CSR

Mazda · NHTSA safety record

2017 Mazda MAZDA6

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

Owners have filed 60 safety complaints about the 2017 Mazda MAZDA6 with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the exterior lighting.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 19 complaints, 32% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 23,450 miles, the median across the 18 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2017 to July 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

60 complaints on file

60

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 · 38%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 · 32%
ENGINE 4 · 7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 · 7%
POWER TRAIN 3 · 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 3%
SEATS 2 · 3%
STRUCTURE 2 · 3%
AIR BAGS 1 · 2%
Carry Handle, Shell, Base 1 · 2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 2%
0 12 23

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 60.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 12.

16 12 8 4
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2017 Mazda MAZDA6, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 10.3%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

16V753000 · October 18, 2016

The defect
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2017 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured August 12, 2016, to September 28, 2016 and equipped with optional accessory fog lights. Due to an incorrect combination switch being installed, the turn signals may not automatically cancel by the rotation of the steering wheel. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
A vehicle continuously driven with the turn signal flashing may result in confusion to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the combination switch, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 0316J.

Mazda North American Operations · up to 180 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured · 23,000 miles

I WAS DRIVING IN AN URBAN AREA, ON A CITY STREET, AND THE CAR AHEAD OF ME WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN. AS MY VEHICLE WAS SLOWING, I COVERED THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ANTICIPATION OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THE NEED TO BRAKE. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS JUST ABOUT CLEAR AND THERE WAS STILL PLENTY OF DISTANCE BETWEEN US. AT THAT TIME, THE SMART CITY BRAKE SUPPORT ENGAGED AND BROUGHT MY CAR TO A VIOLENT STOP. I FELT IMMEDIATE PAIN IN 2 LOCATIONS OF MY BACK, DUE TO THE JOLT. THERE WAS NOT AN IMPENDING ACCIDENT. IT WASN'T EVEN CLOSE.

NHTSA complaint 11306704. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash · 6,400 miles

BACK-UP CAMERA FROZE PROVIDING A FALSE PICTURE ON CABIN SCREEN, WHICH CAUSED A COLLISION. CAR WAS IN REVERSE BACKING UP. CABIN PICTURE SHOWED OBJECT OUTSIDE OF WARNING RANGE. SEE ATTACHED PICTURE. IF A CHILD WAS BEHIND THE CAR THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT.

NHTSA complaint 11112253. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The center mounted Mazda Connect infotainment system in my 2017 Mazda 6 Touring sedan is defective. The screen randomly & intermittently changes display modes while the vehicle is on (driving or parked). It began about 2024 & getting worse. One second it will be on navigation then it arbitrarily switchs to phone settings or set a random destination in the navigation screen or change radio channels. the routine is entirely random and is never the same results. There are no dash warning lights, no EWL, no indications of any kind before, during or after. Resetting the infotainment system does not resolve the issue. road conditions or speed do not change the issue. outside temperature seems to

NHTSA complaint 11745149, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The infotainment screen is malfunctioning through (i) screen cracking/webbing from the inside and (ii) ghosting, i.e., random system reboots and control changes (including volume increases). The ghosting malfunctions occur when driving and can be incredibly distracting and jarring because they are unexpected and randomly occur. The screen cracking is spreading to nearly half the screen to a point where it is not visible in certain lights. This appears to be a well-known issue for Mazda and the cost to address and repair is in the thousands. Mazda does not seem to be taking any corrective action to address this issue.

NHTSA complaint 11742820. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Ghost touch screen sudden changes in the volume to the maximum while driving. The Mazda dealership where I bought the car said I would need to pay for it, because the car is not under warranty. Mazda said they would not cover the repair.

NHTSA complaint 11739550. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

175,000 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the engine choked, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that when the vehicle accelerated to 60 MPH, the choking and stalling failure ceased. The contact stated that the instrument panel was inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was diagnosed as PCM failure. The contact was informed that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The

NHTSA complaint 11729881, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Ghost touch concern on infotainment touchscreen, similar/same as SSPB6 which was issued for earlier Mazda3 models and extended to other Mazda models. When car is on and touchscreen is not disabled, it exhibits phantom touches, making it unsafe and unusable as it acts like it is being tapped all across the screen. this is especially dangerous when using the navigation which was nearly a $1000 added cost, as it stops the map from being centered on the car location and moves the viewport around as the phantom touches occur.

NHTSA complaint 11718687. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Carry Handle, Shell, Base
The car seat involved is a Nuna RAVA convertible car seat that was sent to the manufacturer solely due to a safety recall. I declined the self-repair recall option and requested that Nuna perform the recall service, which they agreed to. During recall servicing, Nuna inspected the car seat and advised in writing that internal Styrofoam/EPS foam in the headrest was missing or broken and that the car seat is not recommended for continued use and is not safety tested in that condition. Despite determining that the seat is unsafe, Nuna returned the car seat to me without providing a replacement, credit, or other safety remedy. The manufacturer has stated that the damage is unrelated to the

NHTSA complaint 11709957, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Mazda MAZDA6

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2018 58 2 —
2016 77 1 —
2015 60 3 —
2014 137 4 —
2013 23 4 —
2012 99 6 —
2011 135 6 —
2010 225 9 —

Other 2017 Mazda models

CX-5 148 MAZDA3 83 CX-9 61 CX-3 21 MX-5 11

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Mazda on this site — 82 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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