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2021 Mazda CX-5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Mazda CX-5 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 133.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 18 of 144 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 77 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports

Engine complaints

77 reports
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Mileage unknown · Apr 19, 2024
Engine

Oil light has come on indicating low oil. I have serviced this car through the dealership on schedule since I purchased it new. I don't believe modern cars should "lose oil" at less than 30,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI #11584015

Mileage unknown · Apr 15, 2024
Engine

Cylinder head crack. Oil leak.

NHTSA ODI #11583091

Mileage unknown · Apr 4, 2024
Engine

Ever since the vehicle was bought brand new. It had oil consumption issues. I always had to top off engine oil every 3 to 4 thousand miles or so.

NHTSA ODI #11581151

Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2024
Engine

I thought this was for a mechanical issue (not a safety issue). Check engine light came on not blinking. Was code p0126 covered in bulletin 01-005/23 - Coolant Control Valve. I'm on the Facebook CX-5 page and I see that many people have had this issue. One person had the same problem twice on the same car. I would like very m…

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I thought this was for a mechanical issue (not a safety issue). Check engine light came on not blinking. Was code p0126 covered in bulletin 01-005/23 - Coolant Control Valve. I'm on the Facebook CX-5 page and I see that many people have had this issue. One person had the same problem twice on the same car. I would like very much to have the correct NHTSA link to report this problem so that others may report it as well. In my case check engine light came on far from home. A local dealer said it would be safe to drive home which I did (about 180 miles). But a problem that occurs many times on a given car model perhaps should be a recall. The only charge was about $75 from the garage who read the code and diagnosed the problem. It was covered under warranty so there was no further charge to me.

NHTSA ODI #11570883

Mileage unknown · Feb 7, 2024
Engine

I had driven about 10 miles when the Check Engine light came on when I was far from home. Not blinking. It was not on when I first turned the car on. No symptoms other than check engine light. Got to a garage who got a code p0126 that is covered under TSB 01-005/23 coolant control valve. Called dealer who said it would be s…

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I had driven about 10 miles when the Check Engine light came on when I was far from home. Not blinking. It was not on when I first turned the car on. No symptoms other than check engine light. Got to a garage who got a code p0126 that is covered under TSB 01-005/23 coolant control valve. Called dealer who said it would be safe to drive home 180 miles. I did that. Awaiting appointment tomorrow to get it fixed. I belong to a Mazda Facebook group where lots of others are reporting this same problem - some for a second time!

NHTSA ODI #11570461

Mileage unknown · Nov 16, 2023
Engine

Excessive oil leak after 11,000 miles/car purchased new from dealer. There is currently a class action suit regarding this issue. Dealer denies problem, offering to top off oil only.

NHTSA ODI #11555499

Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 2023
Engine

I have an oil consumption on my cx-5 turbo. Have to add 1/2-3/4 quart 4k after service interval oil change.

NHTSA ODI #11547613

Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2023
Engine

On 8/7/2023 I noticed that there had been intermittent engine oil level alarms on my phone's Mazda app over the previous several weeks starting on 7/14/2023. In none of the instances did the low oil level light on the instrument cluster light up. I checked the oil level and it was at the bottom of the indicating range on the d…

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On 8/7/2023 I noticed that there had been intermittent engine oil level alarms on my phone's Mazda app over the previous several weeks starting on 7/14/2023. In none of the instances did the low oil level light on the instrument cluster light up. I checked the oil level and it was at the bottom of the indicating range on the dipstick. I added 1 quart of oil to bring the level to the top of the indicating range. The oil had last been changed by a Mazda dealer on 10/31/2022 at a vehicle mileage of 13,699. On 8/18/2023 when I took the vehicle in to the Mazda dealer to check this issue the mileage was 20,432, a difference of 6,733 miles. That mileage was well within the owner's manual prescribed service interval mileage. There is no oil on the floor of the garage under where the car is parked leading me to believe the oil has been leaking into the combustion chamber. My vehicle is covered under Mazda Technical Service Bulletin 01-012/21 which offers a possible explanation. I suggest my VIN should be added to TSB 01-003/23 which covers the repair. Without fixing this oil leak, my engine is at risk of catastrophic failure due to low oil level.

NHTSA ODI #11545023

19,000 miles · Aug 17, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil light illuminated. The contact stated he stopped at a local gas station and purchased a quart of oil and topped off the oil level. The vehicle was driven to the dealer. The contact stated that after servicing the vehicle, …

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The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil light illuminated. The contact stated he stopped at a local gas station and purchased a quart of oil and topped off the oil level. The vehicle was driven to the dealer. The contact stated that after servicing the vehicle, the dealer informed him that the manufacturer had denied the repair because the check engine light was not illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.

NHTSA ODI #11539195

Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2023
Engine

The car is burning oil and has been since brand new, to the extent that I must drive around with spare oil in the back. First time it came on I didn’t believe it to be real.. A new modern vehicles shouldn’t be losing or burning oil. Mazda has released a TSB (01-11/22) regarding this issue but has yet to issue a repair or recall.…

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The car is burning oil and has been since brand new, to the extent that I must drive around with spare oil in the back. First time it came on I didn’t believe it to be real.. A new modern vehicles shouldn’t be losing or burning oil. Mazda has released a TSB (01-11/22) regarding this issue but has yet to issue a repair or recall. It infuriates me as I love everything the else about the car but this will affect my Mazdas longevity, including emissions equipment, and Mazda is not standing by the reliability of its product. Makes me lose trust in the manufacturer, and I can’t see myself ever buying a Mazda again so long as Mazda refuses to to Stan by it’s product and disregard their own reliability reputation.

NHTSA ODI #11533808

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Mazda CX-5 problems