Mazda CX-5 years to avoid: 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019 in NHTSA data

At a glance

• Most complaints

  510

  Model year: 2016

  complaints to NHTSA [1]

• Fewest complaints

  44

  Model year: 2024

  complaints to NHTSA [1]

• Most recall campaigns

  5

  Model year: 2016

  recall campaigns [1]

The highest value in each column is marked in amber. Raw counts, not adjusted for sales.

CX-5 complaints by year since 2013

Each row of the table holds four counts from NHTSA's public records as of Oct. 12, 2026: all complaints, recall campaigns, reports of a crash or fire, and new reports since Oct. 12, 2024. Our CSV carries the exact NHTSA query behind each row. NHTSA files the 2018 under two vehicle entries, 231 complaints under the original and 120 under a 'Later Release', and our 351 counts both, so a lookup of one entry alone shows fewer.

The 2016 has the most complaints reporting an injury, 13, against six at most for any other year. No complaint in those years reports a death.

The table starts at 2013, the model year Mazda launched as the all-new CX-5, a compact crossover SUV, in a release dated Feb. 27, 2012. For a 2012 CX-5, NHTSA lists no recall campaign, no crash rating and a single complaint.

Owners filed 535 CX-5 complaints between Oct. 12, 2024, and our Oct. 12, 2026 download, across all 12 model years. The 2018 and 2019 account for 231 of them. NHTSA lists no defect investigation for any of the 12 model years.

2016: lighting complaints and the daytime running light recall

Exterior lighting is the component listed most often for the 2016, in 161 of its 510 complaints. Counted separately, in 156 of the 2016's complaints the owner's description names the daytime running lights or a headlight. Only 32 of those were filed on or after March 20, 2020, when recall 20V-063 began, so most came before the free recall fix; on any 2016, check that 20V-063 was done.

NHTSA's record for 20V-063 says a failed light may reduce the car's visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers inspect the headlights and replace the sealing gasket or the headlight assemblies as needed, free of charge. The record counts 36,761 potentially affected vehicles.

The crash and fire reports point elsewhere: none of the 2016's crash-or-fire complaints lists exterior lighting, while air bags and electrics appear in nine each, the engine and seats in eight each. Ten 2016 complaints report a fire, against two at most for any other year.

2013 to 2015: shut-off and windshield complaints

The electrical system is listed in 132 of the 2014's 377 complaints, more than any other component. In 143, our keyword search of the owner's description finds the car or its electrics not shutting off or staying on; 89 of those also mention park and 63 the battery.

NHTSA lists Mazda service bulletin 05-004-16 for the 2013 and 2014 CX-5. It says the ignition may not turn off on some cars with a gate-type automatic shifter. With the lever in P and the engine shut off normally, the ignition may stay on in accessory mode. The bulletin says a worn switch unit may cause it, and that Mazda changed the switch material to resist wear.

Visibility and wipers come second among the 2014's components, in 61 complaints. In 68, the description mentions a windshield and a crack. CSP03, from a 2014 CX-5 windshield litigation settlement, offered owners of 2014s built January-April 2013 and sold in California up to $800 for a factory windshield replaced with no record of outside damage. Mazda filed that program in November 2019, and owners had to seek a dealer inspection within 180 days of the owner notice.

Recall 16E-002 is a different matter: it covers certain Pilkington replacement windshields made from Nov. 23 to Dec. 16, 2015, for CX-5s with Smart City Brake Support. Their sensor brackets were fixed with tape alone, without urethane, and may loosen.

Recall 16V-064 covers certain 2014-2016 CX-5s built from June 27, 2013, to Feb. 2, 2016, whose fuel filler pipe may rupture in a crash. NHTSA says a rupture may cause a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire. The record counts 268,799 potentially affected vehicles.

The 2013 shares the 2014's shut-off pattern on a smaller scale, in 52 descriptions, and bulletin 05-004-16 lists it too. It ranks fifth for complaints, with 194, and has one recall campaign, 16V-644 for the liftgate struts. The 2015 shares the 2014's four recall campaigns but has only 133 complaints; its 11 crash-or-fire reports rank third, after the 2016's 41 and the 2018's 20. Give a 2013 the shifter test and a 2015 the same recall checks as a 2014.

