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2011 Mazda CX-7

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2011 Mazda CX-7 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 153.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

61 reports with mileage · 92 unknown

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.

  • Suspension. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

38 reports
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68,000 miles · Dec 30, 2019
Exterior Lighting

DIM LIGHTS KEEP BURNING OUT ALL OTHER LIGHTS WORK FINE

NHTSA ODI #11292180

109,000 miles · Dec 28, 2019
Exterior Lighting

THE HEADLIGHT BULBS BURN OUT MULTIPLE TIMES A YEAR AND ON TOP OF THAT, THE LENS HAVE FOGGED UP TO THE POINT THAT I WAS FORCED TO REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS. THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVABLE DURING DUSK, NIGHT AND DAWN HOURS. THE FOG SEEMS TO BE FROM THE INSIDE, SINCE NO AMOUNT OF EXTERIOR CLEANING WOULD HELP. THE REAR BREAK LIGHTS ARE ALSO F…

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THE HEADLIGHT BULBS BURN OUT MULTIPLE TIMES A YEAR AND ON TOP OF THAT, THE LENS HAVE FOGGED UP TO THE POINT THAT I WAS FORCED TO REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS. THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVABLE DURING DUSK, NIGHT AND DAWN HOURS. THE FOG SEEMS TO BE FROM THE INSIDE, SINCE NO AMOUNT OF EXTERIOR CLEANING WOULD HELP. THE REAR BREAK LIGHTS ARE ALSO FOGGED UP AND THE INSIDE RED PLASTIC IS ALSO MELTED. THESE ARE SOME MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES. I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLAMPS, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE NEW ONES WILL HAVE THE SAME ISSUE IN THE YEARS TO COME.

NHTSA ODI #11291802

Mileage unknown · May 6, 2019
Exterior Lighting

THE LOW BEAM HEAD LIGHTS ARE VERY DIM, REPLACED BULBS SEVERAL TIMES AND CAN NOT SEE 10 FEET IN-FRONT OF CAR. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED A PART ON BOTH LOW BEAM HEAD LIGHTS BUT I STILL CANNOT SEE 10 FEET IN-FRONT OF VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #11205875

Mileage unknown · Feb 17, 2019
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

MY HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT. I HAVE TO PUT IN NEW HEAD LIGHT BULBS EVERY FEW MONTHS. I HAVE CHANGED THE HEAD LIGHT BULB ON BOTH SIDES FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. CURRENTLY MY RIGHT HEAD LIGHT IS OUT AGAIN. I PURCHASED ANOTHER BULB AND HAVE TO PAY FOR A MECHANIC TO FIX MY HEAD LIGHT THIS WEEK.

NHTSA ODI #11180674

Mileage unknown · Nov 27, 2018
Exterior Lighting

THE HEADLIGHT LENSES ON BOTH SIDES ARE FADED AND DULL; VISIBILITY IS LIMITED THE TAIL LIGHT LENSES ON BOTH SIDES ARE FADED AND DULL

NHTSA ODI #11154330

53,000 miles · Oct 22, 2018
Exterior Lighting

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MAZDA CX-7. WHEN THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED, THEY DID NOT ILLUMINATE BRIGHTLY ENOUGH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO G&G CAR AND TRUCK SUPERCENTERS (308 S 2ND AVE, DODGE CITY, KS 67801, (866) 692-7707), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUF…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MAZDA CX-7. WHEN THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WERE ACTIVATED, THEY DID NOT ILLUMINATE BRIGHTLY ENOUGH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO G&G CAR AND TRUCK SUPERCENTERS (308 S 2ND AVE, DODGE CITY, KS 67801, (866) 692-7707), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,000. *TT *JB

NHTSA ODI #11141835

98,000 miles · Apr 22, 2018
Exterior Lighting

HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FOGGED UP ON THE INSIDE CAUSING BAD ILLUMINATION AT NIGHT. ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS TO BE SEALED PROPERLY, MOISTURE IS STILL ENTERING ASSEMBLY.

NHTSA ODI #11089304

8,000 miles · Apr 21, 2018
Exterior Lighting

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FREQUENTLY, EVERY THREE TO FOUR MONTHS, GO OUT. LIGHTING IS SO POOR WHEN THEY DO WORK THAT WE DO NOT USE THE VEHICLE AFTER DARK IF AT ALL POSSIBLE AND THEN USE THE HIGH BEAMS TO OPERATE SAFELY.

NHTSA ODI #11089197

145,000 miles · Feb 26, 2018
Exterior LightingVisibility/wiper

CAR WAS PURCHASED MAY 2011. I CANNOT REMEMBER WHEN IT ALL STARTED. ALL REPAIRS WERE MADE AT JIM ELLIS MAZDA, COBB PKWY, MARIETTA, GA FROM PURCHASE UNTIL SEPT. 2017 WHEN I BECAME FED UP. MY HEADLAMPS FOGGED UP AFTER A YEAR OR SO, THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL. MY HEADLAMP BULBS HAD TO BE REPLACED EVERY 3 TO 6 MONTHS AND, NOW THEY ARE…

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CAR WAS PURCHASED MAY 2011. I CANNOT REMEMBER WHEN IT ALL STARTED. ALL REPAIRS WERE MADE AT JIM ELLIS MAZDA, COBB PKWY, MARIETTA, GA FROM PURCHASE UNTIL SEPT. 2017 WHEN I BECAME FED UP. MY HEADLAMPS FOGGED UP AFTER A YEAR OR SO, THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL. MY HEADLAMP BULBS HAD TO BE REPLACED EVERY 3 TO 6 MONTHS AND, NOW THEY ARE REPLACED EVERY 2-3 MONTHS. ALL BULBS WERE PURCHASED FROM MAZDA YET ALL BULBS DIED OUT WITHIN 3-6 MONTHS. IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS, HEADLAMP BULBS WERE REPLACED FOUR TIMES. 4 NIGHTS AGO, I WAS STOPPED BY THE POLICE DUE TO NO HEADLIGHTS. THE POLICE WATCHED WHILE I CHECKED DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS, HIGH BEAMS, LOW BEAMS AND, AT 9 P.M. LATE EVENING GEORGIA/EST, I HAD NO RUNNING LIGHTS. I TOOK THE CAR TO MAZDA ROSWELL THE NEXT MORNING. WHEN I DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM, STEPHANIE JOHNSON, SERVICE ADVISOR MANAGER IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM BY INQUIRING HOW OFTEN I HAD TO CHANGE MY BULBS IN THE CAR. NO SERVICE ADVISOR HAD PREVIOUSLY ASKED THAT QUESTION AT THE MARIETTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT & NOONE HAS EVER ADVISED TO USE ONLY MAZDA PARTS. UNFORTUNATELY, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MAZDA 3 DAYS LATER ALLEGING THAT MY HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WAS FRIED BECAUSE I DID NOT USE MAZDA MANUFACTURED BULBS. MAZDA IS BILLING ME $130 FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC THOUGH THEY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE CAR, & IS CHARGING ME $313 TO REPLACE AND REPAIR THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WHEN MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE HAD A SHORTAGE FOR 6 OF THE 7 YEARS THAT I OWNED THE CAR. I STOPPED USING MAZDA SERVICE AFTER 6 YEARS BECAUSE NOT ONLY COULD THEY NOT FIND OR FIX THE CONSISTENT HEADLAMP PROBLEM BUT MAZDA SERVICE WOULD FIND A REPAIR THAT I HAD NOT COMPLAINED OF. IN FACT, I ONCE TOOK THE CAR IN & BROUGHT MY OWN HIGHER QUALITY HEADLAMPS & MAZDA RETURNED MY CAR W/O REPLACING THE BURNED OUT BULBS. THIS CAR WAS DEFECTIVE WHEN SOLD BUT NOT RISING TO THE LEVEL OF LEMON LAW COMPLAINTS.

NHTSA ODI #11075141

Mileage unknown · Sep 21, 2017
Exterior Lighting

DEFECTIVE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY: BOTH BRAKE LIGHT TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAVE MELTED INSIDE THE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY. SINCE REPORTING THIS TO MY MAZDA DEALER I HAVE SEEN THE SAME PROBLEM IN OTHER MAZDA CX-7'S. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN: TITLE 49: TRANSPORTATION PART 571'FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS SUBPART B'FEDERAL…

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DEFECTIVE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY: BOTH BRAKE LIGHT TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAVE MELTED INSIDE THE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY. SINCE REPORTING THIS TO MY MAZDA DEALER I HAVE SEEN THE SAME PROBLEM IN OTHER MAZDA CX-7'S. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN: TITLE 49: TRANSPORTATION PART 571'FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS SUBPART B'FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS 571.108 STANDARD NO. 108; LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT. S14.4.1.4.1.3 WHERE THE SAMPLE DEVICE DOES NOT HAVE UNIFORM SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS IN ALL USEFUL DIRECTIONS, COLOR MEASUREMENTS MUST BE MADE AT AS MANY DIRECTIONS OF VIEW AS ARE REQUIRED TO EVALUATE THE COLOR FOR THOSE DIRECTIONS THAT APPLY TO THE END USE OF THE DEVICE. S14.4.1.4.2.1 RED. THE COLOR OF LIGHT EMITTED MUST FALL WITHIN THE FOLLOWING BOUNDARIES: Y = 0.33 (YELLOW BOUNDARY); Y = 0.98 − X (PURPLE BOUNDARY). THE 2017 FLORIDA STATUTES TITLE XXIII MOTOR VEHICLES; CHAPTER 316 STATE UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL; 316.221 TAILLAMPS ' (1) EVERY MOTOR VEHICLE, TRAILER, SEMITRAILER, AND POLE TRAILER, AND ANY OTHER VEHICLE WHICH IS BEING DRAWN AT THE END OF A COMBINATION OF VEHICLES, SHALL BE EQUIPPED WITH AT LEAST TWO TAILLAMPS MOUNTED ON THE REAR, WHICH, WHEN LIGHTED AS REQUIRED IN S. 316.217, SHALL EMIT A RED LIGHT PLAINLY VISIBLE FROM A DISTANCE OF 1,000 FEET TO THE REAR, EXCEPT THAT PASSENGER CARS AND PICKUP TRUCKS MANUFACTURED OR ASSEMBLED PRIOR TO JANUARY 1, 1972, WHICH WERE ORIGINALLY EQUIPPED WITH ONLY ONE TAILLAMP SHALL HAVE AT LEAST ONE TAIL LAMP... IT SEEMS THAT EITHER THE MAZDA DOES NOT WANT TO FIX THE PROBLEM, OR MY MAZDA DEALER DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY BY REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLY SHOULD EITHER BE REPLACED AT NO COST OR REDESIGNED IN A WAY TO STOP THE MELTING FROM OCCURRING. I HAVE REPORTED TO THIS DEFECT TO OUR LOCAL MAZDA DEALER.

NHTSA ODI #11024781

Official recalls

4

19V782000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Oct 31, 2019

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012 CX-7, CX-9, and 2009-2012 Maza6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.

18V717000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Oct 12, 2018

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6, 2011-2012 CX-7, and 2011-2015 CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Mazda6, 2010-2012 CX-7, and 2010-2015 CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.

17V429000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Jun 29, 2017

Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Mazda6, and 2007-2011 CX-7 and CX-9 vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began on August 30, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 16V356 and all vehicles that were not remedied under that campaign are now covered by this one.

16V593000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint

Aug 11, 2016

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Mazda CX-7 vehicles manufactured February 14, 2006, to May 9, 2012. In the affected vehicles, water may enter the front suspension ball joint fittings. If the water is contaminated with salt, such as from driving on snowy roads that have been treated, the ball joint may corrode and separate from the lower control arm, resulting in a loss of steering control.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front lower control arms, free of charge. As a priority, Mazda will first address all affected 2007-2008 vehicles as well as 2009-2011 vehicles currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia. West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The remaining vehicles will be addressed as parts are available. The recall began September 20, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9716H.

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.