IllustrationATTEMPT TO STOP AT LIGHT. BRAKES WERE ENGAGED FULLY ENGINE KEPT REVVING UP. CAR KEPT GOING FORWARD. IN MOTION IN CITY STREET. STRAIGHT AND BRAKING. CAR HAS 496 MILES.
2018 Mazda CX-5
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most CX-5 years
Owner complaints for the 2018 Mazda CX-5 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 133.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all CX-5 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 83 of 348 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 177 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
19 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports
Service Brakes complaints
32 reportsUNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I ENTERED OFFICE PARKING BUILDING AS USUAL. PARKING SPOT WAS ON THE RIGHT. SLOWLY APPROACHING I STARTED TO TURN RIGHT WITH FOOT ON BRAKES. SUDDENLY CAR ACCELERATED BY ITSELF AND HIT A CONCRETE WALL BEFORE I EVEN REALIZED WHAT'S HAPPENED. STEERING WHEEL AIRBAG DEPLOYED, I GOT SECURED BY THE SAFETY BELT. …
Read full complaint
UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. I ENTERED OFFICE PARKING BUILDING AS USUAL. PARKING SPOT WAS ON THE RIGHT. SLOWLY APPROACHING I STARTED TO TURN RIGHT WITH FOOT ON BRAKES. SUDDENLY CAR ACCELERATED BY ITSELF AND HIT A CONCRETE WALL BEFORE I EVEN REALIZED WHAT'S HAPPENED. STEERING WHEEL AIRBAG DEPLOYED, I GOT SECURED BY THE SAFETY BELT. FRONT OF MY CAR IS DAMAGED. I'M TERRIFIED OF DRIVING THE CAR DUE TO THIS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ISSUE.
Official recalls
321V875000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Nov 12, 2021
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3, Mazda6, 2019 CX-3, 2018-2019 MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and 2019-2020 Mazda2 vehicles. The impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Fuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.
19V497000 · Engine; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Jun 27, 2019
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018-2019 CX-5, Mazda6, and 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. A software error in the powertrain control module (PCM) may cause the engine to stall.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An unexpected stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3719F.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018-2019 CX-5, Mazda6, and 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. A software error in the powertrain control module (PCM) may cause the engine to stall.
Consequence: An unexpected stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3719F.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018-2019 CX-5, Mazda6, and 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. A software error in the powertrain control module (PCM) may cause the engine to stall.
Consequence: An unexpected stall increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3719F.
18V426000 · Air Bags:side/window
Jun 25, 2018
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda CX-5 vehicles. In the event of a side impact or rollover crash, the side curtain air bags may not properly unfold during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the air bags do not deploy properly in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began July 31, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2718F.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.