2018 and 2019: cylinder-head complaints, most filed since 2024

Complaints that mention a cylinder head cluster in two years: 114 for the 2018 and 91 for the 2019, against three or fewer for every other model year from 2017 on. Of the head complaints, 68 of the 2018's 114 and 61 of the 2019's 91 were filed since Oct. 12, 2024, and none reports a crash or fire. Counting all complaints, 113 of the 2018's 351 (32 percent) and 118 of the 2019's 270 (44 percent) were filed since Oct. 12, 2024.

For the 2018, oil leads, in 96 of 114 head complaints, then a crack in 88 and smoke in 60. For the 2019, a crack leads, in 74 of 91, then oil in 71 and smoke in 41. Few mention coolant or antifreeze or a turbo: eight and seven for the 2018, 12 and 19 for the 2019.

Mazda's owner letter for service program CSP11, filed with NHTSA, covers 2019-2020 CX-5s with the turbocharged SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine. For those cars, Mazda extended the powertrain warranty to 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first, for coolant leaks at the cylinder head around the exhaust manifold. A dealer must confirm that the leak matches Mazda's service bulletin 01-002/23.

That bulletin says the head may crack at a stud bolt hole or at the outside of the exhaust manifold. Mazda says it changed the design of the exhaust manifold gasket and the cylinder head to reduce the force on the head. Both CSP11 and the bulletin concern coolant leaks at the head, while most 2018 head complaints mention oil and smoke and few mention coolant.

From the 2018 model year, the CX-5 got cylinder deactivation: its SKYACTIV-G 2.5 engine can shut down the two outside cylinders at cruising speeds to save fuel.

NHTSA lists 14 Mazda communications for the 2018 CX-5 that mention a cylinder head. Thirteen NHTSA records under 12 notice numbers, from SA-058-20 to SA-073-24a, announce a new cylinder head assembly as a service part for the SKYACTIV-G 2.5 with cylinder deactivation. So a replacement head exists as a service part, "when replacement is needed." But none of the 14 notices mentions a warranty, none of the nine recall campaigns concerns the head, and CSP11 names no 2018 CX-5.

The engine recall for these years, 19V-497, covers certain 2018-2019 CX-5s, Mazda6s and 2019 Mazda3s: a software error in the powertrain control module may cause the engine to stall. Dealers reprogram the software free of charge. NHTSA's count of 262,220 potentially affected vehicles covers all three models.

2017 and 2020 to 2024: no recalls from 2020, oil-use reports on the 2021

The 2017 has 149 complaints and one recall campaign. That campaign, 17V-744, covers 2017 CX-5s with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness that may be routed too close to the exhaust muffler.

NHTSA lists no recall campaign for any CX-5 from 2020 to 2024. CSP11, the turbo cylinder head program, also covers 2020 CX-5s with the 2.5T engine.

The 2021 has 148 complaints, and the engine is listed in 80 of them. In 49, the owner's description mentions consuming, burning, losing or adding oil, or low oil, the most of any year from 2017 on. Eight of those 49 mention a turbo.

Among the Mazda notices NHTSA lists on this for the 2021 CX-5 are service bulletin 01-003-23 and program SSPD5. The bulletin traces some low-oil warnings to higher oil consumption from damaged valve seals on the exhaust side.

SSPD5, from a class action settlement, extends the engine warranty for excessive oil consumption on certain Mazdas, the CX-5 among them, with the 2.5-liter turbo and the affected valve stem seals. Coverage runs 7 years or 84,000 miles, whichever comes first. Mazda's notice adds that a court clarified this covers all powertrain components on the Powertrain Limited Warranty Parts List, not only oil consumption. Ask a Mazda dealer, with the VIN, whether it applies.

The 2022, 2023 and 2024 have the fewest complaints of any year, 64, 64 and 44. They are also the newest, and 64 to 77 percent of their complaints were filed since Oct. 12, 2024.

All nine CX-5 recall campaigns since 2013

NHTSA lists nine recall campaigns for the 2013 to 2024 CX-5, counting the Pilkington equipment campaign 16E-002. Unit counts are NHTSA's potentially affected totals for each whole campaign, so where a campaign also covers other Mazda models, they are included.

• 16V-644, 2013-2016 CX-5: lift gate support struts; 580,455 vehicles, including four other Mazda models; Mazda number 9916H.
• 16E-002, 2014-2016 CX-5: Pilkington replacement windshields; 193 windshields; no Mazda number.
• 16V-064, 2014-2016: fuel filler pipe; 268,799 vehicles; Mazda number 9216B.
• 16V-203, 2014-2016: front strut to steering knuckle nuts and bolts; 578 vehicles, including three other Mazda models; Mazda number 9316D.
• 20V-063, 2016: LED daytime running lights; 36,761 vehicles; Mazda number 4320A.
• 17V-744, 2017: accessory trailer hitch harness; 1,076 vehicles; Mazda number 1617K.
• 18V-426, 2018: side curtain air bags; 682 vehicles; Mazda number 2718F.
• 19V-497, 2018-2019: engine control software; 262,220 vehicles, including two other Mazda models; Mazda number 3719F.
• 21V-875, 2018-2019: low-pressure fuel pump; 121,038 vehicles, including six other Mazda models; Mazda number 5321K.

First generation (2013-2016) against 2017-2024

Mazda's press materials for the 2017 model year present it as the all-new CX-5. The four first-generation years drew 1,214 complaints, 303.5 per model year; the eight 2017-2024 years drew 1,197, or 149.6 per year. In total the first generation has 66 crash-or-fire complaints and five distinct recall campaigns, the 2017-2024 years 74 and four. The counts are not adjusted for age, and the first-generation cars are the oldest in the table.

In NHTSA's crash tests, the overall rating is 4 stars for the 2013, 5 for the 2014 and 2015, and 4 for the 2016 and 2017. The 2018 rates 4 or 5 depending on version, and every year from 2019 rates 5. The front-wheel-drive 2016 and the all-wheel-drive 2016 each scored 3 stars for the front passenger in the frontal crash test.

Steps before you buy a used CX-5

1. First, enter the VIN at automotor.news/vin-check/ to list the recalls for its make, model and year; whether one is still open on that car shows in Mazda's VIN lookup or NHTSA's. Federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 makes any carmaker that makes or sells 25,000 or more light vehicles in the current or prior calendar year put its recall data online, searchable by VIN. At a minimum, it must cover recalls whose owner notices began within the previous 15 calendar years.
2. On a 2016, switch the lights on in daylight and check both LED daytime running lights. Ask for the dealer record of recall 20V-063, which Mazda numbers 4320A.
3. On a 2013-2016, open the liftgate fully and see whether it stays up. Recall 16V-644 replaces both lift gate supports free of charge, and Mazda numbers it 9916H.
4. On a 2013 or 2014, put the shifter in P, press the stop button and check that the radio and dash switch off. If they stay on, ask whether the shifter switch unit has been replaced; bulletin 05-004-16 lists a modified unit as a service part.
5. On a 2014-2016, ask for proof of the fuel filler pipe repair. Mazda numbers that recall, 16V-064, as 9216B.
6. On a 2018 or 2019, check the oil and coolant levels cold. Have a mechanic inspect the cylinder head, including around the exhaust manifold, for cracks, oil and signs of smoke, the most frequent in the head complaints among the words we counted. Ask for repair orders for any head or engine work. On a 2018, CSP11 does not apply, since it names only 2019-2020 CX-5s with the 2.5T turbo, and none of the 14 Mazda notices on the 2018 head mentions a warranty.
7. On a 2019 or 2020 with the 2.5T turbo engine, ask a Mazda dealer whether CSP11 applies to the VIN. Its coverage runs 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first.
8. On a 2018 or 2019, ask for the dealer records of the engine software recall 19V-497 and the fuel pump recall 21V-875. Mazda numbers them 3719F and 5321K.
9. On any 2021, check the oil level on the dipstick; on a turbo, also ask a Mazda dealer whether SSPD5 covers the car.
10. Any recall still open should be fixed by a Mazda dealer before the sale closes; our recall-check guide explains how to read the lookup result.