Mazda CX-5 electrical problems

The power liftgate on the 2023 Mazda CX-5 SUV closes with sufficient force that the vehicle owner's manual warns of possible serious injury or even death, and cautions the operator to be sure that people or objects are not in the way of closure. However, the actual design of the overall system permits accidental closure by way of the key fob even when the operator is out of sight of the vehicle. This effectively renders the warnings meaningless, and disregards the safety of people or objects that might be in the way. The vehicle electronics/computer system uses dual purpose switches in or on the vehicle to activate the liftgate; if closed, a press of the switch will unlock and open it, and if open, the same switch will close and lock it. The system also provides the same feature with an exposed, raised button on the key fob which can easily be accidentally pressed to activate closure. Who then assumes liability for the possible resulting tragedy? During my first month of ownership (April 2023), I have experienced the liftgate opening by accident at least twice and it obviously could have been both opened and closed numerous times by accident totally without my knowledge. In a similar fashion, I have experienced the susceptibility of the other fob switches to accidental activation; the car has been locked by accident as least once, and the horn accidentally activated at least three times when I have been inside the house while the car is out of sight in the garage and the key fob was in my pocket. I am obviously making the reasonable assumption that accidental pressure on the various fob switches is the cause for activation. The attached PDF document describes in more detail some of the hazards posed by the existing design, and possibly applies to other car makes and models

UNKNOWN While stopping the radio system (which can not be powered off) will change and go to other apps. This causes the driver to take their eyes from the road and hand from the steering wheel to press buttons to get the radio system under control. When the radio does this it often goes to the settings and changes the navigation voice volume to the loudest it can go essentially frightening the driver and causing them to look away from the road and divert their attention to the radio system. This occurs every time the vehicle is driven and often occurs when hitting the brakes.

The display operates by itself. This is a known issue commonly called “ghost touch” and Mazda has issued service bulletins for 2014-2016 model year cars. Unfortunately other cars including my 2017 CX-5 are also affected. This is a safety issue as the navigation will stop working and the constant beeping from the ghost clicking is very distracting and can lead to the driver not focusing on the road. Mazda should be required to recall all affected model years, not just the 2014-2016.

The screen in the middle of Mazda vehicle starts selecting menu, change the radio station or selects/plays whatever it likes. It suddenly activates some functions on its own. Most likely similar issue as in this document - https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10164268-0001.pdf This is dangerous for the driver as the automatic change in the screen and menu items distracts the driver which may cause accident and put life in danger. This is generic problem and searching on the internet, lot of people are suffering with this issue. When the issue started last year, we thought this is something random occurrence and will go away by itself but with the time, this has gone worse. Now looking in the internet we came to know this is actually an ongoing issue.

The car does not turn off when I put it in park and push the ON/OFF button. I have to start and turn off multiple times and jiggle the gear shift multiple times before it turns off. Sometimes even that doesn't work. Because the car doesn't completely turn off, it runs the battery down which leaves me dangerously stranded. The car is available for inspection. My safety is put at risk because it drains the battery and leaves me stranded, sometimes in dangerous situations unable to get assistance. I have not taken it to a dealer or service center but have seen MULTIPLE reports of other owners of this same vehicle having the same problem. The problem has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms before the problems started. It started a while ago but I'm not certain of the date. The messages I've read online of it happening to others are from several years ago, so this seems to be a problem that has been ongoing for several years that Mazda has failed to address.

The electronic emergency brake switch freezes in cold weather . The parking brake can not be released until the weather warms. This is safety issue, because the motorists is now stranded. I took my vehicle to the dealership,. but the would not address the problem. This happened 2 times on the following dates 13 February 2019 14 February 2022. I'm retired and very little. I only have about 23000.miles on my vehicle. I live ln New York City and do not feel safe driving in the winter, because my vehicle's electronic emergency brake switch freezes in the cold weather .

The Infotainment System has consistent "ghost touching". Not only is this a distraction while trying to drive it is changing the safety settings and display settings available in within the system such as ADAS settings and MPH\KMH speedometer options. Other less-severe options are consistently changed as well such as navigation volume etc. The problem is easy to reproduce, just need to start the car. I just paid $300 for a full replacement of the screen from Mazda, along with an update and the problem not only persists but is worse. The problem got progressively worse but there were no light indicators etc.