RoadVitals

2026 Mazda CX-5 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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.
12
Latest Aug 7, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
6
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.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2026 Mazda CX-5, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

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

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Electrical642.9%
  • Visibility321.4%
  • Driver assistance214.3%
  • Brakes17.1%
  • Interior & seats17.1%
  • Powertrain (other)17.1%

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

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

6
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

I leased a brand new vehicle on June 8th. On June 12th, I took it to the dealer's service center because of a warning message, accompanied with a loud chime that said: "Emergency Call Unit Malfunction", the SOS red light was also on. I picked the car up today, June 15th. Shortly leaving the dealership, I was driving on the freeway crawling traffic with my husband and 4 year old child in the vehicle. Suddenly, the service/wrench icon started flashing on the dashboard, and the car's engine completely died and stalled while we were moving on the highway. At the exact second the engine died, dash and infotainment screen went completely black, the A/C shut off as well. I instantly lost my speedometer and all safety alerts while stuck in traffic. I was still stepping on my brakes, and turned my hazard lights on so we could pull over to safety. Screens went back on and engine came back on. We were fortunate to be by the nearest exit and took it. The screens went back on, but service light was still flashing. We were able to drive the car to Mazda, and was provided a loaner car. This is a massive safety issue and hazard that put my family in immediate danger on a busy highway just following a dealer service.

NHTSA ID 11744358 · filed Jun 15, 2026

The vehicle's Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) / Smart Brake Support system intermittently triggers "false positive" emergency braking events during critical driving maneuvers, specifically while accelerating to merge into highway traffic. During these events, the system violently applies the brakes with no external hazard present. Crucially, the vehicle fails to acknowledge driver override input. Depressing the accelerator pedal fully does not disengage the automatic braking, stripping the driver of vehicle control and exposing the vehicle to a severe risk of being rear-ended at high speed. Simultaneously, the vehicle experiences a persistent "In-Unit Telematics Malfunction" error on the dashboard, accompanied by rapid-fire mobile app notifications (14 alerts in a single day) stating "Critical Vehicle Malfunction: Vehicle cannot be driven." These communication module errors have persisted despite the dealership applying Mazda's latest software updates, indicating a critical network failure or hardware defect that compromises active safety systems.

NHTSA ID 11739803 · filed May 24, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Visibility

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Have a cracked windshield from a chip near the wiper area Mazda says needs to be replaced But they are on National back order Was told that when the windshield caves in or collapses Then an emergency order can be put in

NHTSA ID 11755455 · filed Aug 7, 2026

The windshield of my 2026 Mazda CX-5 suddenly fractured and developed a severe crack without any external road hazard or heavy stone impact. Under micro-photography, the root of the crack presents as a smooth, continuous stress fracture ("white line") with no physical crater or concentric shattering pattern. The authorized Mazda dealer and Safelite AutoGlass provided entirely contradictory diagnostic locations regarding the alleged "impact point," proving the source of the failure is highly ambiguous. On this vehicle, a standard, everyday micro-pit from normal road dust triggered a catastrophic structural fracture across the glass. This is a disproportionate failure indicating excessive internal manufacturing residual stress or structural pressure from the vehicle frame rather than owner wear-and-tear. Furthermore, this severe fracture directly obstructs the driver's forward vision and threatens the calibration and safety functionality of the i-Activesense forward-facing safety cameras mounted behind the rearview mirror, creating a sudden, severe driving safety hazard.

NHTSA ID 11747280 · filed Jun 29, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The vehicle's Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) / Smart Brake Support system intermittently triggers "false positive" emergency braking events during critical driving maneuvers, specifically while accelerating to merge into highway traffic. During these events, the system violently applies the brakes with no external hazard present. Crucially, the vehicle fails to acknowledge driver override input. Depressing the accelerator pedal fully does not disengage the automatic braking, stripping the driver of vehicle control and exposing the vehicle to a severe risk of being rear-ended at high speed. Simultaneously, the vehicle experiences a persistent "In-Unit Telematics Malfunction" error on the dashboard, accompanied by rapid-fire mobile app notifications (14 alerts in a single day) stating "Critical Vehicle Malfunction: Vehicle cannot be driven." These communication module errors have persisted despite the dealership applying Mazda's latest software updates, indicating a critical network failure or hardware defect that compromises active safety systems.

NHTSA ID 11739803 · filed May 24, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the infotainment system failed to operate as intended, and unknown sensors were illuminated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 300.

NHTSA ID 11734269 · filed Apr 28, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

The vehicle's Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) / Smart Brake Support system intermittently triggers "false positive" emergency braking events during critical driving maneuvers, specifically while accelerating to merge into highway traffic. During these events, the system violently applies the brakes with no external hazard present. Crucially, the vehicle fails to acknowledge driver override input. Depressing the accelerator pedal fully does not disengage the automatic braking, stripping the driver of vehicle control and exposing the vehicle to a severe risk of being rear-ended at high speed. Simultaneously, the vehicle experiences a persistent "In-Unit Telematics Malfunction" error on the dashboard, accompanied by rapid-fire mobile app notifications (14 alerts in a single day) stating "Critical Vehicle Malfunction: Vehicle cannot be driven." These communication module errors have persisted despite the dealership applying Mazda's latest software updates, indicating a critical network failure or hardware defect that compromises active safety systems.

NHTSA ID 11739803 · filed May 24, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Interior & seats

Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

About a week ago, a "telematics error" message displayed, a single red light on the SOS button turned on, and it started beeping loudly. This has repeated multiple times. In this state the vehicle cannot automatically summon emergency help following a crash, and I cannot manually trigger an SOS call. More recently, June 17th, a new symptom has occurred. Vehicle's touchscreen display would not turn on. This display is required to access heating/cooling features including defrost/defog, and is used to show the backup camera. The dealer has informed us that these issues were all caused by a manufacturer-initiated over-the-air software update. We are currently scheduled to have a new software update installed to replace it on June 22nd.

NHTSA ID 11744809 · filed Jun 17, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I leased a brand new vehicle on June 8th. On June 12th, I took it to the dealer's service center because of a warning message, accompanied with a loud chime that said: "Emergency Call Unit Malfunction", the SOS red light was also on. I picked the car up today, June 15th. Shortly leaving the dealership, I was driving on the freeway crawling traffic with my husband and 4 year old child in the vehicle. Suddenly, the service/wrench icon started flashing on the dashboard, and the car's engine completely died and stalled while we were moving on the highway. At the exact second the engine died, dash and infotainment screen went completely black, the A/C shut off as well. I instantly lost my speedometer and all safety alerts while stuck in traffic. I was still stepping on my brakes, and turned my hazard lights on so we could pull over to safety. Screens went back on and engine came back on. We were fortunate to be by the nearest exit and took it. The screens went back on, but service light was still flashing. We were able to drive the car to Mazda, and was provided a loaner car. This is a massive safety issue and hazard that put my family in immediate danger on a busy highway just following a dealer service.

NHTSA ID 11744358 · filed Jun 15, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .