2017 MAZDA CX-5 Complaints

Blind spot monitoring system warning appears on dashboard of vehicle after driving for about 50-60 miles. This occurs only when I drive >50-60 miles in one trip without shutting off my vehicle. Speed does not matter. My sensors will not work until I turn off my car and turn it back on. This started as soon as I purchased my vehicle in July 2020. 1 previous owner (lease) before I purchased the vehicle. No prior accidents. Got the vehicle at ~30,000 miles. In January 2021, I drifted off the freeway and hit a tree going 35 mph during a snow storm. It was only myself (driver) and a passenger in the front seat at the time of the incident. Both were wearing seatbelts. The seat belts locked up, but airbags never deployed for myself or the adult passenger in the front seat. Driver sustained no injuries, but the passenger smashed their knee into the glove compartment and smacked their head on the window/seatbelt holder on the side of the interior wall. The passenger was asleep during the incident, which may have explained why they did not brace themselves. One minute we were on the freeway, then we hit a slippery spot, and within seconds we were head on with a tree. Drove away to avoid the possibility of any vehicles following my path and smashing into us. Car was still driveable somehow. Car was repaired after 3 weeks at Caliber Collision and looked great. Sensor issue persists still, but unrelated to accident. Mentioned it to Caliber Collision when vehicle was being repaired and they had a Mazda service person come out with a sensor machine and they could not find the issue.

Connectivity Master Unit controlling the infotainment system has failed. Infotainment system continuously rebooting, freezing, change radio presets on its own and changing to home screen, and navigation starts speaking while listing to music.

Mazda has termed the issue Ghost Touch in their CX-3 models, which the NTSB issued a Technical Service Bulletin. It is dangerous as the infotainment system begins to switch between functions on its own, without driver or passenger input, and while the cars is in motion; changing radio stations, dialing phone numbers, turning the system display to Night Mode making it impossible to read while using the vehicle navigation system, exiting navigation maps altogether. The part number given to me by Mazda is K123611J0C. The dealer diagnosed and confirmed this issue in April 2022. They stated it is a common problem but it is not covered under warranty. Replacement costs quoted was over $1400, plus $180 to diagnose the problem.

The Mazda SCBS (Smart City Brake Support) system malfunctioned in my vehicle. This system can inadvertently apply the brake if the system malfunction. It was told to me by the dealership that it was a known issue with the CX5s around this model year and I really think it should be a recall. Not having this safety-critical system working properly because of a manufacturer defect isn't a great thing to put on the traveling public. Not having this system could cause people to become complacent expecting the system to work properly and stop them from rear-ending another vehicle. The warning light randomly came on one day, and would also come on from time to time which the manufacturer states as "normal". I had the system inspected by Mazda and they told me "This is a common issue that we have seen frequently." I had to pay out of pocket $800 to get this safety-critical system repaired that really should be covered by the manufacturer due to a malfunction in their system.

The Mazda connect touch screen in the center display doesn't always accept touch commands properly and regularly operates by itself (ghost touch) while in drive.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer: Infotainment screen goes haywire changing music stations, turning on/off lights, making phone calls while the car is driving in motion. The problem happened multiple times and it can happen anytime. Yes, it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer: Puts the driver and other cars at risk because driver gets freaked out by changing stations, turning on/off lights, calls being made, etc. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Answer: Not yet. I plan to take to the dealer hope there is a recall for this issue. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Answer: No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Answer: No warning signals, messages or other indicators.

The vehicle has a poor quality of paint which chips quite easily upon the slightest impact by road debris. I purchased this SUV brand new in Soul Red color, newly launched for 2017, and soon discovered that the paint was chipping away in various spots exposing the clear coat. This started happening immediately after buying the car and continues to this day at 20,000 miles. Every time we would go on a highway trip (not off-roading), the paint would chip in new spots (hood, fenders etc.) upon the slightest impact with small, everyday highway debris. The dealer dismissed it and stated that this is “normal”, as if I was new to driving and maintaining cars. I have always kept the car clean, washed, and waxed so I was terribly disappointed when this started happening. It has reduced the resale value of the car without a doubt, and will certainly initiate body corrosion in places where the paint has chipped. I have been forced to use paint touch-up in different spots just to maintain the cosmetic look and stop corrosion.

The underside frame/carriage of the vehicle developed corrosion in just the first three years. Granted it is surface corrosion, and not a perforation, still it is not something that a customer expects in the first 3-5 years of owning a vehicle. This indicates a low level of anti-corrosion treatment to the metallic parts of the undercarriage.

The Adaptive Cruise Control system (collectively including the Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Smart city brake support etc.) on this SUV stops working abruptly and randomly while the car is in operation on the road. This is a major safety concern as it can crash into a leading vehicle in absence of adaptive cruise capabilities. The system generally resets or starts working again after a 5-10 minutes, but there is no rhyme or reason why it stopped working or when it would start again. It has happened in cloudy, harsh cold weather, and also on a bright, warm sunny day. This makes the ACC unreliable. The dealer could not reproduce the malfunction, as generally the car is stationary in the workshop or isn’t driven for a long enough time while testing.

The brake pads on this vehicle wear out prematurely, despite not using them aggressively. All four brake pads on the SUV wore out in less than the first 16,000 miles (first 3 years) and had to be replaced. The braking has also aways been “soft” and the car takes longer to come to a full-stop in the event urgent braking has to be done in traffic. The rotors have corroded prematurely too, despite keeping the car very clean and dry as a matter of habit. The dealer dismissed this issue stating the brakes were fine, as if this was the first car I was driving. I do not engage in hard stops, or perform sudden, jerky, brake applications and yet the brake pads wore out to almost nothing. All the other cars that I’ve owned historically had their brake pads last for 6-8 years of normal driving while this car wore them down in just 3 years. Premature brake pad wear can be a huge safety issue since an unsuspecting driver may not be aware of it and can result in an accident on the road from the vehicle not being able to come to a full stop in time.