and compound) of tires for their own markets. The MNAO answer was in essence: ‘One Size Fits All.'”
Sadly, the company has other issues to deal with when it comes to manufacturing. Even Service Bulletin #09-008-20-3675 talks about how the roof, trunk and hood might become stained. This is due to the RAPGARD removal and a chemical reaction that occurs in colder climates. Moisture apparently gets trapped between the paint and the RAPGARD, leading to damage to the brand new vehicles. It’s good that the CX-5 claims to be “poised under pressure,” because it seems there will be a lot of it coming from unhappy customers.
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Complaint Data
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Mar 03, 2023 |
| State | OH |
| Description | The engine of this vehicle has been leaking from different areas consistently. The first leak was the timing cover gasket not properly sealing from manufacture. The dealership covered this under warranty without push back. I then identified a weep from the oil pan gasket during a normal oil change interval. This gasket leak was again from manufacture. I had watched this leak and it seemed to be getting worse over changes and evolved beyond a weep. I also found oil leaking onto one of the spark plugs when changed around 56k miles. I brought it to the dealership and received much push back, conducted oil consumption test for a visible leak, and then placed dye in the oil. It was identified as the oil pan gasket leaking. After much hesitation I eventually was able to get this "repaired" by the dealership at 57k miles. We are now nearly crossing 65k miles and a new leak has presented, enough to cause the low oil light to illuminate and pooling of oil on the access cover. I have yet to identify the source but I am again bringing this to the dealer. Safety concern is that my wife and toddler were an hour away from home on the side of the highway when this light illuminated and had to stop on the side of the road in the cold weather and turn the car off. They could be pulled over in unsafe areas or even be stranded in the cold - or risk seizing the engine to stay warm. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Feb 08, 2023 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Faulty engine coolant thermostat causing cooler than normal range engine. Engine light code p0126 |
| Category | Service Brakes, Air:antilock:abs Warning Light |
| Date | Dec 02, 2022 |
| State | NC |
| Description | 2020 mazda cx-5. Consumer writes in regard to the emergency braking feature on vehicle. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Oct 13, 2022 |
| State | PA |
| Description | Airbags did not deploy when I crashed into a guard rail dragging for 40-50 feet. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Oct 04, 2022 |
| State | MI |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 mazda cx-5. The contact stated that while the brake pedal was depressed stopped at a light, he noticed that the vehicle moved forward and the rpm was fluctuating from 600-1,000. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was duplicated; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jun 19, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | For some reason this vehicle will make a whoop sound after driving it for a little then idle, either at a stop light or sitting in a parking lot. The first time we heard it we thought that there was a police vehicle in the area. We took it to mazda dealership, and they didn't what why it was making that sound. The vehicle has less than 25k miles. We are not sure if it could be a big safety issue or not but would like mazda to look into this. There are no warning lights or signs to know when it's coming. The mazda dealership in our area has no clue and it is annoying hearing this whoop sound. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | May 26, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | at mileage of 24,993 and on april 24, 2022 my oil light came on, creating a very unsafe situation for myself and my young son, nearly stranding us on a very isolated road after dark. My vehicle has regular maintenance at the dealer and was not due for an oil change until 25,378 miles or june 13, 2022. About 30 miles prior to the engine oil light coming on, my car indicated that an oil change was due (prematurely). I added oil to be able to drive it to the dealer who has not verified any issues. |
| Category | Structure:body |
| Date | Feb 22, 2022 |
| State | NV |
| Description | High pitch noise coming from upper side of vehicle while driving on a freeway with strong side winds (35-40mph wind gusts). |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 21, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | 1st issue - system monitor restarts without warning. Just driving along with only one iphone plugged in the monitor shows a spinning "wheel" saying restarting while driving, 2nd issue - with two iphones plugged in it starts having more issues. Stops charging second iphone connects then reconnects constantly. Then stops (see picture) 3rd issue - with only one iphone plugged in and running navigation from iphone, the system disconnects from iphone but no voice unless we disconnect, 4th issue - while driving in adaptive cruise control and braking for people stopping the cruise control will not re-start. It shows on- keep pressing resume - but will not engage (above 40 mph) then after a few minutes it does respond to the resume command |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Oct 05, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Currently own a 2020 mazda cx 5 touring, after coming from work I parked in my driveway and proceeded to turn off the car. When I was walking away I could hear the engine still running. I went back and turned on the car and turned it back off, again I could still hear the engine still running. I went back and got inside and took the car for a 5 minute drive, then came back to my drive way and placed the car on park and then proceeded to turn off the car. I got out and went to the front of the vehicle to see if the engine was running, this time the engine did turn off. |
| Category | Electrical System:adas:blindspot:warning:chime, Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection |
| Date | Sep 24, 2021 |
| State | TN |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 mazda cx-5. The contact noticed that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the passenger blind spot monitoring light and sound failed to operate. The contact mentioned that the vehicle failed to let her know when a vehicle was nearby her. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they reset the monitor however, the failure recurred days later. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000. |
| Category | Structure:body |
| Date | May 02, 2021 |
| State | OH |
| Description | The red paint is chipping pretty bad. This car is only about 1 year old. The chipping is mostly on the hood of the car. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Apr 02, 2021 |
| State | OR |
| Description | My 2020 mazda cx-5 sunroof glass suddenly exploded for no known reason as I was driving 45 mph on highway 97 in oregon. The sunroof was closed and it just suddenly burst. All the glass broke and there was a hole where it blew out. It was a sunny day. The temperature was about 55 degrees. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Apr 01, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | I was parked at a fast food restaurant that had an outdoor kiosk for payment. I got out of my car to pay and got back in. After about a minute or two my car accelerated forward, going over a sloped curb and down a short low grade hill, hitting a pole. I was confused to how the car would go forward because I was in park the whole time. |
| Category | Air Bags, Wheels |
| Date | Mar 16, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Vehicle was on a city street traveling at 35-40 mph when the front left wheel (yokohama geolandar g91) spontaneously blew out despite not colliding with any objects or road hazards. As a result, driver side curtain and seat airbags erroneously deployed and the vehicle immediately shutoff, causing disorientation and temporary loss of hearing in one ear. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Mar 07, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | I have been warned by other drivers at night that my tail lights were out. My clock and radio both are malfunctioning. I just took the car for the yearly inspection and there is a major oil leak from a gasket. The car only has 16,000 miles on it! |
| Category | Engine, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Feb 25, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Massive oil leak near the engine and the cylinder head needs to be replaced because it is defective. This is a 2020 vehicle. The gasket kit and the engine are on backorder so my car is at the shop for an undetermined amount of time on the order of potentially several months! |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jan 02, 2021 |
| State | MA |
| Description | Windshield glass spontaneously cracked from bottom where defrosting vent is located, arcing upward across driivers field of view occupying 3/4 of windshield height- driven to work with no problem and crack was present at end of work shift no impacts occured no other damage -parked in monitored hospital parking garage |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Dec 30, 2020 |
| State | SC |
| Description | Mpg is not as high as listed. With one passenger, no cargo avg city mpg 22. Avg hwy 26 combined 24. 7 months owning car. Tires inflated to proper setting. Maintained done at regular scheduled intervals. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Dec 08, 2020 |
| State | NV |
| Description | Try to part when I step on the. Break, did not stop keeping right on going. |
| Category | Electrical System, Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Nov 09, 2020 |
| State | MO |
| Description | My 2020 mazda cx-5 was 2 days old and the battery was completely drained and had to be towed to the dealer. I picked it up and they did nothing to the battery. They told me nothing was wrong and they replaced the key fob battery. Two more days after that I parked it in my garage and pushed the button to turn it off. Apparently it did not turn off and come morning, I had significant carbon monoxide poisoning and was hospitalized for 4 nights. My car would not start again and the odd thing was that the battery was drained again and there was still gas in it. My local mazda dealer refuses to help me and I am trying to contact mazda's main number. |
| Category | Electrical System, Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Nov 04, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Dashboard lights have gone off then back on while driving on the highway & local roads several times. Also concerned as to what else this issue affects & not sure if daylight running lights are on or off at this time or other electrical elements. Not sure the cause of this possible short in the system in addition to a battery replacement (orig. Battery & then 2 others since 7/4/20) |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Nov 02, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 mazda cx-5. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway of her residence, the vehicle failed to start. The contact contacted an independent mechainc who arrived at the residence and jump started the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to maxon mazda (2329 rte 22 w, union, nj 07083) where it was diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or retrieve a fault code. The technician indicated that the battery was defective. The failure recurred. The battery was replaced three times between july 2020 and oct 2020. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,741. |
| Category | Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Service Brakes |
| Date | Oct 28, 2020 |
| State | OH |
| Description | Purchased brand new 2020 mazda cx-5 on sept 25, 2020. On sept. 29, 2020 with |
| Category | Structure:body |
| Date | Oct 28, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The auto lift gate opens on its own. We just bought this in july and have found it opened on at least 4 occasions. Once outside and the other times in the garage. It opened in the garage and did not realize it when I pushed the garage door opener. It was abutted against the door and caused damage to the lift gate. It is not the fob, because we tried it inside with the door shut and the lift gate does not open. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 07, 2020 |
| State | VA |
| Description | On oct. 6, 2020, while driving north on I-95 in virginia, nearing exit 133, our sun roof suddenly and spontaneously exploded outward. We were traveling at about 50-60 mph and slowing to leave the highway at exit 133. Our car is a 2020 mazda cx-5, purchased in july 2020. We have less than 4,000 miles on the car. There is no evidence that our car was struck by any object that might have caused the sun roof to explode outward. There are no other scratches or dents on our virtually brand new car. Because the sun shade was closed, no shattered glass entered our vehicle. We were fortunate to have not lost control of our vehicle and crashed. The spontaneous sun roof explosion was very loud and it shook the car causing a momentary loss of control. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 22, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Bought a mazda cx5 june 2020 and it was involve in a accident sept 17th 2020 do to brake failure. My mother was driving the vehicle and attempted parking in a apartment complex when the vehicle failed to stop and collided with the facility 20ft in front of the parking space. At the incident, I the owner, found 3 damage rotors were the flaw came from heavy grinding at the caliber (see attach photos). Within the caliber's alloy you can also see the chipped alloy produced from a flaw & the alignment of where it grinds the rotor (see attached photos). A witness stated she was present during the time of the collision and a police report was take from the witness. I can provide plenty of more pictures and videos to explain the geographic and demonstrate via video the flaws at the collision. I've attempt contacting mazda four times but they continue to placed the blame on me "for bad driving damaging items they consider tear and wear products (rotors and calibers)" I explained I only had the vehicle for 3months and its three rotors with similar damage. Yet they told me my insurance must find them at blame. My insurance appraiser stated they will not go to that distance; they just fix or pay off the loan. I am fustrated! You all are my last hope! Going through my insurance will cause me a deductable and at fault blame. Going through mazda is insulting their product, yet I find this frighting but it's their responsibility to conduct further research to why the rotor/caliber went bad in such a short span. Explaining! Even if I am to be blamed, for the incident. What about the product? I only owned the vehicle for three months. Within a little over 3,000 miles. Please help |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 05, 2020 |
| State | CO |
| Description | Sudden braking caused by automatic braking system. On sept 1, 2020, I was driving down a neighborhood street, going about 30 mph, and a car in front of me was turning. I was in no danger of hitting the car in front of me; however, my 2020 mazda cx-5 suddenly braked and made a loud noise. Granted, this car was new to me and I hadn't experienced this before, but I was completely surprised given an accident was not imminent. This sudden braking caused my head to swing forward and back resulting in neck, shoulder, and back pain. Also, it resulted in an increased headache. Upon returning home, I turned the sudden braking safety feature off. On sept 4, 2020, I had a video call with my pcp who advised me to go to the urgent care. The urgent care doctor prescribed muscle relaxers and, based on a previous neck condition, ordered a mri and follow-up with neurosurgeon. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time but the urgent care doctor encouraged me to file a safety report. |
| Category | Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Aug 28, 2020 |
| State | PA |
| Description | Due to the steering wheel controls not being illuminated I accidentally increased the speed rather than decreasing while driving at night. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Aug 03, 2020 |
| State | NY |
| Description | There is a known issue without a solution from mazda ' 2020 cx-5 has intermittent battery drain, causing the vehicle to power off or not start. Happened to me 2x while vehicle was parked and running. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | May 21, 2020 |
| State | MD |
| Description | Driving in the city in the right hand turn lane. This lane passes 2 places for a right hand turn. The car in front made a right hand turn. Their turn was almost complete when the car made a sudden hard brake. No other car was in front of me. My foot was not on the brake. The car behind almost slammed in the back of me. *tr |
| Category | Wheels |
| Date | Feb 18, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | After picking-up a brand new car from mazda dealership, I was returning home using a 3-lane I-75 highway, as always extremely busy. To stay in this traffic I was forced to drive at 70 mph, which is the local speed limit. It turns out that from the speed of 60 mph up, the car didn't want to drive in a straight line on its own and required continuous steering wheel corrections. This created a hazardous driving condition considering the fact that the adjacent lanes were packed-up with the other vehicles. Upon arrival I examined the tires installed on the car and found them to be m+s toyo a36 - the type used for mud and snow conditions, typically in cold climates. The irony is I live in south-central florida, the dealership is also in south-central florida, and the new mazda cars were shipped from the producer to jacksonville port in florida for the local markets. Thus, while perfectly acceptable in montana or michigan, this type of m+s tire is just dangerous when used on hot, south-central fl interstate highways. I contacted the mazda north american operations (mnao) asking for replacing the type of tires on my car and pointing to the fact that mazda japan specifies different, safer type (thread and compound) of tires for their own markets. The mnao answer was in essence: "one size fits all'. Attached below is the transcript of my chat with mnao, mazda-japan specification of toyo proxes tires, as well as a sample of customer reviews of the tires mnao installs on mazda cx-5 today across the usa. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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Mazda 2019 cx5 was the first brand new car I ever bought. I am an engineer that has always done all the work on my 20 plus cars in the past. I have never had more unnecessary problems with a car in my life. The brake system is total garbage. Had to replace calipers brakes and rotors at 25000 miles…..out of pocket. Had the hood repainted cuz was flaking off. Tires were absolute garage. Had no control in the snow and even wet roads….eventually crash…..different tires worked great!
Bought mazda 2020 cx5 grand touring in Feb 2021. It is still under warranty. In August the following occured. All USB ports stopped charging including cigarette charger, auto windshield wipers stopped working, auto lights stopped working, seems like distance set between drivers is decreasing on its own. I have at max distance setting. I do see some spotting on hood which i need to investigate further.(based on painting complaint I read about) Dealership has my vehicle now. I am concerned because they told me they do not do diagnostic tests just go by my list (that threw up a big red flag. I know that costs them extra money). I called back for progress update. I told them another dealer does diagnostic. I was then told they did a diagnostic test. Ill ask for report later. I had called another dealership and they said they absolutely do diagnostics. I am going to follow up with other dealer as I am not confident in this dealer.