Mazda CX-5 Complaints (2025)

27 consumer complaints on file.

#11758883August 23, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
The vehicle exhibits a repeatable low-speed driveline-related problem consisting of pronounced clicking or clunking from the driver-front area, fore-and-aft jerking, and harsh engagement during deceleration and light on/off-throttle transitions, particularly around 15–17 mph; the behavior can become significantly worse over rough or uneven terrain. The exact failed component or system has not yet been identified. The vehicle is still essentially new, with fewer than 5,000 miles, and has not yet reached its first scheduled service interval, so it has not yet been formally inspected for this condition. No warning lamp or diagnostic message has appeared. Other owners online have described a similar low-speed clunking and jerking phenomenon, and Mazda has issued at least one prior transmission-related TSB addressing somewhat similar harsh shift behavior, although that bulletin does not appear to apply to this vehicle or this exact symptom. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The concern presents a potential safety risk because the vehicle can unexpectedly jerk, lurch, or abruptly change driveline load during ordinary low-speed driving, which can make accelerator response and vehicle speed less predictable in traffic, parking lots, intersections, or on uneven surfaces. The symptoms began within the first few thousand miles and remain repeatable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11758522August 21, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, SEAT BELTS, SEATS
The vehicle was brought to Mazda three times for the same brake-related concern. The issue occurred during braking and has not been resolved despite inspections and repair attempts.” If you’re listing each visit, do it like “Visit 1: Customer reported brake noise. Dealer inspected. Visit 2: Same concern returned, vehicle brought back for diagnosis and repair. Visit 3: Brake-related issue reported again. Problem continued.” That keeps it clean and close to the service records. And it at a dealer ship for the 4 time already , and they keep saying it the brakes but now I have to pay for the fix when I was complaining about well under wa
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11751240July 18, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
At about 6:50am July 7th 2026, I was getting in the exit lane of interstate 50 to exit. I merge into the lane and being applying my breaks since I was going about 55-60mph. However, my vehicle did not slow down. I began to press harder, it still did not slow down, so I pressed as hard as I could because I was rapidly approaching stopped vehicles. The vehicle began to make a grinding sound, it started shaking, and then a "break" light appeared on the instrument panel. After this it came to a sudden and violent stop. I have taken it to the dealership for similar issues many times since I got the vehicle in October 2025. Each time they state that they cannot replicate the issue and the vehicle operates as it should. It is under warranty so I have not taken anywhere other than the Mazda dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11750407July 14, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
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)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747030June 28, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The automatic emergency braking system prematurely and overly-aggressively takes over when I have full control of the situation. When it takes control it locks up all four wheels, each time almost causing a rear-end collision. It has done this on a total of 4 occasions under normal congested traffic situations. On or about 6/14/26 I was driving westbound on the Massachusetts Turnpike. There was a sudden traffic stop. I had sufficient distance to stop before colliding with the car in front of me and further had the passing side breakdown lane to divert into if necessary. The emergency braking software took over and locked up the wheels causing the person behind me to have a rear-end collision with my car. There was little-to-no damage and no injuries. The dangerous turnpike traffic conditions discouraged making a police report. Conclusion: System is overly aggressive and creates undue risk of personal injury. The risk far outweighs any benefit the system offers. - Plans to report issue to Mazda during next maintenance appt -No warning lights -Problem is re-occurring but not with independent entity (yet)
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742466June 6, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
On May 21st , 2026, while waiting in line to make a right turn (positioned 3rd in queue), the vehicles ahead moved forward. As I transitioned from the brake to the gas pedal to follow, the vehicle experienced an instantaneous engine stall and total electrical failure (NOT an i-Stop event). Pressing the gas caused the vehicle to slowly roll backward. When I immediately tried to reapply the brakes, the brake pedal became extremely stiff and nearly impossible to press down, failing to hold the vehicle effectively. The driver behind me began honking aggressively due to the imminent collision risk. I attempted to lower the windows to signal the other driver, but all electronic controls were completely dead. I had to quickly shift the gear into Park (P) and hit the start button to successfully restart the engine, which temporarily restored functions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741835June 3, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
My 2025 Mazda CX-5 includes a Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) stop and go feature. This feature allows the adaptive cruise control to move the vehicle in traffic with minimal drier intervention. As traffic advances the vehicle moves. If traffic stops, the vehicle stops. When clear of vehicles based on the set safe space setting in the adaptive cruise control, it resumes the predetermined speed set in the adaptive cruise control. The problem: While in "traffic jam assist" (TJA) mode, if changing lanes L or R to a lane that has vehicles farther away (clear lane), the cruise control radar/camera then sees a clear opening and begins accelerating to the predetermined speed on the cruise control. However - at this time the system fails to recognize a that another vehicle is farther ahead. maybe 4 or 5 car lengths ahead, and continues accelerating dangerously close to the next vehicle (I cannot say if it will stop or not because I have intervened to apply the brakes), cannot risk a rear end to another vehicle.The system fails to recognize that another vehicle is present after a lane change has occurred and braking or slowing as expected does not take place. This is a common repeatable scenario. The failure to recognize another vehicle after changing lanes is a serious and dangerous problem that should not be taking place. This poses an accident risk from an automated system that has a inherent flaw in its logic/design. The NHTSA should investigate this system and determine what corrective action can be taken to prevent a collision while using this system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739385May 21, 2026
STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2025 . The contact was in a parking lot of a shopping center, put the car in gear and the steering wheel became inoperable , vehicle would not stop while depressing the brakes. Four additional vehicles were damaged from the impact with one vehicle deemed a total loss. The right front end was impacted including the hood and the right wheel. No additional property damage. The vehicle came to a stop in the parking lot from impacting the vehicles. Both front driver and passenger side air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was deemed as a total loss by the insurance company. The contact sustained injuries left broken clavicle, left arm, left and right knees received lacerations and lacerations and 3 broken ribs on the left side and hematoma and received medical treatment at the emergency room intensive care. A woman in the back seat of one of the parked vehicles sustained minor injuries and received medical treatment. The dealer nor manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,837
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11738442May 17, 2026
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
Description of Safety Defect: The driver-side exterior rearview mirror vibrates excessively, escalating into a violent shake depending on vehicle speed, crosswinds, and road surfaces. The issue is highly pronounced at highway speeds (65+ mph) and deteriorates aggressively as speed increases, particularly on open, wind-swept highways with like MA-3. The resulting violent vibration causes severe visual distortion, creating a blurred, "low-resolution" image that makes it incredibly difficult to accurately judge the distance, speed, and presence of overtaking vehicles. When checking the driver-side blind spot, this rapid blurring induces sudden, brief physical dizziness and vertigo, posing an immediate safety hazard during high-speed lane changes. The passenger-side mirror remains perfectly stable and clear under identical driving and road conditions. Attempts to Correct / Dealer History: The vehicle has been taken to an authorized dealership (Tulley Mazda, Nashua, NH) twice for this specific issue: On 03/18/2026 (Mileage: 5,862), Repair Order #XXX/1 noted the complaint. The technician verified the vibration on a road test but dismissed it as a "normal characteristic of the vehicle". On 04/21/2026 (Mileage: 6,846), Repair Order #XXX was opened because the condition worsened and began occurring at lower speeds. A ride-along was conducted, and the Shop Foreman confirmed the defect. Upon mirror disassembly, the technician found "loose internal components causing the issue". Current Status: Under warranty, the dealership replaced the body door mirror assembly (Part KJL1-69-181C) and the mirror glass/holder (Part TK71-69-1G7). However, the violent shaking remains completely unresolved and continues to worsen at high speeds. The dealership is now refusing further diagnostic or repair work, claiming the vehicle is "within spec," despite the persistent visual distortion and subsequent driver vertigo. No crash yet, but the defect is serious safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735897May 5, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
This vehicle was purchased two months ago. In that time the windshield has sustained multiple significant chips on multiple occasions during routine highway commuting. Some of these are in the line of sight of the driver, causing distractions or visibility issues. Prior to purchasing this vehicle I owned a 2012 Toyota Corolla, which traveled the same route every day and did not receive any significant windshield chips over a period of years. It seems that the windshield of the Mazda is particularly fragile and/or brittle compared to other windshields and suffers chips and cracks too easily.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735788May 5, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, POWER TRAIN
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
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11732525April 20, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The infotainment/CMU system in my 2025 Mazda CX‑5 Carbon Edition has repeated failures that affect safe driving. Wireless Apple CarPlay frequently disconnects, freezes, or causes the screen and controls to stop responding. Navigation and audio alerts lag or fail, and the entire system has gone black once, requiring a hard reset. After one incident where all audio stopped working, I returned immediately to the dealership, and a Mazda service advisor personally witnessed the failure and confirmed no audio output. These unpredictable failures create distraction and uncertainty. As senior drivers, my wife and I rely heavily on stable navigation, audio cues, and hands‑free communication for safe operation. Mazda and Panasonic reviewed the issue but denied CMU replacement, leaving the wireless system unreliable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732163April 19, 2026
