RoadVitals

2012 Mazda CX-5

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Feb 7, 2013
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2012 Mazda CX-5, most frequently naming the driver assistance category. 22 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Driver assistance
Filed Feb 7, 2013

I WAS IN AN INTERSECTION WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED, I TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO CLEAR THE INTERSECTION BUT MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I SLOWLY DROVE THROUGH THE INTERSECTION,WITH HORNS BLOWING AROUND ME ,BECAUSE I WAS IN EVERYONE'S WAY . THIS OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY ,SOMETIMES ONCE A WEEK OR EVERY OTHER WEEK,THIS IS VERY NERVE RACKING BECAUSE ONE CANNOT PREPARE FOR WHEN IT WILL OCCUR,I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO LOOKED AT IT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG ,BECAUSE IT OCCURS SO ERRATICALLY .AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE DEALER WITH NO RELIEF .I AM FEDUP WITH MAZDA. *TR

NHTSA ID
10496764
Incident
Mar 12, 2012
Mileage
2,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

09-016-23

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Speedometer replacement procedure

01-010-22

POWER TRAIN

Some customers may experience a squeaking noise may be heard from the exhaust manifold when the idle speed drops from fast idle to normal idle speed during cold start. This is caused by a variable valve being stuck in the closed position. When returning from fast idle to normal, the stuck valve suddenly opens due to thermal change around it which causes abnormal noise. To eliminate this concern, the internal design of the exhaust manifold has been modified.

02-004-22

SUSPENSION

Some customers may complain of signs of oil on the struts or shock absorbers. In most cases the oil that is present is normal, and a result of the oil that remains on the shaft during the normal sweeping process of the shaft seal. Follow the inspection guidelines below to determine if the condition is a result of the normal sweeping process or a failure of the shaft seal.

SA-014-22

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Accessory instructions can be found on OneMazda under Dealer Resources - Parts & Accessories.

01-003/22

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

The Mazda DCA-8000 is required for all warranty battery testing. If the Mazda DCA-8000 is not used, incorrect battery testing may result in unnecessary battery replacement. Use the following test procedures in this Service Bulletin to test Mazda vehicle batteries and to generate a Warranty Code.

SA-006-22a

EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL; POWER TRAIN; WHEELS

There have been warranty claims submitted for growling or bearing whine noise in differentials, transfer units and transmissions where the source of the noise was a wheel bearing. This misdiagnosis can lead to multiple repair attempts, warranty debits, and additional inconvenience and/or cost to the customer. To reduce the chance of this occurring, please follow the steps outlined in the repair procedure.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mazda CX-5 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026120037.2
2025250054.9
2024410048.4
2023590049.0
2022620049.8
20211430044.5
20201060049.0
20192652054.3
20183473057.2
20171481047.1
20165105055.9
20151334051.6
20143774045.8
20131941041.2
2012Viewing100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.