2022 Mazda CX-5 Problems & Owner Complaints

Exterior Lighting 23

“Humming sound coming from driver’s side headlight as soon as unlock bottom pressed in key fob. This sound comes from a faulty cooling fan inside the headlight and is a known defect. Humming sound progressed to very slow pitch indicating that fan function is diminishing over time. Mazda will replace the headlight but required me to pay $200 toward it. This should be a recall with replacement at no cost to the consumer as they are aware of the defect.”
NHTSA complaint #11745931, 2026

“The mechanical motor assembly inside the adaptive front-lighting headlamp unit has failed on my 2022 Mazda CX-5. This mechanical malfunction severely compromises nighttime driving illumination, creating a direct road hazard by reducing forward visibility during essential evening commutes. An initial repair and parts request was submitted to Mazda several months ago, but no corporate response or resolution was ever received. The vehicle and component are currently available for inspection at Yark Mazda in Toledo, OH, where technicians have confirmed the headlight motor failure. Because the pr…”
NHTSA complaint #11741454, 2026

“My 2022 Mazda CX-5 Signature began producing a loud whirring/rattling noise from the driver-side front headlight assembly. After investigation, the noise was identified as coming from the internal cooling fan located inside the LED headlight unit. The cooling fan, which is integrated into the bi-LED headlamp assembly, appears to be failing prematurely due to bearing wear. This is a known widespread defect on 2019–2023 Mazda CX-5 models. Mazda has already issued Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 09-015-23, which acknowledges the noise issue and instructs dealers to replace the entire front combi…”
NHTSA complaint #11736447, 2026

Engine 13 1 fire

“The vehicle unexpectedly caught fire and the results could have been catastrophic. Almost new car under warranty. All details are in the uploaded PDF letter and photos. I have contacted Mazda and they claim they do not investigate, only insurance company will investigate. My insurance company will pay me for the total loss but does not plan to investigate. I think this is dangerous and unconscionable. Thank you for any help or guidance.”
NHTSA complaint #11560007, 2023 · fire

“Timing chain cover ended up leaking oil everywhere. Was told this was a known issue with Mazda CX-5 and there was even a service bulletin out.”
NHTSA complaint #11738237, 2026

“The timing chain cover gasket failed and is leaking oil at 66,000 miles. It is currently being addressed at Borgman Mazda in Grand Rapids. No crash or safety risk. There were no warning lamps, it was found by an separate inspection not from the dealership.”
NHTSA complaint #11670109, 2025

Unknown Or Other 9

“Sunroof explosion while driving on the interstate and glass shards shot down on us. Sounded like a gunshot by head and it exploded.”
NHTSA complaint #11734137, 2026

“My driver side front headlight fan is malfunctioning. It stays on and makes a loud noise when the car is parked and off and the lights are still on. This is a known defect and my dealership is asking for 2k to pay for it. I am concerned the light will go out causing safety concerns. (TSB) SA01323 and 09-015/23. This should be recalled as is it not a general wear and tear issue, it is a manufacturing issue. My car is out of warranty but this should still be covered.”
NHTSA complaint #11729619, 2026

“Several times and most recently today 8/18/2025 at 5:30 PM my 2022 Mazda CX-5 accelerated while I had my foot on the brake and only the brake. Hard pressure on the brake kept the SUV from lurching forward. This has happened before but I did not think it would occur again. But it has and I find that this could easily cause an accident. The SUV in question has only 23,000 miles on it. An investigation and recall to fix the problem should be initiated.”
NHTSA complaint #11681430, 2025

Electrical System 6 1 crash 2 fire

“The vehicle unexpectedly caught fire and the results could have been catastrophic. Almost new car under warranty. All details are in the uploaded PDF letter and photos. I have contacted Mazda and they claim they do not investigate, only insurance company will investigate. My insurance company will pay me for the total loss but does not plan to investigate. I think this is dangerous and unconscionable. Thank you for any help or guidance.”
NHTSA complaint #11560007, 2023 · fire

“Heating element on front windscreen burning and smoking causing windscreen to crack and is very obviously defective.”
NHTSA complaint #11552935, 2023 · fire

