MAZDA Complaints

I am the owner of a 2019 Mazda CX-5 with approximately 50,000 miles. I am experiencing an active engine oil leak accompanied by a burning smell and visible smoke from the engine compartment. This is consistent with a cracked cylinder head assembly — a known manufacturing defect in 2018–2021 Mazda CX-5 vehicles documented in Mazda's own Service Alert SA-031/21, which Mazda characterizes as a fire hazard. Despite this, Mazda has extended warranty coverage only to turbo-equipped models (Program CSP11), leaving non-turbo owners with the identical defect unprotected. At only 50,000 miles, this is a premature failure caused by a manufacturing defect — not normal wear and tear. Oil leaking onto a hot exhaust manifold constitutes a serious fire risk to vehicle occupants and the public. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this pattern of failure across 2018–2021 Mazda CX-5 non-turbo models and consider whether a formal recall is warranted. I have contacted Mazda North American Operations directly requesting goodwill warranty coverage and have a case number on file. I have yet to hear a response but was initially informed my car was out of warranty.

Component: Air Bags – Knee Airbag / Trim Panel During a collision, on July 3rd with the Mazda CX-50, the knee airbag deployed and a hard plastic trim panel from the lower dashboard was forcibly ejected. This panel struck my knee and caused a laceration across my kneecap. The injury was not caused by the crash itself but directly by the detached interior component. The trim panel appears to be part of the knee-airbag assembly and should not detach with enough force or sharpness to cause bodily harm. I experience pain, discomfort, and ongoing issues due to the injury with tingling down my left leg when I get up to walk. I am concerned this represents a design or manufacturing defect in the knee-airbag trim panel or its breakaway mechanism. Photos of the deployed airbag, the detached part, and the injury are available.

This report concerns the design of the front seat belt reminder system, which I believe creates a safety hazard. The audible warning begins the instant the engine starts — while the vehicle is stationary in Park — is very loud, and repeats indefinitely until the belt is latched. Federal Standard No. 208 requires only a short warning (up to 8 seconds); this immediate, persistent chime is a voluntary design choice. Other manufacturers (e.g., Honda) meet the same standard while chiming only once the vehicle is in motion, which is sufficient and far less intrusive. The safety problem: because the warning is so aggravating, owners are defeating their own seat belt systems. Owners across the Mazda lineup — CX-5, CX-30, CX-50, CX-90, Mazda3, and Mazda6 — publicly document this on owner forums ([XXX], [XXX], [XXX], [XXX], [XXX], [XXX]) and in TikTok and YouTube tutorials. Common methods include cutting or de-pinning the buckle-latch wire so the car always reads as belted, and installing uncertified seat belt extenders or dummy buckles. The buckle-latch signal feeds the airbag/SRS control module and affects airbag and pretensioner deployment, so these workarounds degrade crash protection. NHTSA's own research notes that reminders annoying enough to be circumvented reduce seat belt use. Mazda has acknowledged the excessive chime volume in Technical Service Bulletin 09-002-24. The system operates as designed — the design itself is the hazard. Symptom: continuous chime and belt warning light at startup while in Park; vehicle available for inspection on request. I request that NHTSA review whether this reminder design induces unsafe circumvention and should be revised. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

while changing lanes or turning, the steering wheel sticks and needs extra force to turn; resulting in very jerky turn.

The official remedy for Recall 24V022 failed on my vehicle. The dangerous steering friction has returned, I feel unsafe driving. when turning to the left the steering wheel sticks. Causing me to have to violently yank the steering wheel in opposite direction.

Excessive oil consumption. Regularly have a low oil warning come up about 6000 kms after an oil change. Oil is always low when checked.

I was backing out of a parking spot in a parking lot that backed up to a 2 lane highway. I placed the car in Reverse and then put the car in Drive, so that I could exit the parking lot to a side road. When I placed the car in Drive and pressed gas, the car went into Reverse (towards the 2 lane highway behind me). I placed the car in park, then back to Drive, it went in Reverse again. We were now in the 2 lane highway with oncoming traffic swerving to avoid us. We decided to put the car in park and turn off the car. Then, we restarted and place the car in Drive. It went into drive and we moved forward into the parking lot, off the highway and then we could exit the parking lot and drive home.

While driving, the panoramic sunroof suddenly exploded outward without any impact from road debris or another object. The glass shattered unexpectedly, creating a safety hazard from falling glass and the sudden loud noise. I believe the failure may have been caused by pressure inside the cabin or a defect in the sunroof glass or its installation. There were no visible signs that the vehicle struck anything before the glass shattered.

My car is literally stalling out on me. It started by sputtering when I put my foot on the gas a week or so ago. Then today It literally started just losing power while driving. It’s not throwing any codes but that’s super dangerous and this car is only a year old. I am extremely concerned for my safety.

While the car was being repaired for the rear brakes issue that was covered under the recently announced extended warranties, the Mazda dealership stated there is also a radiator leak that should be repaired for $1,800. After researching online, it didn't take long to learn that this is another known issue with Mazda CX90s but hasn't been formally recalled at this point. I have no complaints with the dealership I purchased the vehicle from. The complaint is with the manufacturer for yet another known issue on the CX90s that is not a normal maintenance for a 2-3 year old vehicle.