Safety issues relating to brakes, backover prevention, and forward collision-control are the main causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2023 Mazda CX-30, now in its fourth model year, has been updated to meet the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) new safety protocols. But customers are complaining about a variety of safety issues including brake malfunctions and false error messages that affect the vehicle’s safety systems.
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Safety issues predominate the complaints made by owners of the 2023 Mazda CX-30 to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These are filed in four categories, Forward Collision-Avoidance, Service Brakes, Back-Over Prevention, and Vehicle Speed Control, the first two having the highest volume of complaints. The issues they describe are, however, varied.
There is also a recall that potentially affects 2,410 2022-2023 CX-30 and 2023 CX-50 vehicles. The issue is that the anti-lock brake system (ABS) hydraulic control unit (HCU) may be damaged, which can result in reduced braking ability. As the recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number 23V275000, points out, reduced braking ability can increase the distance required to stop a vehicle. This increases the risk of a crash. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 12, 2023.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection | |
| Suspension | |
| Vehicle Speed Control |
A complaint from an owner in Texas is filed as a combined brake and forward collision-avoidance problem. He states that his 2023 CX-30 was involved in a crash that he believes to be related to the recall “brake pedal issue.” This, he states, is because “the brakes didn’t hold off the car and the brake assist system was never activated during the accident.” But Mazda claims “that my ABS system serial number is a good part, and their dealership claimed that the problem couldn’t be reproduced after they held the car for 11 days!”
Another complaint that is regarded as a brake and forward collision-avoidance problem relates to phantom braking. While driving on the highway, the CX-30 “automatically deployed the emergency braking system with no objects in front of the car. The car automatically braked, then flashed the brake warning indicator. The car made itself come to a complete stop. I began researching and found that others have had issues with ‘phantom braking’ when the car has collision-avoidance technology. This needs to be seriously investigated as it is a safety hazard.”
A third brake-related complaint is linked to vehicle speed control. The owner states that on two occasions when he stepped on the brake pedal the car accelerated and felt as if he had stepped on the gas pedal. The first time it happened he had parked to put in a code to get through a gate. When he got back into the car, he stepped on the brake to release the transmission from Park. But it accelerated again, nearly hitting into the gate. Fortunately, he released the brake pedal and the car stopped. The second time, his wife was reversing to park and the car accelerated backwards when she stepped on the brake pedal.
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In addition to the two combined brake and forward collision-avoidance complaints mentioned above, another forward collision-avoidance complaint is linked to backover prevention.
The complaint states: “I’m reporting significant safety issues. All are related as they indicate that the error rejection for the sensors are not properly calibrated. These false positive errors are dangerous. It affects the automatic emergency braking, forward collision, blind spot, and cross traffic warning systems.”
It appears that the “sensor responsible for detecting road impediments and cross-traffic/blindspots” failed or malfunctioned. The owner’s concern is that “when safety systems frequently have false positive indicators (auditory and visual),” people’s safety is put at risk. “This has caused the car and driver to respond to a threat that is not real. This can also cause ignoring true positive indicators (alarm fatigue) and uncertainty of the system’s ability to respond to true negative events.”
The complaint states that the dealer has not reproduced or confirmed the problem. But, he adds, “they are incompetent. I was told the issues might be: bugs on the sensor, maybe a plastic bag floated by the car, maybe the road was shiny, maybe there was something and I didn’t see it.”
Ultimately, the complaint states that this is a “brand new” 2023 Mazda CX-30 that only the owners drive. “These issues have been happening since we started the lease. The cross/blind spot false positives happen daily. The braking/front end collision (issues) have only happened ~4 times.”
By definition, a lemon has persistent defects that substantially impair the safety, use, and value of cars and other items. If your dealer can’t identify genuine recurring problems and/or the car cannot be repaired, there’s a good chance you’ve bought a lemon.
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Brian Jones spent more than 30 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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