Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
143
Complaints
9
Crashes
0
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths
Owners of the 2021 Mazda CX-5 have filed 143
safety complaints with NHTSA
between January 2021 and August 2026.
The most complained-about system is the engine,
named in 77 of them
(54%). The typical failure was reported at 11,700 miles, the median
across the 18 complaints that gave an
odometer reading.
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.
What owners report
Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add
up to more than 143.
ENGINE 77 54%
POWER TRAIN 16 11%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 11%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 11 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 11 8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 6%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 5%
LANE DEPARTURE 7 5%
AIR BAGS 4 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 4 3%
TIRES 3 2%
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2022 at 46.
2021 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.
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.
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.
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
crash · towed
While driving in the Interstate, a truck swerved towards my lane; I swerved into the next lane to avoid the truck hitting me and when I began to swerve my Lane Departure warning malfunctioned and caused my car to completely shut down. I immediately put my hazard lights on to hopefully avoid being hit; but, a car behind plowed right into my rear end. The police were onsite at the accident. My vehicle has been inspected by an independent service center and my insurance representative.
NHTSA complaint 11755082. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
I was sitting at a traffic light with my foot on the brake waiting to turn left onto Lee Highway from Fairfax County Parkway. Car jerked forward TWO times in a row, both times hitting the car in front of me. Our lane was at a dead stop waiting for the left hand arrow. The cars to the right of us had the green and were moving forward. I felt like I had no control over the car during this time.
NHTSA complaint 11753806. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
The vehicle developed an engine oil leak from the timing cover due to what appears to be premature seal failure. Engine oil was leaking externally and could drip onto hot engine components, creating a potential fire hazard while the vehicle is in operation. The leak also increases the risk of low engine oil levels, which could lead to engine damage or sudden engine failure if not detected in time. This issue required an expensive repair despite the vehicle being properly maintained. I have since learned that many other Mazda owners have reported similar timing cover oil leaks on this engine, suggesting this may be a widespread defect rather than normal wear and tear. I am submitting this …
NHTSA complaint 11753162, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle's Connectivity Master Unit (CMU) suffers from a severe, persistent electronic hardware malfunction that causes the central information display and dashboard telemetry to blink, cycle, and drop signals erratically. This specific hardware architecture failure threatens to corrupt data transmission lines directly connected to the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), creating an imminent safety risk of unintended automatic emergency braking or false sensor deployment during highway transit. The vehicle utilizes the exact same defective CMU hardware component that the manufacturer has acknowledged and recalled on other model cohorts; however, the manufacturer has explicitly …
NHTSA complaint 11750866, 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.
What each state asks for
, read from the statutes.
Where these numbers come from
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file
, published August 20, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API
, most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file
, published 2026-08-19.
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