Mazda CX-5 Problems

Are you familiar with the Mazda CX-5 problems?

Purchasing a car raises a concern about reliability, everybody wishes to get a vehicle that’ll require rare visits to the mechanic. Those are not only time-consuming but rather expensive.

Mazda CX-5 has above average rating of 4 out of 5, though this doesn’t mean it’s immune to having some common problems. We will explore these further below, discussing the nature of Mazda CX-5 problems.

The Mazda CX-5 is one of Mazda’s SUVs. This model is a successor to the Mazda Tribute as well as the CX-7. This vehicle is a capable and compact crossover SUV that has been in production since 2012.

This Mazda model was the first to utilize the new Kodo – Soul of Motion, design language introduced a year before. The vehicle was also fully equipped with the Skyactiv Technology suite. This nice range of gear within the car also sticks to this day. With newer models keeping up to modern standards.

Newer models introduced in 2019 offer a choice between the CX-5 engine and CX-9 one. The rest of the vehicle was updated to model standards too, with updated Skyactiv Technology. On top of it all, the car has a remote-controlled powered tailgate as a small but welcome addition.

However, this exquisite technology comes with its issues. Mazda CX-5 will run into some common troubles over the years.

Most Common Mazda CX-5 Problems

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Though every car has problems, they will heavily differ. Different approaches in construction, parts used, and quality of assembly all come into play here. Mazda CX-5 is a great showcase of this as the following issues are most present on its 2014 and 2016 models. This detail means that the manufacturing of this line was improved after the troublesome hiccup.

The most common problems include transmission issues, engine issues, and braking failure. Aside from those problems, common to earlier models of Mazda CX-5, we have: exploding windshields, airbag failure, and windshield problems.

  1. Engine Issues

Rarer among most models are issues with the engine. These are considerable problems as the health of our engine can heavily impact the rest of the car. Systems could change in effectiveness depending on how well the engine performs.

With Mazda CX-5, there have been reports of engines shutting off with no warning. The sudden switch can harm the internal components, as the car turns off improperly.

However, that’s not the only issue with the engine. Some owners reported the opposite problem. The engine would fail to turn off at all, resulting in the car staying on. In certain cases, the engine refusing to turn off would require the owner to drive for another few miles before it would properly stop.

These problems would start occurring at around 55,000 miles. Which is far from a distance where such serious problems should be commonplace. The inability to shut off the engine on demand can lead to a lot more expenses, wear and tear, or accidents. [1]

  1. Braking failure

Issues with brakes can often be the most debilitating to a car. Not only is our safety compromised and the driving condition of the vehicle heavily impaired, but it’s also very expensive to fix a braking system. The problem can be so serious to the point an entire new braking system needs to be installed.

If braking system issues of a Mazda CX-5 get bad, the owner can expect to pay upwards of $300 to fix the problem. With Mazda CX-5, most reports that brakes wear out at around 29,000 miles. This is quite a short mileage for a vehicle that is supposed to be driven daily. [2]

Brake failure has been reported on multiple occasions. This issue can happen even if you aren’t going particularly fast, though the danger to our safety still exists.

Aside from brakes not activating, there were also cases where emergency braking systems would randomly kick in. This is as troubling as brakes not working, when a car suddenly stops, the drivers behind can be caught off guard, which leads to a collision.

  1. Windshield problems

The windshields on Mazda CX-5 are prone to cracking. Though this doesn’t come from any specific source, the windshield will simply crack out of nowhere. Windshield issues like this have initiated a recall of some of these models. [3]

The problem seems to be that there is a potential for the windshield bracket to detach. Which loosens the connection and causes a higher chance of the windshield cracking as it isn’t fully reinforced.

  1. Malfunctioning Airbags

The airbags are an important part of a car. Issues with them can be compromising to our safety within the car. These problems can be tough to notice, which makes the problems of malfunction even worse.

