MAZDA Complaints

My car caught on fire on [CCC] and it's completely burned down, a total loss. Following is information about my car and some summary of what happened. Car information: - Mazda CX5 2024 - Bought in June or July 2024(car payment only made 22 times so far) - Odometer 24,445mi(as of 05/15/2026) What happened: - In [XXX] Friday afternoon, I was in Bellevue and noticed an engine overheat warning. So, I stopped immediately to cool down and called Mazda Dealership(Lee Johnson Mazda) to schedule a service. - Then after 20-30 minutes, I started the car again and the warning was gone. So I drove slowly and got on [XXX] to head home in Kirkland. I was already driving slowly. - After a few minutes, overheat warning as well as engine warning started firing and noticed that smoke coming out of bonnet. - So, I pulled over on the shoulder near [XXX] and called roadside assistance. But even before I get connected to the roadside service, engine caught on fire and I had to call 911. - The car is completely burned down and it's a total loss. - State patrol wrote me a "Exchange of Information" and "Tow/Impound and Inventory Record". Why I am submitting this form: - This car is less than 2years old and has been seeing Mazda service regularly. The odometer checked by dealership on 05/15 is 24,445mi which is slightly more than 24,000 which is stated in the Lemon LAW. But still, the car is pretty brand new and around 24,000 ish. So, I'm wondering if this still qualifies for Lemon Law. - Even before this happened, I had a service history for engine warning and get the engine checked on 05/15/2026 which is exactly a week ago before the accident. Also, they said the engine thermostat had an issue and replaced and covered by Mazda's warranty. - Overheat and engine warning was on and off. As soon as I pull over, it caught on fire. - This happened on [XXX]. It was very dangerous and lucky that we pulled over on right before it caught on fire INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The vehicle's Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) / Smart Brake Support system intermittently triggers "false positive" emergency braking events during critical driving maneuvers, specifically while accelerating to merge into highway traffic. During these events, the system violently applies the brakes with no external hazard present. Crucially, the vehicle fails to acknowledge driver override input. Depressing the accelerator pedal fully does not disengage the automatic braking, stripping the driver of vehicle control and exposing the vehicle to a severe risk of being rear-ended at high speed. Simultaneously, the vehicle experiences a persistent "In-Unit Telematics Malfunction" error on the dashboard, accompanied by rapid-fire mobile app notifications (14 alerts in a single day) stating "Critical Vehicle Malfunction: Vehicle cannot be driven." These communication module errors have persisted despite the dealership applying Mazda's latest software updates, indicating a critical network failure or hardware defect that compromises active safety systems.

Any time the vehicle has been sitting with the engine off and has been given enough time to “cool down”, upon starting the vehicle and switching from PARK to DRIVE, the vehicle will violently lurch forward while attempting to reach 2nd gear. This is dangerous behavior that is not normal for any vehicle. There is clearly something wrong with either the transmission or the way the software communicates with the transmission. When the engine is within normal temperature it doesn’t display this dangerous behavior. A similar TSB was issued for the 2nd generation of CX5s but not for this generation of CX5s

The vehicle was involved in a rear and side impact collision and the car was totaled on 5/14/2026. The air bags did not deploy. There was a recall on the air bag system immediately after purchase 6/28/2025 and it was taken in July of 2025 to Mazda of Columbia, SC and it was “repaired.” The airbags of the truck that collided with the Mazda did deploy.

TO NTSA - 2025 Mazda CX-50 Premium Turbo Plus - Purchased [XXX] - Less than 2,000 miles Driving north on [XXX] , I took exit [XXX] . When slowing to change to the right-hand lane, it surged then rapidly accelerated. Stepping on the brake did not slow it down, increased acceleration. To avoid hitting cars in my lane, I jumped the curb to the frontage road, continually pumping on the brake. The left front wheel and axle broke off and landed 20 ft away. The vehicle did not slow down; It was stopped by snapping a power pole in half. While trying to grab my purse, two Good Samaritans yelled at me to get out of the car, it was smoking and there were power lines overhead. Miraculously, I walked away. The Mazda salesman we purchased from was notified with photo. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The vehicle started to hydroplane in rain on the highway and the lane keeping assist aggressively tried to push me back, which ended up causing us to hydroplane more and causing the vehicle to flip around backwards and we ended up sliding completely off the highway into a ditch totaling the vehicle.

Steering wheel became stuck when making a long left turn while driving on the freeway. The turn lasted approximately 30 seconds. Around 3-4 seconds into the turn, the steering wheel suddenly locked up for approximately 1-2 seconds. Eventually the steering wheel was released resulting in a sudden jerk, leading to the car veering to the right lane. A correction was made using the steering wheel to maintain center lane. Once again the steering wheel got stuck, resulting in the same jerk behavior. This occurred three times in the 30-second turn. I have not attempted this route since this incident. Prior to this incident, the front end suspension made a grinding noise when turning the steering wheel left (e.g., backing up into the garage). There is minor vibration on the steering wheel but not too noticeable due to the low speeds. A recall was previously performed back in 2025 to correct the grinding suspension. However, it returned several months after along with the minor steering wheel issue. I plan to report this at the next scheduled maintenance interval.

Following a recent inspection at Perry Mazda in Santa Barbara, my vehicle was diagnosed with a failed clock spring mechanism causing airbag malfunction warnings. Clock spring failure under 70K miles on a 2021 vehicle is premature and suggests a defect rather than normal wear. I contacted Mazda North America and it has been over a week without a response. I have maintained the vehicle responsible and have no history of collisions or modifications that could have contributed to this failure.

The contact owns a 2017 Mazda CX-5. While driving the vehicle, the engine overheat warning suddenly illuminated on the dashboard cluster panel. The contact pulled over immediately, restarted the engine, and coasted the vehicle to a local, independent mechanic shop. The independent mechanic diagnosed the issue as a blown head gasket. For a secondary inspection, the vehicle was transported to an authorized Mazda dealership. Dealership technicians determined that the engine cylinder was actually cracked and recommended a full engine replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.

Ghost touch screen sudden changes in the volume to the maximum while driving. The Mazda dealership where I bought the car said I would need to pay for it, because the car is not under warranty. Mazda said they would not cover the repair.