Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 147 safety complaints
about the 2021 Mazda CX-5 with the US government. Of those, 9 describe a crash, 7 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 engine,
named in 80 complaints, 54% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 19,000 miles,
the median across the 19
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers January 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
147 complaints on file
147
Complaints
9
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
7
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 by half year on year: 24 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 14 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
ENGINE 80 · 54%
80 54%
POWER TRAIN 17 · 12%
17 12%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17 · 12%
17 12%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 · 8%
12 8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 11 · 7%
11 7%
SERVICE BRAKES 11 · 7%
11 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 · 5%
8 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 · 5%
7 5%
LANE DEPARTURE 7 · 5%
7 5%
AIR BAGS 4 · 3%
4 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 4 · 3%
4 3%
TIRES 3 · 2%
3 2%
03569
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 147.
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 2022 at 46.
52 39 26 13
212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2021 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 2021 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
2 injured · crash · towed
On April 16, 2022, around 6:45PM, I drove my new Mazda CX5 (@ 3500 miles) into our church parking lot and turned right down the first row of cars. It was light out and the weather was pleasant. I turned right into a parking space with my foot on the brake. The car was facing and perpendicular to a sidewalk that was about 10 feet away. It was separated by a grassy median. When I depressed the brake further to shift from drive into park, the car surged forward and accelerated. There was a pedestrian on the sidewalk in front of the car. I turned the wheel to the right at a 90 degree angle to avoid hitting her. I kept pressing the brake but the car kept accelerating until it crashed into a …
NHTSA complaint 11462431, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
2021 Mazda CX-5. On 8/6/24, I turned right into a parking space between 2 parked vehicles at the DMV parking lot. I turned right and eased into the parking space facing a large Ford F 150 white pickup truck. I was approximately 1-1.5 feet from the front of the white truck. I had my foot on the brake, suddenly the vehicle accelerated by itself and I heard the car revving at a very high rpm and the car took off. My sister was a passenger and she heard it as well. None of the collision or brake notification avoidance features came on the screen or were implemented as a safety measure or accident prevention. I had my foot on the brake and I had no control over the vehicle. The car lurched …
NHTSA complaint 11612399, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
1 injured · crash · towed
Upon exiting my local car wash, I drove my car around to the area used for vacuuming. I pulled into the parking space and when I applied the brake pedal to stop, the car suddenly accelerated and crashed into the wall of the building. I have the Car Wash Security Camera footage of this incident. It shows my brake light is ON at the car's point of acceleration and my brake light is ON at point of impact with the wall. If you need to review it, I can email it to you.
NHTSA complaint 11487669. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1 injured · crash · towed
Will driving on the interstate, using the adaptive cruise control feature, vehicles were slowing down to a stop ahead and my car accelerated instead of slowing down. I then pressed the brake and simultaneously, the car breaks locked down (automatic braking). Unfortunately I wasn’t able to avoid an accident as I rear ended the vehicle in front of me. My vehicle has been turned over to the insurance company to assess damage. I’m sure it can be inspected by nhtsa. Mine and others safety were at risk due to the malfunction of the cruise control accelerating instead of stopping. It caused an accident. Luckily no one was extremely injured. I have neck and back pain from the collision that will …
NHTSA complaint 11610548, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
124,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where an OBDII scanner discovered a misfire in cylinder#1. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic where the OBDII scanner discovered a misfire in one of the engine cylinders and diagnosed the vehicle with an engine failure. The contact was then referred to the dealer who confirmed that there was a defect with cylinder#1. The dealer confirmed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on …
NHTSA complaint 11766753, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
Differential went and generated a cascading chain reaction destroying the coupler and breather and axles. Car is undrivable. This. Defect has a TSB
NHTSA complaint 11766438. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
2021 Mazda CX-5 2.5L non-turbo. While driving at approximately 8 mph, I removed my foot from the accelerator, but the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated on its own. I did not press the accelerator pedal. I had to apply the brake to slow the vehicle down. This issue has occurred three separate times, on August 25, September 4, and September 18, 2026, at approximately 70,060 miles. The same unintended acceleration behavior occurred during all three incidents.
NHTSA complaint 11765445. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Twice while making left turns from a stop into faster cross traffic, the accelerator was pressed but the vehicle barely moved (coasting) for roughly 2 - 3 seconds, then suddenly accelerated normally, creating a near-collision risk as cross traffic quickly approached. No warning lights were observed on the dash.
NHTSA complaint 11763398. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My CX-5 has 25,000 miles and recently the a/c failed culminating in a distinct chemical smell in the cabin. The issue was identified as a leaking/failed evaporator which apparently is located behind the dashboard and in turn “dump” the leaking refrigerant into the cabin! The total cost of repair due to the location of the evaporator is between $3000-$4500 in my area, seems a high cost to be poisoned by a vehicle that only has 25,000 miles on the clock!
NHTSA complaint 11756577. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
My 2021 Mazda CX-5 has developed a persistent rattling/vibration noise from the A-pillar and upper corner of the windshield. The noise appears to originate from the windshield/A-pillar attachment area and may be related to improper adhesion, mounting, weatherstripping, or other components near the top of the windshield. I have found numerous similar owner reports involving Mazda CX-5 and other fourth-generation Mazda models describing rattling, clicking, or vibration from the same windshield/A-pillar area. Because this issue appears to affect a significant number of vehicles, I believe NHTSA should investigate whether there is a common manufacturing or assembly defect and determine whether …
NHTSA complaint 11755858, 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