Complaint volume
56 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2023 Mazda CX-5 Complaints
56 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Mazda CX-5, grouped by component category.
56 Total complaints
8 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
4 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are exterior lighting, unknown or other, engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 8 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 4 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 2 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 10,064 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to exterior lighting, unknown or other, engine?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2023 Mazda CX-5?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2023 Mazda CX-5
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Mazda CX-5 complaints?
8 Crash
0 Fire
4 Injury
0 Fatality
7 Towed
2 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Mazda CX-5 complaint categories?
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8
ENGINE 4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2
LANE DEPARTURE 2
SERVICE BRAKES 2
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2
STEERING 2
VISIBILITY 2
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2
56 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES | Brake pedals do not have enough pedal reserve, it takes some time for it to come to a stop. The brakes don’t feel secure. We feel like the brakes are going to give up. It also makes a very loud scratching sound when reversing and pressing on the brakes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On October 16, 2025, while slowly pulling into a parking space, my vehicle experienced sudden and unintended acceleration without driver input. I did not depress the accelerator. Despite attempting to stop the vehicle, I was unable to do so. The vehicle mounted the curb, entered the sidewalk area, and struck a community mailbox, a tree, and two legally parked vehicles. My vehicle and the two parked vehicles were declared total losses. At the time of the incident, pedestrians, including toddlers, were present on the sidewalk. This loss of vehicle control created an immediate and severe risk of serious bodily injury or death. Post-incident diagnostics indicated multiple system errors, including but not limited to: •Powertrain Control Module •Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) •Instrument Cluster •Smart Brake Support / Mazda Radar Cruise Control Of particular concern is that Mazda, through its authorized dealer Rosenthal Mazda of Gaithersburg, Maryland, had prior notice of abnormal vehicle behavior. On two separate occasions before the crash, I reported that the vehicle would jolt suddenly, as if struck from behind, and at times felt as though it was attempting to accelerate without input. On each occasion, I was informed that the dealer could not duplicate the issue. No corrective action was taken, and the vehicle was returned to service. This event constitutes a serious safety failure involving unintended acceleration and apparent braking or electronic control system malfunction in this-model vehicle. Given the involvement of advanced driver assistance systems and braking components, this matter warrants immediate and thorough review. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| May 2026 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | Sudden acceleration even. Date April 10, 2026, at around 2:30 PM on a clear sunny day. Car make and model Mazda CX5 bought on 7/4/2023 VIN [XXX] , mileage around 10,000, only one owner. While attempting to park at BJ’s Wholesale Club ,when driver started to make a turn to a parking space, vehicle suddenly accelerated, applying the brakes stopped the forward motion, then driver put the car in reverse to try to properly park in a parking space and the car accelerated in reverse, this sudden motion could have killed or seriously injured any person passing in back of the car, when that motion stopped driver put the car in drive to be able to finally park the car and it sped uncontrollably, brakes didn’t stop the vehicle and it crashed against two vehicles parked nearby, damage to the Mazda vehicle was mainly to the left side, the front grill was not damage because driver was not able to control the rapid forward motion. Mazda dealer wanted the body of car repaired before checking the safety issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | The air conditioning compressor clutch suddenly would not engage, leading to reduced visibility out of the windshield during humid weather in Oklahoma springtime and extended times for windshield to defog. Temperatures inside the vehicle also rose to very high levels without air conditioning available, even with windows down while driving. No crash or injuries but this presented an unsafe situation for a vehicle with only 39,000 miles and purchased new from the dealership. There were no indicator lights, messages, or warnings, other than observation that air conditioner vents were no longer blowing cold air when selecting the AC button after problem occurred. Problem was verified by both an independent mechanic and our Mazda dealership. AC system was overcharged from the factory per diagnostic results, leading to internal AC compressor short and early component failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | My 2023 Mazda CX-5 (48,000 miles) is experiencing a loud mechanical whirring/grinding from the driver-side headlight assembly, a documented manufacturing defect involving foreign matter contamination of the internal LED cooling fan bearings (TSB 09-029/25). Despite the manufacturer acknowledging this factory-installed defect, Mazda has refused to proactively remedy the issue because the vehicle is nominally past its 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper period. I have been explicitly advised by service personnel to continue operating the vehicle until the headlight unit 'entirely fails' before further assistance may be considered. This 'fail-first' directive is a reckless disregard for public safety; the internal cooling fan exists specifically to prevent the high-intensity LED from overheating. A failure of this fan leads directly to the sudden burnout of the main headlamp while the vehicle is in motion. Mazda is essentially requiring me to drive a vehicle with a known, ticking-clock lighting defect and wait for a total loss of visibility at night before they will address a part that was contaminated during their own production process. This is a critical safety hazard that places myself and other drivers at risk of a collision due to sudden headlamp failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | AIR BAGS | Airbags failed to deploy in a collision where the front end of the vehicle was crushed, and a driver wearing a seat belt hit the steering wheel with enough force to fracture their sternum and cause two cervical fractures as well. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | I am reporting a safety defect in my 2023 Mazda CX-5 involving the right headlight assembly. The internal LED cooling fan has failed, causing loud noise and excessive vibration. This is a confirmed manufacturing defect (documented in Mazda Service Alert SA-013-23). Safety Risk: The cooling fan is essential to prevent the LED from overheating. A failure of this component can cause the headlight to dim or shut off completely without warning while driving at night, creating a severe visibility hazard and increasing the risk of a crash. Repair Details: An authorized Mazda dealer confirmed the internal failure and verified no external damage. Despite being a 2023 vehicle and a known safety issue, Mazda North American Operations has refused to cover the repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Just out of warranty passenger headlight is making a humming noise. Many other owners are having same malfunctions. Cost to replace at dealership is around $2,000.00. LED headlight has a cooling fan that is failing. Many have been replaced under warranty. Mine started just outside of the warranty mileage. It’s a known issue that should have a recall issued. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Adaptive headlight motor does not work. It makes a huge noise. Unfortunately it is not under warranty but Mazda dealerships have informed me that this is a known issue. This is a concern because the headlight does not function properly and does not work. The issue is a motor that fails, however you cannot just replace the motor. The entire headlight assembly needs to be replaced and is over 2,000. I strongly believe Mazda should be looked into and a special recall should be issued due to this. There should not be. $2 part that fails continuously causing a $2,000 repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Smart Brake Support (SBS) & Forward Obstruction Warning system malfunctioned. Front radar sensor malfunctioned. Parking brake malfunctioned. I-activesense system malfunctioned. Emergency lane keep disabled. Dynamic stability control malfunctioned. Traction control system not operating correctly. Anti-lock brake system (ABS) malfunctioned. Brake system not responding. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? In total 10 malfunctions led to brake not responding and could not stop the car and resulted into a car accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? NO Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? POLICE report from car accident states brake malfunction. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Car was totally fine until all 10 error messages appeared on Jan.17th 2026 12:42-12:43PM and immediately the brake system did not respond and resulted in the car accident. **important** Police report documented that the officer on scene is a witness of the car dashboard shows “brake malfunction” | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Autobraking activates randomly. Mazda scans codes and returns the vehicle. They have refused to service or disable the system. NHTSA laws are dangerous and this tech is not ready for road use. Avoid Mazda at all costs! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Cracked cylinder head probably caused by cylinder deactivation causing catastrophic oil loss on the highway. Upon researching this, I see that it is a known issue with Mazda. My car is now in the shop awaiting repairs. It only has about 35,000 miles on it. This is obviously a known defect and is simply not acceptable. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery died, the car wouldn't start one night. The battery which is the original that came with the car is only about 2 years old. I googled the code from the code reader, it said some mazda cx-5 have a starting problem but then I checked the recall website and there was none. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | LANE DEPARTURE | LKA does not work & mazda seems to ignore its many complaints | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Loud fan noise coming from the passenger side headlight. Noise continues when car has been turned off and stops when the light shuts off. Dealer said that replacement of the passenger headlamp assembly needed but would charge because it was not longer under warrant due to mileage. No warning lamps, messages nor other items appeared. The symptoms began around 40,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Humming or moaning noise from the passenger side headlamp. Inspected by dealer mechanic and mentioned the TSB 09-015-23B bulletin. Dealership replaced headlamp covered under warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | After driving a few mile, the following two warnings come up * Smart Brake System Malfunction * Forward Radar Sensor System malfunction. If I turn off the car and then restart, the warnings go away. However, it comes back if I drive for a while again. I have visited dealership a few times for the same issue, they replaced the wheel bearing and brake switch. The warning disappeared for days and came back. