Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 107 safety complaints
about the 2020 Mazda CX-5 with the US government. Of those, 10 describe a crash, 6 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system,
named in 30 complaints, 28% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 3,200 miles,
the median across the 23
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers February 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
107 complaints on file
107
Complaints
10
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
6
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.
Complaints rose 30% year on year: 30 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 23 in the twelve before.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 30 · 28%
30 28%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 25 · 23%
25 23%
ENGINE 17 · 16%
17 16%
SERVICE BRAKES 13 · 12%
13 12%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 12 · 11%
12 11%
POWER TRAIN 8 · 7%
8 7%
STRUCTURE 6 · 6%
6 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 6%
6 6%
AIR BAGS 5 · 5%
5 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 4 · 4%
4 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 4%
4 4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 4%
4 4%
01531
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 107.
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 2025 at 31.
36 27 18 9
202020212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2020 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 2020 Mazda CX-5, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
SUV AWD
SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
16.9%
17.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed.
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
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.
SERVICE BRAKES
1 injured · crash · towed · 3,200 miles
BOUGHT A MAZDA CX5 JUNE 2020 AND IT WAS INVOLVE IN A ACCIDENT SEPT 17TH 2020 DO TO BRAKE FAILURE. MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED PARKING IN A APARTMENT COMPLEX WHEN THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND COLLIDED WITH THE FACILITY 20FT IN FRONT OF THE PARKING SPACE. AT THE INCIDENT, I THE OWNER, FOUND 3 DAMAGE ROTORS WERE THE FLAW CAME FROM HEAVY GRINDING AT THE CALIBER (SEE ATTACH PHOTOS). WITHIN THE CALIBER'S ALLOY YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE CHIPPED ALLOY PRODUCED FROM A FLAW & THE ALIGNMENT OF WHERE IT GRINDS THE ROTOR (SEE ATTACHED PHOTOS). A WITNESS STATED SHE WAS PRESENT DURING THE TIME OF THE COLLISION AND A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKE FROM THE WITNESS. I CAN PROVIDE PLENTY OF MORE …
NHTSA complaint 11360368, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
Airbags did not deploy when I crashed into a guard rail dragging for 40-50 feet.
NHTSA complaint 11489133. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
1 injured · crash · towed
The vehicle accelerated on its own, while I was parking. My foot was on the brake when the vehicle just took off. It continued to accelerate until a building stopped it. I continued to brake but the vehicle did not stop. Once the vehicle collided with building, saw on the digital read out the "Brake System Malfunction" and then Camera Malfunction. The vehicle was towed from the site and the insurance adjuster has sent me word that the vehicle is a total loss.
NHTSA complaint 11616109. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
1 injured · 150 miles
SUDDEN BRAKING CAUSED BY AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM. ON SEPT 1, 2020, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET, GOING ABOUT 30 MPH, AND A CAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS TURNING. I WAS IN NO DANGER OF HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME; HOWEVER, MY 2020 MAZDA CX-5 SUDDENLY BRAKED AND MADE A LOUD NOISE. GRANTED, THIS CAR WAS NEW TO ME AND I HADN'T EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE, BUT I WAS COMPLETELY SURPRISED GIVEN AN ACCIDENT WAS NOT IMMINENT. THIS SUDDEN BRAKING CAUSED MY HEAD TO SWING FORWARD AND BACK RESULTING IN NECK, SHOULDER, AND BACK PAIN. ALSO, IT RESULTED IN AN INCREASED HEADACHE. UPON RETURNING HOME, I TURNED THE SUDDEN BRAKING SAFETY FEATURE OFF. ON SEPT 4, 2020, I HAD A VIDEO CALL WITH MY PCP WHO …
NHTSA complaint 11353304, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
crash · towed
When coasting into a parking space the car suddenly accelerated. At a high rate of speed, the car jumped the curb and planting area of median separating the parking area. The car struck 2 other cars on the other side of the median. The car directly in front of my car was moved several feet. My air bag deployed.
NHTSA complaint 11767211. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased a brand new Mazda CX5 in 2020 that now has 46,000 miles on it. It is experiencing the known “ghost touch” issue in which the entertainment system and screen displayed in the center of the dashboard turns itself off and on, changes settings, shuts off navigation while driving, changes the radio from FM to AM, changes the time zone, drops hand free phone calls, initiatives hands free phone calls, does not allow me to control the volume, freezes, and more, while driving without me touching the system or even when it isn’t on. It is incredibly disruptive and distracting when driving and is a major safety problem. There was a class action lawsuit for this issue for 2016-2020 Mazda …
NHTSA complaint 11756022, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
Cylinder Head has failed at 53,000 miles. Mazda has a technical service bulletin acknowledging that this is a common occurrence with this part. They have an extended warranty for the turbo engine but not for the standard engine. Looking through online forums, there are hundreds of not thousands of these issues for this model year and engine. Mazda has clearly acknowledged there is an issue and should repair these manufacturing defects that are not normal wear and tear items.
NHTSA complaint 11745274. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The infotainment display screen on my 2020 Mazda CX-5 has suffered a severe hardware failure resulting in un-commanded inputs, commonly known as "ghost touching." While driving at highway speeds, the touchscreen constantly registers phantom touches. It actively hijacks the vehicle's computer system and cuts out my Apple CarPlay connection during trips. This morning, the ghost touching randomly turned the Apple Maps navigation volume up to the absolute maximum level without warning. This intense, sudden noise causes driver shock and distraction while in motion, creating an immediate risk of a wreck. The vehicle currently has fewer than 29,000 miles.
NHTSA complaint 11743236. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Read windshield just shattered while driving down the highway. No object hit the windshield. On I-95 near PHL airport, near exit for Rt 420
NHTSA complaint 11742819. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle infotainment system including the touchscreen display and Connectivity Master Unit malfunctioned. The touchscreen operates without driver input, the system freezes or glitches, audio activates unexpectedly, and phone functions behave erratically. The vehicle and components are available for inspection upon request. While the vehicle was being driven, the system initiated actions without driver input including unintended phone calls including calls to 911, sudden unexpectedly loud radio or audio volume, screen freezing, and loss of navigation. These events caused driver distraction and a startle effect while the vehicle was in motion, increasing safety risk to vehicle occupants …
NHTSA complaint 11731620, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst