2016 Mazda CX-5 Interior & seats Problems

I noticed smoke filling the inside of my car. I looked over at the passenger seat, and my coat was on fire. I poured my drink on it, pulled over, and threw the coat out of the car. I saw a large hole in the lumbar area of the passenger seat, and it was glowing red and putting out a lot of heat. The seat heater was on, so I immediately turned it off. It was obvious that the fire has started inside the seat, and there was no other fire source in car--ie. lit cigarette, lighter, etc. If someone had been sitting there, they would have serious burns. The seat will need to be replaced.

NHTSA ID

11717451

Incident

Feb 11, 2026

Leather heated seats .. safety put at risks because I suffered burns on my bottom (butt) from the driver seat getting too hot to the point where it burned the seat itself as well , and made a brown burn mark on the seat … Both of my cheeks got burned .. this can in the long run cause skin damage and worse case scenario cancer. No it hasn’t been inspected No warning lamps

NHTSA ID

11714979

Incident

Jan 31, 2026

I was driving down the road and started smelling smoke then looked over and my passenger seat was in flames.

NHTSA ID

11707639

Incident

Dec 16, 2025

THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT HEATING SYSTEM CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED THROUGH THE FABRIC AND MY DOG'S SEAT. THE FUMES MADE ME AND MY DOG NAUSEOUS.I HAD TO SWERVE ACROSS THE HIGHWAY AND STOP ON THE SHOULDER TO EXTINGUISH THE SEAT FIRE/BURN. THE FUSE WAS PULLED FOR SAFETY. THE SEAT IS IN STORAGE FOR INSPECTION. MAZDA WILL BE CONTACTED.

NHTSA ID

11697961

Incident

Oct 29, 2025

The front passenger seat warmer caught fire as i was driving the vehicle. No fuse tripped or anything when it over heated. The seat not just melted but actually caught fire and filled the vehicle with smoke.

NHTSA ID

11645904

Incident

Feb 21, 2025

Vehicle was t-boned by another vehicle that was traveling 40mph. Both front seats are now loose, and have been for some time. Insurance refused to cover seat replacement during repairs in fear of going above the “totaled” threshold and it being a total loss. Now we are concerned about the safety of our vehicle, and we are scared to drive it on major highways where the risk of accidents are higher.

NHTSA ID

11614277

Incident

Oct 26, 2019

The component that failed was the passenger's seat belt. It became unattached from the seat. It appears as though the bolt that holds the fastener to the seat failed. The vehicle is currently available for inspection as it has not been taken to be repaired, yet. Safety was put at risk by the seatbelt not being attached to the seat which could have resulted in serious bodily injury in the event of an accident. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, yet. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by police, insurance, or manufacturer. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem appeared prior to failure.

NHTSA ID

11595190

Incident

Jun 18, 2024

2016 Mazda CX-5 passenger seat belt warning light and alarm go on when unoccupied and the “airbag off” light turned off (supposed to light up if the seat is unoccupied).

NHTSA ID

11533361

Incident

Jul 19, 2023

FRONT PASSENGER SEAT CAUGHT FIRE WHEN SEAT WARMERS WERE ON. I WAS TRAVELLING IN A RURAL AREA IN ALASKA WHEN I HAD TO STOP BECAUSE MY PASSENGER CAUGHT FIRE ON HER JACKET.

NHTSA ID

11525027

Incident

Nov 20, 2021

The contact owned a 2016 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, another vehicle going 110 MPH crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The air bags failed to de[ploy. The contact hit his head against the front driver's side window and he became unconscious. The contact stated upon regaining consciousness, he noticed that he was laying flat on his back as the seat had fractured. The contact also noticed that the seat belt had fractured into two. The front of the other vehicle caught on fire and the fire expanded to the rear of the contact's vehicle. The emergency units and State police patrol assisted the contact out of the vehicle through the driver's side door. The emergency units transported the contact to the hospital, where he was informed that he had sustained head, neck, and back injuries. Additionally, the contact was informed that he had sustained a stroke on the left side of his body. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11508335

Incident

Dec 8, 2021

Mileage

58,000 mi

While driving on a remote highway the seat heating was on on both the driver and passenger seat. After a while it felt way ti hot and smelled like something burning and found the passenger jacket (that was taken off and left behind his back to be extensively burnt. We stopped and checked the seat. We found a big hole and the seat was damaged as well as the 300 dls coat. Plus the risk of having burns I. The passenger back, which was only protected by the cost and other layers of clothing

NHTSA ID

11441839

Incident

Nov 19, 2021

WHEN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT IS LEFT ALONE OVERNIGHT, IT SWITCHES POSITIONS BY THE NEXT MORNING (IE THE UPPER SEAT IS ALWAYS BACK FURTHER THAN WHERE IT WAS LEFT THE PRIOR EVENING - SO IT HAPPENS OVERNIGHT). THIS SEAT IS ELECTRIC, NOT MANUAL. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE VEHICLE IS SITTING AND NOT RUNNING. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES (OVER 20 TIMES).

NHTSA ID

11341887

Incident

Jul 27, 2020

2016 MAZDA CX-5 POWER DRIVER SEAT RECLINES TO VARYING DEGREES (SOMETIMES FULLY, SOMETIMES PARTIALLY) INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT INPUT WHILE VEHICLE IS PARKED. MIGHT HAPPEN TODAY AND NOT AGAIN FOR SEVERAL WEEKS OR MORE THAN A MONTH BUT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN TOMORROW. SEAT ADJUSTMENT SWITCH WORKS NORMALLY OTHERWISE. DEALER UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR DUPLICATE PROBLEM. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE OFFERED OTHER THAN WE MUST BE RUBBING AGAINST THE ADJUSTMENT SWITCH AS WE EXIT THE VEHICLE. THIS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE SINCE THE SEAT ADJUSTMENT SWITCH REQUIRES CONTINUOUS ACTIVATION RATHER THAN A MOMENTARY INPUT WHILE EXITING THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11317088

Incident

Jul 1, 2018

Mileage

27,400 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MAZDA CX-5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT WOULD NOT ADJUST AND FAILED TO OPERATE AS NEEDED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO RUSS DARROW MAZDA OF MADISON (5234 HIGH CROSSING BLVD, MADISON, WI 53718, 888-613-7513) WHERE SHE WAS PROVIDED A REPAIR ESTIMATE. THE CONTACT REFUSED TO PAY FOR A REPLACEMENT AND THE SEAT REMAINED UNREPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11246014

Incident

Aug 2, 2019

Mileage

70,000 mi

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS POWERED OFF, THE BACK REST OF THE DRIVER'S CHAIR WILL FALL BACK COMPLETELY TAKING 2-10 SECONDS TO HIT THE REAR SEATING. AFTER TURNING ON THE VEHICLE, I WILL HAVE TO READJUST THE CHAIR TAKING ABOUT 1-2 MINUTES TO ADJUST THE BACK REST INTO AN UPRIGHT POSITION. THIS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES AND SPORADICALLY, HAPPENED ONCE WHILE DRIVING AT SLOW SPEED ABOUT 15-20 MPH. ALSO, HEAD REST TO TOO FAR FORWARD MAKING IT UNCOMFORTABLE. COMPANY SHOULD LOOK INTO ELECTRICALLY MOTORIZED HEAD REST FOR ANGLE AND ELEVATION.

NHTSA ID

10990768

Incident

May 12, 2017

Mileage

8,700 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 MAZDA CX-5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 16V064000 (FUEL SYSTEM) AND 16V644000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES). THE PARTS FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE AND PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

10946495

Incident

Jan 19, 2017

HELLO, THE HEAD RESTRAINTS ON OUR NEW CX-5 ARE FAR TO FORWARD FOR PROPER POSTURE. IF WE SIT UPRIGHT, THE BACKS OF OUR HEADS ACTUALLY TOUCH THE HEAD RESTRAINT FORCING OUR CHINS TO OUR NECK. I UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR GOOD HEAD RESTRAINTS, BUT AT THE COST OF PROPER POSTURE? I SEE THE TEST DUMMY BIORID HAS HORRIBLE POSTURE WITH IT'S HEAD FAR FORWARD OF IT'S SHOULDERS. THIS HAS LONG TERM BAD EFFECTS FOR YOUR SPINE TO SIT LIKE THIS.

NHTSA ID

10790295

Incident

Nov 13, 2015