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE | The driver-side power door mirror on my 2023 Mazda CX-5 vibrates excessively at highway speeds above 75 mph, especially on windy days. The vibration is so severe that it causes a blurred and distorted view, making it difficult to clearly see vehicles in adjacent lanes. This poses a significant safety risk, as it impairs my ability to make safe lane changes and monitor surrounding traffic. I brought the issue to the attention of my Mazda dealership during a scheduled service appointment, but they dismissed it as "normal" and quoted approximately $700 to replace the mirror - despite the fact that this appears to be a known issue with Mazda vehicles. Numerous owners of recent Mazda models have reported similar problems online, yet Mazda has not issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) for the 2023 CX-5. I am attaching a previous TSB (09-002/13) that Mazda released for earlier CX-5 models (2013–2014), which addressed the same mirror vibration issue through structural reinforcement and mirror replacement. This suggests the problem may still persist in newer models. The mirror is available for inspection upon request. No warning lights or messages were displayed, and the issue began shortly after I started driving the vehicle on highways. Link to previous TSB - [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The adaptive headlight system and motor in 2023 Mazda CX-5 has defect and it makes buzzing noise and vibration. It was recognized by Mazda and its known defect. They should replace the defective headlight system even after the warranty period since this is not normal wear and tear part. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Fuel system failure. The vehicle just dies and does not restart, this is a safety issue due to it happening when you are driving on the highway and unable to get out of the way of traffic. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The vehicle turned the ac off and started blowing straight hot air into the vehicle after sitting in idle for less than 5 minutes. Which resulted in my dog having a seizure and passing away. There was not a notification on the app or any type of warning for this to happen. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | The car has a lot of vibration when driving 60mph and above. Have had this issue looked at more than 5 times and they had my card for 1 month at the dealership trying to find the issue. This started back in February of 2024 and I have purchased 4 sets of tires and nothing makes the vibrations of the seat, steering wheel go away. Originally it wasn’t vibrating while driving back in February of 2025 only when braking to which I said to them I think it’s the rotors that have an issue. They never check the rotors and said it was my tires that were cupped. I put new tires on the car and still the same issue and went back to the dealership in April of 2024 and let them know it think it’s the rotors. In fact it was the rotors they were warped and they balanced the tires again. The dealership recommended resurfacing the rotors to which I had done. A Couple of months later the vibration while driving started. Bought another set of tires had then installed, balanced and aligned and still vibration. I thought maybe it’s the brand so I bought another set of tires to which the problem is still there. Now besides the vibration while driving I have vibrations while braking again after the dealership put in new rotors back in Nov. 2024. When to the dealership on 06.26.25 let them know the vibration while braking is happening again and I think it’s the rotors. They check them and rotors are warped again about only 6.5 months.The service manager said she will resurface them for me for no charge but then the service advisor said if they do that that the resurfacing is going to make me have to change the brake pads as I will end up in the red since my brake pads are in the yellow right now. I said then don’t resurface because I am not paying for the brake pads when that should’ve been done the first time the rotors were warped. I feel like I risk my life everyday driving this car to work 34miles one way. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE | Vehicle is a 2023 Mazda CX-5 Signature Turbo model that had a leaking hydraulic tensioner for the serpentine belt at 15,759 miles. Mazda technician cleaned the hydraulic tensioner, and less than 500 miles later the leak returned. This is common enough in the community to expand TSB’s on this part. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | When driving the vehicle, my car exhibits a rocking / shake when going from brake to gas at speeds below 20 mph. I was told by the dealership that it is normal operation, but when driving two other CX5’s, the behavior did not exhibit. I do not know what to do. I have also brought it to 2 independent mechanics and they told me the engine mounts needed to be replaced. I did the service at 36,000 miles and it did not get rid of the problem. It seems to be a defect of the car, which I’ve been living with since 2023. The issue has been ongoing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Summary of Events: Purchase Date: 05/27/2023 Coolant Warning: In January 2025, I received a coolant temperature warning (code P0126) indicating insufficient coolant temperature. Repairs: I brought the vehicle in for repairs on 02/15/2025 for thermostat and related parts. The repairs were completed by 02/17/2025. New Warning: On 03/18/2025, I received a high coolant temperature warning. Upon inspection, coolant was nearly empty, and I found coolant contamination in the engine bay. Notification to Dealership: I emailed Hennessy Mazda on 03/19/2025, but after no response, I filed a claim with Mazda headquarters on 03/20/2025. Only after that, they called me and instructed me to bring the vehicle in. They claimed that after replacing the faulty parts and cleaning the engine bay, the car was ready for pickup. (While they assert that all actions were completed on 03/22, Based on the fact that the car door was opened approximately five times in April, it can be inferred that the necessary actions were likely completed in early April.) Concerns: Coolant Leak: The coolant leak persisted for nearly a month, likely causing damage to internal components due to engine overheating. Electronic Contamination: The leaked coolant likely contaminated sensitive electronic systems, wiring, and connectors, potentially leading to long-term failures due to the conductive and corrosive properties of modern coolants like Mazda FL22. Long-Term Risks: Hidden corrosion inside connectors and wiring. Potential for electrical failure, sensor malfunctions, and further degradation over time. Hennessy Mazda is currently addressing only the visible issues and claiming the car is now functioning properly, while attempting to shift the long-term and hidden risks onto me. I am requesting a vehicle replacement or compensation due to the safety and long-term reliability risks posed by the unresolved coolant leak and contamination. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |