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Mazda · NHTSA safety record

2012 Mazda MAZDA5

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

37

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

7

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2012 Mazda MAZDA5 have filed 37 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2012 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the fuel and propulsion system, named in 8 of them (22%). The typical failure was reported at 43,000 miles, the median across the 29 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

16V644000 · September 6, 2016

The defect
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles manufactured November 18, 2008, to June 8, 2013, 2012-2015 Mazda5 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2010, to June 22, 2015, 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 26, 2015, and 2013-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured December 15, 2011, to December 26, 2015. On the affected vehicles, the lift gate support struts may corrode, possibly causing the struts to break and/or the lift gate to drop unexpectedly.
The risk
If the lift gate falls unexpectedly, it may hit the user, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
Mazda dealers will replace the both lift gate supports, free of charge, however parts are not currently available. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9916H.

Mazda North American Operations · up to 580,455 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 37.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 22%
STRUCTURE 7 19%
TIRES 7 19%
AIR BAGS 4 11%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 4 11%
STEERING 4 11%
POWER TRAIN 3 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 8%
SEATS 2 5%
VISIBILITY 2 5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 3%
ENGINE 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2017 at 5.

2012 2017 2026
2012 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SEATS

3 injured · crash

WE WERE REAR ENDED AND PUSHED INTO ANOTHER CAR IN FRONT, AND THE FRONT SEATS FAILED AND RECLINED WHEN WE WERE REAR ENDED. AIRBAGS DEPLOYED BUT DID NOT COME IN CONTACT WITH US SINCE WE WERE FORCED TO RECLINE. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10484074. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

2 injured · crash · 110,300 miles

REAR-ENDED WHILE STOPPED BY TRUCK GOING UNDER 20 MPH. OUR HEADS STRUCK HEADRESTS AND DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SEATS INSTANTLY RECLINED BACK ONTO FRONT OF CHILDREN'S CAR SEATS. THEY'RE LEGS WOULD HAVE BEEN CRUSHED AT THE KNEES IF THEY WERE IN THE ACCIDENT. OUR NECKS WERE SORE FROM WHIPLASH.

NHTSA complaint 11416664. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 64,666 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 MAZDA 5. WHILE MAKING A TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 53 MPH, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER THREE TIMES AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION AND MINOR NECK, BACK, AND SHOULDER INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,666.

NHTSA complaint 10926632. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 226,000 miles

The contact owned a 2012 Mazda Mazda5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, a deer wandered into the middle of the road, and the contact depressed the brake pedal and the wheels locked up, causing the tires to slide. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a ditch, spun around, and struck another object, causing the vehicle to land back into the ditch where it came to a stop. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. A bystander called 911, and the contact was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The contact bit his lips hard during the crash, which caused the bottom two front teeth to pierce through the bottom lip. The contact sustained a severe cut to

NHTSA complaint 11747212, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
While accelerating from a complete stop at a traffic light on a multi-lane roadway, the vehicle suddenly lost all engine power without prior warning. The engine RPM dropped immediately to 0, causing the vehicle to stall in the middle of an active intersection and creating an immediate risk of a side-impact collision from oncoming traffic. All warning lights on the instrument cluster illuminated upon stalling. To clear the intersection safely, the vehicle was placed into Neutral and restarted. After shifting back into Drive and proceeding out of traffic, the vehicle repeatedly entered a fail-safe/limp mode every 30 to 120 seconds. During these episodes, the Automatic Transaxle (AT) light

NHTSA complaint 11754718, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
Sentury Touring (Discount Tire) 205/55/R16. Both front tires have inner wear to the point of shredding in the same location on *both* front tires. Both tires went out at the same time and could have caused a serious accident. Discount tire stated it was an alignment issue. The alignment shop (30 minutes after new tires were installed after dual blowout) stated that my alignment was perfectly within spec and also stated there was no indication of tire rub on any portion of the vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11616499. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

118,000 miles

The contact owns a 2012 Mazda MZ5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA complaint 11488741. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
This vehicle ejects a significant amount of fuel from its fuel filler port during every refueling. The volume of fuel and the distance the gasoline travels in a hazardous environment poses an avoidable risk that can result in a catastrophic event with potential fatalities. In addition, the cumulative quantity of fuel needlessly spilled negatively impacts the environment at a time of heightened environmental concerns. For these reasons, this known issue should be elevated from a simple technical service bulletin (#01-013-15-3048) to a safety recall before fatalities result from a known manufacturing defect.

NHTSA complaint 11478692. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

155,000 miles

During July of 2021 brake pedal went all the way down with no braking. Pumping the pedal restored braking. After the 3rd incident, had the master cylinder replaced on July 30, 2021 by certified mechanics. Brakes seemed fine, but on Aug 11, 2021 brake pedal went all the way down producing no braking on 3 occasions. Pumping the pedal restored braking. Took vehicle back to garage. Mechanics have not gotten it to fail. Possible new parts are bad? Could anti lock brake system cause this? Its been a really good car for 155,000 miles, but now I'm afraid to drive it.

NHTSA complaint 11429103. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Mazda MAZDA5

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2015 9 1 —
2014 12 1 —
2013 24 1 —
2010 57 1 —

Other 2012 Mazda models

MAZDA3 226 CX-9 221 MAZDA6 99 CX-7 39 MAZDA2 9

Every Mazda on this site — 81 vehicles, 161 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst