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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 · Jun 23, 2023
Engine

My car have barely 10k miles and every 3k miles the oil engine light turn on. I thought was a leak but there is no leak or spilled oil anywhere. I find out that lots of 2021 mazda engine have the same issue and that BURN oil for a valve fail that Mazda still didnt recall. To confirm i had a mechanic check for it and they state t…

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My car have barely 10k miles and every 3k miles the oil engine light turn on. I thought was a leak but there is no leak or spilled oil anywhere. I find out that lots of 2021 mazda engine have the same issue and that BURN oil for a valve fail that Mazda still didnt recall. To confirm i had a mechanic check for it and they state that engine is burning oil and is not supposed to, expecially because the car barely have 10k miles in almost 3 years driving and that many other customers with same year and vehicle have the same issue .

NHTSA ODI #11528543

Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2023
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

Vehicle drives very "rough" at low speeds less than 30 mph. The car feels like it is jumping and can't tell at what year it should be driving in. This is very noticeable when driving around residential areas. This is a common issue with the Mazdas with the Skyactive engines. Dealership in Raleigh knew about this problem and said…

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Vehicle drives very "rough" at low speeds less than 30 mph. The car feels like it is jumping and can't tell at what year it should be driving in. This is very noticeable when driving around residential areas. This is a common issue with the Mazdas with the Skyactive engines. Dealership in Raleigh knew about this problem and said that there is nothing they can do except possibly provide an update to the computer software. I have written to Mazda corporation regarding this and of course, no response was received. Mazda needs to acknowledge this problem with their special transmission/engines and FIX this. I shouldn't be having these kinds of issues with a vehicle that has less than 13,000 miles

NHTSA ODI #11527084

Mileage unknown · Jun 1, 2023
Engine

Just before taking the vehicle for a second oil change at a total of 11,664 miles or approximately 7,000 miles between changes, I noticed that the oil level was at least 1 quart below normal. I added oil to make sure that it was above the add point on the dipstick. I researched and found several other complaints about other 2021…

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Just before taking the vehicle for a second oil change at a total of 11,664 miles or approximately 7,000 miles between changes, I noticed that the oil level was at least 1 quart below normal. I added oil to make sure that it was above the add point on the dipstick. I researched and found several other complaints about other 2021 Mazda turbo engines with the same complaint. I'm concerned that this excessive use of oil will damage the internal parts of the engine.

NHTSA ODI #11524864

Mileage unknown · May 16, 2023
Engine

I was on vacation and returning home when I got a message on my Mazada App that there was an issue detected. It was time for an oil change which I intended doing when I returned home. The message stated that I had Low oil level and to add 1 qt. of engine oil. The "oil" light illuminated on the dashboard and I immediately pulled …

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I was on vacation and returning home when I got a message on my Mazada App that there was an issue detected. It was time for an oil change which I intended doing when I returned home. The message stated that I had Low oil level and to add 1 qt. of engine oil. The "oil" light illuminated on the dashboard and I immediately pulled over and turned the vehicle off for 5 minutes as stated in the owners manual. When I restarted the car the "oil" light was off but I was very fearful of driving the car as I had 6 hours of driving left to get home. I found an instant oil change facility and immediately had the oil changed and refilled to full. I contacted the dealer to record this incident. The car has 25,000 miles on it and I religiously take the vehicle to the Mazada garage for all required services. This is the first time this happened with this vehicle. My advice from the dealer was to keep checking the oil level every week.

NHTSA ODI #11522346

Mileage unknown · Apr 5, 2023
Engine

The low oil light has come on a total of 3 times already for me and I'm only at 18k miles. I have gotten 4 oil changes already. The 2021 models burn oil like crazy and Mazda has not put out an official recall yet. There's a TSB (01-012/21) and a class action lawsuit (8:22-cv-01055 )

NHTSA ODI #11515647

Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2023
Engine

I have only 20k miles on my car and my engine's oil consumption has suddenly jumped. Despite checking my oil frequently, my oil becomes low and the oil warning light comes on. The oil warning light last came on while I was traveling on a snowy 2 lane canyon road while leaving a ski resort in Utah. I had to immediately stop …

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I have only 20k miles on my car and my engine's oil consumption has suddenly jumped. Despite checking my oil frequently, my oil becomes low and the oil warning light comes on. The oil warning light last came on while I was traveling on a snowy 2 lane canyon road while leaving a ski resort in Utah. I had to immediately stop my car on a busy, icy road to add more oil. I almost got hit by a sliding car and killed. I went to the dealer with this problem and they told me they could not help me unless my oil light was on. Driving with a oil light on in the winter is dangerous. The engine could seize and leave me stranded on the side of the road. The dealership said to run the car low on oil with the oil light on and them come in.

NHTSA ODI #11514876

Mileage unknown · Mar 8, 2023
Engine

The engine low oil light comes on every ~3000 miles when Mazda recommends an oil change at every 7,500 miles. For some reason this engine eats oil and has consistently reproduced the check engine light every 3k miles. Mazda hasn't issued an official recall but has published a technical service bulletin.

NHTSA ODI #11510871

Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 2023
Engine

Engine burns excess oil and must be topped off before service is due. The dealership acknowledges this is a problem on all 2021 Mazda turbo engines. Mazda has no fix. The first time occurred when I was driving in the country in July 2022 and the check oil light came on. Today, March 3, my check oil light lit up. I am not due …

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Engine burns excess oil and must be topped off before service is due. The dealership acknowledges this is a problem on all 2021 Mazda turbo engines. Mazda has no fix. The first time occurred when I was driving in the country in July 2022 and the check oil light came on. Today, March 3, my check oil light lit up. I am not due for service for another 1800 miles. I have read it is a valve stem problem which causes oil to leak into the engine which can cause the car to stall among other issues such as unnecessary wear and tear. A class action suit has been filed in California (Heinz vs Mazda) November 15, 2022.

NHTSA ODI #11510068

Mileage unknown · Feb 25, 2023
EngineService Brakes

The car is consuming excessive engine oil. Between 3000-4000 miles the low engine oil light comes on. I was on the highway and had to pull over. I was told we don’t need oil change until 5000 miles. Not feeling safe to drive long distance. Dealership acknowledged seal is causing the leaks, but said Mazda won’t cover the cost un…

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The car is consuming excessive engine oil. Between 3000-4000 miles the low engine oil light comes on. I was on the highway and had to pull over. I was told we don’t need oil change until 5000 miles. Not feeling safe to drive long distance. Dealership acknowledged seal is causing the leaks, but said Mazda won’t cover the cost unless check engine light is on. Also the break pads are moving slightly when breaking, dealership said it’s normal due to break pads are moving back and forth when breaking. However, I can hear the breaks clicking.

NHTSA ODI #11509129

Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2023
EnginePower Train

My car is a 2021 CX-5, Turboed AWD vehicle. It keeps consuming oil. I took it to the dealership, Sandy Sansing Mazda in Pensacola, where I purchased the car. The technicians informed me that these models are known to consume oil. They did not tell me that when I bought it in September of 2022! They had a technical service bullet…

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My car is a 2021 CX-5, Turboed AWD vehicle. It keeps consuming oil. I took it to the dealership, Sandy Sansing Mazda in Pensacola, where I purchased the car. The technicians informed me that these models are known to consume oil. They did not tell me that when I bought it in September of 2022! They had a technical service bulletin, which works as a policy for the company, with a range of VIN numbers that indicated the vehicles with those VIN numbers are likely to have a manufacturing defect that allows oil to leak into the combustion chamber. My car's VIN number falls within that range. While I purchased this vehicle to drive long distances, including to see and care for my mother in NC, who was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and to Alaska from FL, my newish (pre-certified) car runs out of oil quickly. It must be causing internal damage (plugs, wires, exhaust, and the cylinders). When I asked the Mazda techs to fix the issue, they informed me they would not uphold the warranty, because I put oil in the vehicle. I was 400 miles away from home on a trip, on a Sunday, when a light in my car came on that indicated the car was low on oil. Why wouldn't I put oil in it? It is not safe to drive a vehicle with no oil, as it could cause the engine to stop working. One time, my oil pump went out in a 2002 Tacoma, and my camshaft welded itself together, or to other parts of the engine, at 70 mph down a highway. I lost power steering, power brakes, power in general. The timing belt was instantly shredded. It's not safe to drive cars that consume oil so rapidly between recommended changes. Mazda would not uphold their warranty responsibly, and they have known about the defect for some time, yet they are still selling cars that are unsafe to drive.

NHTSA ODI #11506283

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.

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