“On July 22, my sister and I were traveling on I-95 going south. We stopped at the Maryland House near Aberdeen, MD. I was looking for a parking place and was driving very slowly. I slowed further to turn into a place on the right, near the south end of the parking lot and was attempting to put the car in park when the car accelerated abruptly, lurched forward, crossed over the concrete curb at the end of the parking space, and was heading right for I-95 which was straight ahead. I had never taken my foot off the brake. I tried to brake harder but that did not stop the car. I therefore turned…”
NHTSA complaint #11475980, 2022 · crash

Power Train 5

“Transmission failure, currently reproducible but car is at dealer to be evaluated/repaired. I was safe as I was still in my driveway, however if I was in traffic I would be at risk of an accident, by the time you realize you are not moving you have already let off the brake and could be rolling, fear is that if it happens at a traffic light other drivers woudl assume I am going to accelerate but I'm not. First time this happened dealer reproduced issue, contacted Mazda, and a replacement valve body was installed. Now that it has happened again within the first 33K miles it creates a trust is…”
NHTSA complaint #11683090, 2025

“The timing chain cover gasket failed and is leaking oil at 66,000 miles. It is currently being addressed at Borgman Mazda in Grand Rapids. No crash or safety risk. There were no warning lamps, it was found by an separate inspection not from the dealership.”
NHTSA complaint #11670109, 2025

“Cracked cylinder head, August 2023. I'm not sure if it's a safety hazard, but it seems that oil being sprayed around a hot engine could be a fire hazard. Also, since the oil light comes on with no warning, it could cause people to have to pull over on a busy interstate because you shouldn't drive with the oil light on. I had almost 14,000 miles on my 2022 Mazda CX-5 when the low engine oil light came on. I had recently had an oil change done, so the oil should not have been low. I put oil in it and drove it to the dealership. They discovered oil sprayed everywhere in the engine compartment, an…”
NHTSA complaint #11565525, 2023

Forward Collision Avoidance 4 3 crash 1 injury

“I was driving to Home Depot after work around 6PM PST on [XXX] and must have fallen asleep at the wheel about a.1/4 of a mile from my house and left the road way after a turn. I hit my head so hard I had to be treated for a head injury and the car dialed 911 for me to report a crash. The airbags nor any other safety system triggered besides detecting a crash and dialing 911. My car was deemed totalled by insurance and had to go to the hospital. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
NHTSA complaint #11630840, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Was driving down a road at around 40 MPH and a vehicle ran the light and took a turn in front of me. I applied brakes but car didn't try to apply them harder from the start and no warnings ever came up. Wasn't able to avoid collision and airbags deployed (only steering wheel airbag)”
NHTSA complaint #11581390, 2024 · crash

“I was driving in slow moving traffic with vehicles ahead and behind. The vehicle ahead of me slowed, so I applied brakes and began to slow as well. While I was on the brakes slowing at a normal rate with plenty of distance to the vehicle ahead, my vehicle unexpectedly activated automatic emergency braking. It abruptly applied full brakes and came to a complete stop, even though traffic ahead was still rolling. There was zero chance of collision, with ample following distance, minimal speed differential, and brakes already applied. The audible alert triggered at the same time as the emergency b…”
NHTSA complaint #11472866, 2022 · crash

Service Brakes 4 2 crash

“On July 22, my sister and I were traveling on I-95 going south. We stopped at the Maryland House near Aberdeen, MD. I was looking for a parking place and was driving very slowly. I slowed further to turn into a place on the right, near the south end of the parking lot and was attempting to put the car in park when the car accelerated abruptly, lurched forward, crossed over the concrete curb at the end of the parking space, and was heading right for I-95 which was straight ahead. I had never taken my foot off the brake. I tried to brake harder but that did not stop the car. I therefore turned…”
NHTSA complaint #11475980, 2022 · crash

“The contact owns a 2022 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph when another vehicle abruptly stopped causing the contact to need to suddenly stop however, the brake pedal failed. The contact stated that the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard then the emergency braking system began chiming. The vehicle failed to stop causing the contact the crash into the vehicle in front. The air bags did not deploy. There was no police report. There were no injuries reported. The contact had contacted the dealer however the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The m…”
NHTSA complaint #11460429, 2022 · crash