Mazda CX-5 models have had such problems reported. The most common problem is airbags failing to deploy during a crash. Increasing the chance of serious injury during car crashes of any severity.

Though this isn’t the only problem. A few reports note that the airbag can deploy randomly. Specifically ones on the passenger side of the car. So there could be multiple odd problems with the car.

  1. Exploding Sunroof

Now, this might be the oddest problem you could face while driving a Mazda CX-5. There have been reports of sunroofs on these cars exploding unexpectedly. In each of the incidents, there was no debris or potentially dangerous items that could latch onto the sunroof. [4]

The sunroof would just damage itself suddenly, with Mazda CX-5 not even running at a high speed in a few of the reports. Speeds as low as 30 mph could provoke this weird malfunction. The sunroof would crack and explode, with barely any warning before it happened.

It’s theorized that the reason this happens is a design flaw with heat expansion. The sunroof doesn’t have good heat expansion which doesn’t allow it to handle hot weather as well. Which leads to such an extreme reaction.

  1. Transmission Issues

Transmission issues are common car problems. Ones that the Mazda CX-5 line didn’t manage to avoid. Transmission issues can be quite detrimental, especially for drives in the city where the constant need to shift gears is present.

The most common issue reported is odd noises during shifting, which makes changing gears harder. This particular symptom is attributed to faulty transmission.

Though often fixable, there have been multiple cases where the entire transmission system needed to be changed. An act that costs thousands of dollars. [5]

  1. Daytime LED Running Lights Issues

Daytime running lights, or DRLs for short, are designed to make the vehicle more visible in bright light. Especially during sunny days when the other drivers could have a harder time distinguishing it while driving. These lights are extremely bright, which is why they are exclusively used during the day. Using them at night would risk disorienting other drivers and causing issues.

The Mazda CX-5 had extremely bad issues with DRLs. The lights would wear out far sooner than expected, often occurring at around 40,000 miles instead of the expected 100,000 miles.

But the issue gets worse. Mazda CX-5 2016 had DRLs built as a single unit. This means that when one bulb fails you cannot replace it individually. An entire component has to be replaced instead, which results in hefty costs.

With all these accounted for, your repair costs can stack up. Especially when the costs of these fixes are considered. The average cost of a single repair averages out at about $300. Though costs can go over a thousand for more complex fixes.

Solutions to Mazda CX-5 Problems

With the costs of all the separate parts, we can quickly see our repairs for Mazda CX-5 skyrocket in costs. Some repairs such as brake master cylinder replacement and

The best way to avoid paying those high costs is through consistent maintenance. Having throughout checks will result in these problems being spotted early which can allow us to preemptively secure the health of our vehicle.

Make sure to use your warranty too, as a lot of these issues can occur before it runs out. This will cut the costs of repair, which is always welcome. Mazda CX-5 can have some rather confusing issues like the aforementioned exploding sunroof so having a safe replacement is appreciated.

Mazda CX-5 years to avoid

The two Mazda CX-5 years to avoid are the 2014 and 2016 models. Other years have far fewer reports of problems, especially those tied to electrical components and engine issues. The 2021 series being far more reliable than the rest.

In fact, these two years have the most complaints reported out of all Mazda CX-5 models. With others having considerably fewer issues reported.

Though there are chances of most of the problems appearing on other cars, they are far smaller than the ones of these two years. This goes double for any of the weirder problems that can occur, some of which we’ll explore below.

Read Also: Mazda CX-30 Problems

Conclusion

Though Mazda CX-5 has kept up to speed with technological advances and made strides in adapting to the changing climate, some common problems still plague the series. While it’s expected for this to occur, every car will have certain concerns that crop up, it’s good to educate oneself on possible troubles.

It also bears mentioning that Mazda CX-5 models from 2014 and 2016 are the most likely to exhibit the problems noted throughout this article. If you wish to cut on your trips to the mechanic, we recommend avoiding these specific years.

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