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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

What owners actually said

144 reports
Mileage unknown · May 3, 2026
Forward Collision AvoidanceService BrakesVehicle Speed Control

2021 Mazda CX5 AWD- Non Turbo Engine. Sunny Day, Dry. My Car was clean. No Precipitation. Some shadows of the interstate light poles across the road 200-300 feet in front of me, but they were thin shadows. Sun Was to my Left. I was driving South on May 01 2026 about 10am on the Interstate going Highway Speeds, with adaptiv…

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2021 Mazda CX5 AWD- Non Turbo Engine. Sunny Day, Dry. My Car was clean. No Precipitation. Some shadows of the interstate light poles across the road 200-300 feet in front of me, but they were thin shadows. Sun Was to my Left. I was driving South on May 01 2026 about 10am on the Interstate going Highway Speeds, with adaptive cruise control "on", in the 2nd lane of a 4 lane interstate. Thankfully no other traffic ahead or behind me. Car slammed on the brakes suddenly, pretty hard. I counteracted and added more gas pedal to keep in going. I turned off the Cruise Control. After a while I re-engaged the Cruise Control and had no issues. This could have been a huge accident in busier traffic. Will get the car checked out at Mazda Dealership Service this week.

NHTSA ODI #11735370

Mileage unknown · Apr 27, 2026
Service Brakes

The car has 21000 miles and is driven lightly when applying the brakes the steering wheel started shaking and the car made noises - the brakes could have failed at any time and at any speedl The dealer said the rotors were warped. no warning and no notification from the manufacturer that this could happen at such low miles. i di…

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The car has 21000 miles and is driven lightly when applying the brakes the steering wheel started shaking and the car made noises - the brakes could have failed at any time and at any speedl The dealer said the rotors were warped. no warning and no notification from the manufacturer that this could happen at such low miles. i didnt bring the vehicle in because i could not believe the brakes would be at fault with such low miles - it started at 10000 miles. a notification from the manufacturer or dealers would prevent a catastrophic brake failure

NHTSA ODI #11733942

Mileage unknown · Apr 3, 2026
Engine

Due to oil consumption issues & oil leak on 2021 Mazda cx 5 AWD I was told the timing cover and gasket needs replacement due to oil leakage. This appears to be a very common issue with this vehicle. The engine is at risk of catastrophic failure due to low oil levels

NHTSA ODI #11729087

114,000 miles · Mar 27, 2026
EngineForward Collision Avoidance

The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Brakes activated unintendedly, and the vehicle jerked to the left and independently accelerated and moved back in the lane intended lane. The vehicle then jerked to the right, uni…

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The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Brakes activated unintendedly, and the vehicle jerked to the left and independently accelerated and moved back in the lane intended lane. The vehicle then jerked to the right, unintendedly accelerated, and then went back into the intended lane. Then the vehicle resumed normal operation. While driving approximately 60-65 MPH a week later, the vehicle started jerking. The “Smart City Brake Malfunction” message was displayed, and the engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

NHTSA ODI #11727507

46,465 miles · Mar 4, 2026
Engine

The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was advised by the dealer to continue adding oil to the engine as needed. The manufacturer w…

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The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was advised by the dealer to continue adding oil to the engine as needed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,465.

NHTSA ODI #11722089

64,000 miles · Jan 15, 2026
Tires

The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5 equipped with Firestone Tires, Tire Line: Destination LE3, Tire Size: 225/55/R19, DOT Numbers: 17XEFLE320725 and 17XEFLE321524. While the vehicle was parked, the contact was informed by a co-worker that there was a bubble on the rear passenger's side tire. The contact inspected the tire and not…

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The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5 equipped with Firestone Tires, Tire Line: Destination LE3, Tire Size: 225/55/R19, DOT Numbers: 17XEFLE320725 and 17XEFLE321524. While the vehicle was parked, the contact was informed by a co-worker that there was a bubble on the rear passenger's side tire. The contact inspected the tire and noticed that there was a bubble that was two inches deep and 3 inches long on the side wall of the tire with DOT Number: 17XEFLE321524. The vehicle was taken to Tire Plus, where the tire was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, there was an abnormal popping sound heard, and the TPMS warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact noticed that there was a 2-inch long crack in the tread of the rear driver's side tire, the tire with DOT Number: 17XEFLE320725. The tire was replaced with the spare tire. The vehicle was then taken to Tire Plus, where the contact was awaiting the tire replacement. The tires were replacement tires. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The tire failure mileage was approximately 15,000. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 64,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI #11711078

Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2026
Air Bags

Its been few months its giving me air bag issue sign in my car.

NHTSA ODI #11710141

Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2026
Air BagsBack Over PreventionLane Departure

I was entering a traffic circle when i slid slightly as there was some ice on the roadway and came to rest against a curb, bumped lightly. There was no damage to the vehicle, but the entire driver side curtain airbags as well as the driver seat airbag deployed. The speed at which I was traveling was roughly 10 mph or less. My wh…

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I was entering a traffic circle when i slid slightly as there was some ice on the roadway and came to rest against a curb, bumped lightly. There was no damage to the vehicle, but the entire driver side curtain airbags as well as the driver seat airbag deployed. The speed at which I was traveling was roughly 10 mph or less. My wheels never hit hard nor did they leave the pavement.

NHTSA ODI #11709239

Mileage unknown · Dec 13, 2025
Back Over Prevention

My Mazda 2021 infotainment screen goes goes out usually when hit a bump and stays out until it sits awhile. Which when this happens there is no backup camera which is a safety issue. The Mazda dealership said it was the screen which they wanted $2900 just for the screen so I got one off eBay and it's still doing the same thing.…

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My Mazda 2021 infotainment screen goes goes out usually when hit a bump and stays out until it sits awhile. Which when this happens there is no backup camera which is a safety issue. The Mazda dealership said it was the screen which they wanted $2900 just for the screen so I got one off eBay and it's still doing the same thing. Which I think its the CMU

NHTSA ODI #11704864

Mileage unknown · Nov 20, 2025
EngineUnknown Or Other

LOW ENGINE OIL LEVEL light on about 1000 miles from last oil changed. Dealer fixed the Mazda recall code: P250F on July 30, 2025. Now is same issue of LOW ENGINE OIL LEVEL light on again on November 19, 2025.

NHTSA ODI #11700495

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