“Brake rotors on all four wheels measured below minimum thickness specification at only 17,000 miles, requiring complete replacement of all rotors and pads. Rotors replaced at Koch Mazda (Easton, PA) on January 7, 2026 and no longer available for inspection. SAFETY RISK: Rotors below minimum spec have reduced structural integrity and heat dissipation capacity, creating risk of warping, cracking, or failure during emergency braking or sustained braking. Under-spec rotors can cause brake fade, increased stopping distances, and potential catastrophic failure. At 17,000 miles, this represents prem…”
NHTSA complaint #11709508, 2025

Fuel/Propulsion System 3 1 fire

“The vehicle unexpectedly caught fire and the results could have been catastrophic. Almost new car under warranty. All details are in the uploaded PDF letter and photos. I have contacted Mazda and they claim they do not investigate, only insurance company will investigate. My insurance company will pay me for the total loss but does not plan to investigate. I think this is dangerous and unconscionable. Thank you for any help or guidance.”
NHTSA complaint #11560007, 2023 · fire

“While driving down highway the car suddenly will stop accelerating. Once this occurs the check engine light will turn on and shortly after the battery light will turn on. The car will not move and the AC will then stop working. The first time the car was brought to dealership (under warranty). They had to replace battery, fuel pump and fuel level indicator. They stated the fuel pump was broken as was the fuel level indicator. They were able to reproduce the problem prior to fixing it the first time. Less than a month after the car was repaired the exact same issue happened. This is a significa…”
NHTSA complaint #11669063, 2025

“Mazda’s CX-5 engines, particularly in earlier models, have been known to experience issues with Hydraulic Lash Adjusters (HLAs), which are responsible for maintaining proper valve clearance. Many owners have reported a persistent tapping or ticking noise, especially during cold starts. This issue is often caused by air bubbles or insufficient oil supply to the HLAs, and cold weather exacerbates the problem as thicker oil struggles to circulate until the engine warms up. The HLAs have also faced criticism for their sensitivity to oil pressure and quality, making them prone to failure in less-th…”
NHTSA complaint #11632414, 2024

Structure 3 1 crash

“On July 22, my sister and I were traveling on I-95 going south. We stopped at the Maryland House near Aberdeen, MD. I was looking for a parking place and was driving very slowly. I slowed further to turn into a place on the right, near the south end of the parking lot and was attempting to put the car in park when the car accelerated abruptly, lurched forward, crossed over the concrete curb at the end of the parking space, and was heading right for I-95 which was straight ahead. I had never taken my foot off the brake. I tried to brake harder but that did not stop the car. I therefore turned…”
NHTSA complaint #11475980, 2022 · crash

“When driving in the wind at speeds greater than 50mph , there is an extremely loud high pitched reedy noise. I have many videos of this and Mazda won’t address it/says it’s not an issue. I travel for work in SD, a very windy state, and often listen to this sound 2+ hours straight and can’t hear any music/phone calls/audiobooks over the noise. It is dangerous because I can’t hear anything but this, and it causes a lot of stress/anxiety/overstimulation. I wish I never bought this vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11511443, 2023

“The sunroof exploded while driving 70mph on a rural highway. There were no other cars nearby that could have kicked up a rock nor anything that could have fallen on the sunroof. The window buckled outward, not inward. The glass shattered and flew everywhere endangering the driver, passengers, and the car behind me when the window exploded. There was no warning, just a loud boom when the window gave way. My best guess is that this resulted from temperature fluctuation. I was at about 10,000 ft altitude. It froze overnight. The temperature when the window exploded was about 40 degrees, but the s…”
NHTSA complaint #11453165, 2022

