Brake problems are the most common issue cited in complaints to the NHTSA from vehicle owners
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Mazda has been manufacturing the CX-5 since 2012. It’s reputedly one of the most reliable SUVs on the market, and the CX-5 is Mazda’s biggest seller in the U.S. But it doesn’t come without problems, and there are consumer complaints about various issues with every model. The 2022 model is no exception, with brake problems topping the list of complaints. But there are other issues too, including electrical system malfunctions, airbags that don’t deploy, and sunroofs that explode.
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Consumer complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) relate to 7 components and/or systems. Half of these complaints are about service brakes. And of these, 3 report crashes caused by faulty brakes.
There are also 2 complaints that address electrical issues and 2 that strongly criticize the structure of the SUV. There are also 2 complaints about airbags.
Another complaint is that the sidewall of a Mazda CX-5 tire in California shredded while driving on the highway.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Structure:body | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Air Bags |
It stands to reason that if a vehicle’s brakes don’t function correctly, or worse still, fail, this puts people’s lives in danger.
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An owner from New York experienced brake failure in April 2022. While driving at about 25 mph, another vehicle stopped abruptly. But the driver couldn’t stop because the brakes failed.
The complaint states that “the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard, then the emergency braking system began chiming.” Then the inevitable happened … The SUV didn’t stop and it crashed into the vehicle in front. To make matters worse, the airbags did not deploy. Fortunately, there weren’t any injuries.
An owner from North Carolina experienced the automatic emergency braking system kicking in for no obvious reason. This also resulted in a crash.
Traveling at only about 5-10 mph, when a vehicle in front slowed down. “So I applied brakes and began to slow as well. While I was on the brakes slowing at a normal rate with plenty of distance to the vehicle ahead, my vehicle unexpectedly activated automatic emergency braking. It abruptly applied full brakes and came to a complete stop, even though traffic ahead was still rolling. There was zero chance of collision, with ample following distance, minimal speed differential, and brakes already applied.” This caused a rear-end collision with significant damage to the vehicle in front.
The third crash was caused by a CX-5 accelerating when it should have been braking. The driver had been looking for a place to park and was driving very slowly. While attempting to put the car in Park, it “accelerated abruptly, lurched forward, crossed over the concrete curb at the end of the parking space, and was heading right for I-95, which was straight ahead. I had never taken my foot off the brake.”
Trying to brake harder didn’t help to stop the car, so the driver turned onto a service road to try and avoid a crash. But he couldn’t stop, slammed into a parked car and side-swiped a truck.
“I only took my foot off the brake when the car stopped. The airbags did not deploy.”
In the incident mentioned above where the vehicle accelerated instead of slowing down and stopping, the airbags failed to deploy when it crashed.
Ironically, the second complaint that mentions airbags describes a very different scenario. Unusually, it’s not that the airbags didn’t deploy but rather that the “passenger side curtain airbags randomly deployed.” Fortunately, there wasn’t an accident.
Two of the complaints mention electrical problems. One of these is from an owner in Pennsylvania who had a system malfunction that caused a dead battery on two occasions. Both times, “The car was in park and I received a notification on the Mazda app about 5 hours after being in the car that stated “Critical Vehicle Malfunction Alert.” I had to have my car towed and serviced at a Mazda dealer but they found no issue with the battery.”
There are 2 complaints listed in the Structure category. The one, which also reported faulty brakes and malfunctioning airbags, is mentioned above. The other describes how a Colorado owner experienced the sunroof exploding while driving about 70 mph on a rural highway.
“There were no other cars nearby that could have kicked up a rock nor anything that could have fallen on the sunroof. The window buckled outward, not inward. The glass shattered and flew everywhere endangering the driver, passengers, and the car behind me when the window exploded. There was no warning, just a loud boom when the window gave way.”
Nobody can predict whether a car will end up being a lemon. But we’ve had more than enough experience to know that all buyers need to be aware that this is always a risk.
If you suspect you have bought a lemon, contact Lemberg Law as soon as you can. We will assess your problems and advise whether you have a case and whether you should ask for a buy-back, cash settlement, or a replacement vehicle.
It’ll cost you nothing because the law holds Mazda responsible for legal fees.
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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the dust or belly pan has failed, and they want me to pay for the repair. it came loose and was dragging on the ground. It was sitting overnight, and the next day went to drive it and it was dragging. Going today to get replaced by the dealer $300. 20000 Miles on car. Not happy. This in at least my 6th car from this dealer.