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The vehicle exhibits unintended acceleration behavior when the brake pedal is applied. Instead of slowing down, the engine revs and the vehicle does not decelerate as expected. On March 16, 2026, while merging onto a highway and applying the brakes, the engine suddenly revved to approximately 3,500 RPMs while the vehicle failed to slow down. There have been previous issues with the vehicle not slowing when breaks are being applied, nut this is the first instance when it was noticed that the RPMs increased while breaking. This issue has also been reported to the dealership, with service documentation noting that when applying the brakes, the engine revs and the vehicle does not slow or accelerate properly. This creates a dangerous condition where braking input does not result in expected deceleration and may instead cause acceleration-related behavior. The issue has not been resolved. This issue significantly increases the risk of collision and loss of vehicle control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732162April 19, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While driving at various speeds, including highway speeds, the vehicle intermittently fails to slow down when the brake pedal is applied. On multiple occasions, the brake pedal was pressed but the vehicle did not respond appropriately and continued moving forward. On December 1, 2025, while traveling at approximately 65 mph on the interstate in rainy conditions, the vehicle began making a grinding sound and started sliding instead of slowing down. The vehicle briefly lost the ability to decelerate, creating a near-collision with a semi-truck. On December 22, 2025, the issue occurred twice in one day. While attempting to brake at a stop sign and in traffic, the vehicle did not slow down, nearly causing collisions with vehicles in front and adjacent lanes. In the instance where approaching the stop sign where a vehicle was stopped, the dashboard flashed “break” while I was breaking as hard as I could. Warning lights and sensor-related alerts have appeared intermittently prior to and during some incidents. The issue has continued intermittently, including additional incidents where the brakes were either unresponsive or overly sensitive. They do not respond in a consistent or predictable manner, making safe driving nearly impossible. This problem places myself and others at significant risk of collision due to loss of braking control. The vehicle has been taken to multiple dealerships for inspection. The problem has not been successfully replicated, and no repairs have been performed to resolve the issue. Dealership documentation includes customer reports of “NOT BRAKING” and brake malfunction concerns.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11732161April 19, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STEERING
While driving on February 12, 2026, the steering system failed, resulting in the steering wheel locking and becoming impossible to turn. While making a right-hand turn, the steering wheel suddenly locked. I had to forcefully jerk the wheel to regain control and avoid colliding with a concrete barrier on the right shoulder. After several seconds, the steering function returned to normal. This failure occurred without warning and created an immediate safety hazard due to loss of steering control. The vehicle has been inspected by a dealership, but the issue could not be replicated and no repairs were performed. This condition presents a serious safety risk as it can occur during normal driving maneuvers and may lead to loss of control and collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730510April 11, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
While accelerating from a light that had just turned green, after passing through an intersection the vehicle seized up and came to a complete stop. There were no warning lights or any indication of a malfunction. The vehicle did not shut off, the wheels just stopped spinning. After a few seconds it began to accelerate again. It happened on a Sunday, I called the dealership Monday Morning. I was not comfortable driving it after that. They came to pick it up and take it for inspection. Fortunately, no other vehicles were around. This occurred 6 days after purchasing it new. They had it for 2 weeks and said they could not figure what the issue was.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11723148March 9, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I purchased this vehicle new in June 2025. About a month after the dealer service inspection, the vehicle suddenly would not start at all. The key fob sometimes cannot unlock the door, and I have to use the backup key to open it. After entering the vehicle, the engine will not start. I previously brought the car to the dealer for inspection, but they said no issue was found. Now the problem has happened again and the vehicle cannot start. This is a serious reliability and safety concern for a new vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718630February 17, 2026
STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Breaks and gas pedal simultaneously stopped working while driving and steering wheel locked up
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718027February 14, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The system that failed was the acceleration. This how it happened the first time, because after that it has happened at least two more in one year. I was leaving my office parking area, and I was waiting for the cars in front of me to continue moving. Then I was ready to start moving and put my foot on the accelerator and just went to a high acceleration. Which I immediately slammed the brakes because otherwise I would have smashed the rear part of the vehicle in front of me. My safety was in jeopardy because if I would have hit the car in front of me and my airbags would have deployed. And the speed of the acceleration was so, that the driver in front of me would have definitely felt it in his neck and God forbids what else!!! Yes, I reported to my dealer, and they said that nothing showed in their computer system, and mentioned something of a throttler not been wrong, (which I don't know what that is). There were no warning lamps or messages in the dashboard prior to the failure. This happened to me again in random occasions where I was just getting my car out of my parking in my condominium, also lucky, it was early in the morning and no cars around. AND the other instance also in my condominium parking area, but this time arriving, and also, lucky no cars near!!!! Your website describes a similar complaint for the same make and model of my car, thus implying that there is a problem with the system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704670December 12, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:BLINDSPOT:WARNING:LAMP
The contact owns a 2025 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the passenger's side-view mirror blind spot detection system sensor was detecting vehicles intermittently. The contact stated that the passenger's side-view mirror blind spot detection system sensor detected vehicles 3 or 4 times in a row, but then a truck drove by undetected. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer several times. The dealer was able to replicate the failure, but the dealer was unable to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,200.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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