2024 MAZDA CX-90 PLUG-IN HYBRID Complaints

The contact owns a 2024 Mazda CX-90. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up after several attempts due to an issue with the hybrid battery. The contact stated that the message "Electrical Leakage in the Hybrid System” was displayed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the service technician acknowledged that the failure and confirmed that the issue with the hybrid battery was a known issue. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

On two separate occasions, my young children were locked inside the vehicle, and on one of the two occasions my elderly mother was also locked inside. In all incidents, the doors and windows remained closed and would not unlock, even when attempting to use the key fob. Specifically, after parking, I exited the driver’s seat and closed my door. When I went to open the rear doors to get my children out of their car seats, the rear doors were locked and could not be unlocked by the key fob. The same occurred when my elderly mother was in the vehicle. Each time, the car was in hot conditions, and we were fortunately able — after some struggle — to unlock the doors and remove them from the vehicle. This presents a serious safety risk, particularly in warm weather and with young or elderly passengers who cannot exit the vehicle themselves. I am currently pursuing a lemon law claim for this vehicle, but I also wanted to formally report this defect because of the danger it poses.

My wife called me while I was at work today to let me know that our soon to be [XXX] old toddler locked himself in the car with her keys inside while the car was running with the air conditioning on. She repeatedly tried to use the My Mazda app to unlock the car but it kept giving an error message. She called 911 and luckily he finally unlocked it on his own just prior to the police department's arrival. Upon further research this appears to be a known issue that has been brought up to Mazda from other owners and it has been dismissed by Mazda as a safety feature designed to prevent theft. Apparently this is by design, the app will not let you unloco the car if the vehicle is running with the keys in it. Personally, the theft of the vehicle is nowhere near as important as the health and safety of my child. We were extremely fortunate that the air conditioning was on as the temperatures in our town are hitting triple digits right now. What if it had not been on? This could have had a much worse outcome. Additionally, how in the world does this deter theft? So what Mazda is basically saying is that somebody would get my phone, access my password/fingerprint protected app, unlock my car from my phone, then get in and drive off. The likely hood of this happening is way lower than a curious toddler or rambunctious dog accidentally getting locked inside the running vehicle. Additionally, if my wife locked her keys in the car, and isn't home to get the spare, or im at work and can't bring her the spare right away, she's [XXX]. This is a ridiculous feature and a major safety red flag that needs to be addressed with Mazda. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Braking System and Infotainment Malfunctions — 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Vehicle: 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV Incident Dates: June 1, 2024 June 16, 2024 June 30, 2025 Ongoing (infotainment issue) Summary of Complaint: I am reporting multiple safety-related concerns with my 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV involving both the braking system and the infotainment/electrical system: 1. Delayed Brake Engagement – June 1, 2024: While stopping for a pedestrian crossing the street, I pressed the brake pedal and the vehicle lunged forward before the brakes fully engaged. The delay in braking caused the vehicle to move forward several inches before stopping, nearly endangering the pedestrian. It felt as if the brakes did not respond immediately when applied. 2. Sudden, Unnecessary Braking – June 16, 2024: While following a vehicle that was slowing down to make a right turn, the CX-90 PHEV abruptly and aggressively braked on its own, despite sufficient following distance and no imminent collision risk. The rapid deceleration nearly caused the vehicle behind me to rear-end us. This appeared to be triggered by the vehicle’s automated braking or forward collision system reacting too strongly. 3. Infotainment System Failure – Ongoing / June 30, 2025: The infotainment system frequently restarts itself, shutting down entirely and rebooting without warning — particularly while driving in larger cities. On June 30, 2025, the system completely failed, and a warning appeared on the dashboard stating that the vehicle needed service. After shutting down and restarting the vehicle, the message disappeared. However, this intermittent failure creates a serious distraction and potential safety hazard while driving.

- Serious safety issue: car stopped suddenly in the middle of traffic - Errors appeared: Hybrid System Malfunction, “vehicle can not be driven” and “Electrical Leakage in Hybrid System Detected” - Would not come out of park, had to be towed to Mazda dealership - Picked up car and after 15 min of driving the 'hybrid malfunction' light came back on - Car was returned to Mazda dealership for testing

Mazda issued a recall on the steering column which was done a year ago. The steering wheel continues to stick when turning on an intermittent basis requiring extra force to bring the wheel back to center. It’s been happening for a while and the service dept told me it was the tires. I replaced the tires and it continues to happen. Mainly happens when driving around turns towards the left and driving around 30-50mph. It occasionally happens when changing lanes on the highway.

Issue Summary: Since December 27, 2024, my vehicle has experienced a hybrid malfunction and leakage issue three times. Each time this occurs, the vehicle becomes completely inoperable and cannot move, requiring a tow truck to take it to the dealership. Since December 27, 2024, my car has been in the shop four times, yet the issue persists. This raises serious reliability and safety concerns, as the vehicle can suddenly become unusa

Received Hybrid Battery Malfunction and Electrical Leakage Detection alerts two weeks ago. Dealer has not been able to fix. First they said it was the water heater, then they said my radiator was leaking and I need a new one. Estimated 4 additional weeks for repair.

The vehicle does not slow down or reduce speed until the brake pedal is pressed at least 1/5 of the way down when using cruise control. The brake light turns on, but the car continues to accelerate.

Blind spot monitors alert for things like light fog. I cannot trust a system that thinks water vapor is going to be an issue while turning or merging.