Air Bags 2 1 crash 1 injury

“I was driving to Home Depot after work around 6PM PST on [XXX] and must have fallen asleep at the wheel about a.1/4 of a mile from my house and left the road way after a turn. I hit my head so hard I had to be treated for a head injury and the car dialed 911 for me to report a crash. The airbags nor any other safety system triggered besides detecting a crash and dialing 911. My car was deemed totalled by insurance and had to go to the hospital. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
NHTSA complaint #11630840, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Owner of the car was driving, baby in the back seat. Passenger side curtain airbags randomly deployed. No outside damage to the car, was not caused by an accident”
NHTSA complaint #11481769, 2022

Tires 2

“The four 225/55 R19 tires’, purchased 05/02/25 and available for inspection upon request, asymmetrical tread design has 5 treads & 4 troughs across its width. The center tread and the adjacent one to its outside both have varied design water dispersal slots. When the tires are properly mounted with the word “outside” viewable on the outside of all 4 wheels and the vehicle is rolling forward, the 2 above referenced treads’ slots of the right side tires will force water away from the treads and into the adjacent troughs, but these same tread slots on the left side tires, now spun 180 degrees whe…”
NHTSA complaint #11689767, 2025

“P225/55/19. Sidewall shredded while driving on highway.”
NHTSA complaint #11477049, 2022

Vehicle Speed Control 2

“Unexpected acceleration ___ While stopped on a slight downgrade, RPM suddenly increased and vehicle lurched forward. Applying more pressure to brake stopped movement. I forced transmission into park. Took foot off brake, RPM still high. Tapped accelerator, RPM dropped to normal idle. Fortunately, there were no vehicles in front of mine and cross traffic was not present. Vehicle did not enter intersection. I drive single footed and shoe did not overlap brake and accelerator. The day was clear 37F, dry. Vehicle had made 3 short trips prior so engine was up to temperature, 35 miles total over 2…”
NHTSA complaint #11501356, 2023

“When coming to a stop, car accelerated and went over curb. From a search of the internet I found examples with this and other cars where people with larger shoes had the same problem of pressing the brake and unintentionally pressing the accelerator pedal at the same time. I read of one manufacturer that programed the car to brake if both pedals are pressed at the same time and ignore the accelerator. The same thing happened in my 2015 Mazda CX5. In that case I had it checked at the dealer. The technician found nothing wrong but was able to reproduce the problem when his boot pressed both the…”
NHTSA complaint #11486319, 2022

Visibility/Wiper 2 1 fire

“Heating element on front windscreen burning and smoking causing windscreen to crack and is very obviously defective.”
NHTSA complaint #11552935, 2023 · fire

“The mechanical motor assembly inside the adaptive front-lighting headlamp unit has failed on my 2022 Mazda CX-5. This mechanical malfunction severely compromises nighttime driving illumination, creating a direct road hazard by reducing forward visibility during essential evening commutes. An initial repair and parts request was submitted to Mazda several months ago, but no corporate response or resolution was ever received. The vehicle and component are currently available for inspection at Yark Mazda in Toledo, OH, where technicians have confirmed the headlight motor failure. Because the pr…”
NHTSA complaint #11741454, 2026

Fuel System 1

“The contact owns a 2022 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that moments after the vehicle stalled, the vehicle independently accelerated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal fuel and burning odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,314.”
NHTSA complaint #11498637, 2022

Lane Departure 1 1 crash 1 injury

“I was driving to Home Depot after work around 6PM PST on [XXX] and must have fallen asleep at the wheel about a.1/4 of a mile from my house and left the road way after a turn. I hit my head so hard I had to be treated for a head injury and the car dialed 911 for me to report a crash. The airbags nor any other safety system triggered besides detecting a crash and dialing 911. My car was deemed totalled by insurance and had to go to the hospital. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
NHTSA complaint #11630840, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Steering 1

“The contact owns a 2022 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving from a stationary position, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact indicated that the vehicle would not immediately respond and would drive very slowly before accelerating. Additionally, while driving around corners the steering wheel was very difficult to maneuver, making the vehicle difficult to control. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to identify a cause for the failure of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 100.”
NHTSA complaint #11505349, 2022

Visibility 1

“The contact owns a 2022 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with the heater activated, the contact heard an abnormal explosion. The contact stated that the sunroof had exploded without impact. There was no warning prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 188,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11507629, 2023