Mazda · CX-5 · 2016
2016 Mazda CX-5: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 512 owner complaints and 5 safety recalls for the 2016 Mazda CX-5. The most-reported problem area is the exterior lighting (31% of complaints), followed by electrical system and brakes. Make sure every open recall has been fixed by a dealer before you buy.
Common 2016 Mazda CX-5 problems
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Exterior lighting problems
161 owner complaints to NHTSA (31% of all complaints for this model year) involve the exterior lighting. One owner reported: “Mazda issued a safety recall (Mazda safety recall 4320A, NHTSA campaign number 20V-063) to address daytime running light flickering/failure. At the time, only the passenger side daytime running light was replaced under the recall by Mazda…”
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Electrical system problems
72 owner complaints to NHTSA (14% of all complaints for this model year) involve the electrical system, including 4 crashes, 5 fires, 3 injuries. One owner reported: “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…”
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Brakes problems
69 owner complaints to NHTSA (13% of all complaints for this model year) involve the brakes, including 6 crashes, 1 fire, 2 injuries. One owner reported: “On july 25 I slowed down in grocery store parking lot. Slowly approaching parking space and applying the brake to stop car. Then suddenly with no reason the car accelerated, jumped the curb.then car stopped after I hit building fortunately…”
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Transmission & powertrain problems
51 owner complaints to NHTSA (10% of all complaints for this model year) involve the transmission & powertrain, including 5 crashes, 2 injuries. One owner reported: “Parked my car. Open up drivers door , radio and dash lights came on. Standing on driveway now push button to turn off radio and dash. Everything came back on. Did it three times and on the third time vehicle started to roll backwards. Had…”
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Visibility & wipers problems
48 owner complaints to NHTSA (9% of all complaints for this model year) involve the visibility & wipers. One owner reported: “(I am the owner of the car and am filling this out for my daughter who was driving it at the time, I was not with her during the incident) While driving down the road in the rain the wipers just stopped working. I have not had any dealers…”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior lighting | 161 | 31% | |
| Electrical system | 72 | 14% | |
| Brakes | 69 | 13% | |
| Transmission & powertrain | 51 | 10% | |
| Visibility & wipers | 48 | 9% | |
| Engine | 39 | 8% | |
| Airbags | 19 | 4% | |
| Body & structure | 19 | 4% |
512 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 31 crashes, 10 fires, 13 injuries. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2016 Mazda CX-5 recalls
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Exterior lighting › Headlights
Risk: If the DRL fails, the vehicle's visibility may be reduced to other drivers on the road, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlights, and replace the sealing gasket or headlight assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 20, 2020. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4320A.
Full recall summary
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016 CX-5 vehicles. The LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) may fail while driving.
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Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate
Risk: If the lift gate falls unexpectedly, it may hit the user, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Mazda dealers will replace the both lift gate supports, free of charge, however parts are not currently available. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9916H.
Full recall summary
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles manufactured November 18, 2008, to June 8, 2013, 2012-2015 Mazda5 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2010, to June 22, 2015, 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 26, 2015, and 2013-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured December 15, 2011, to December 26, 2015. On the affected vehicles, the lift gate support struts may corrode, possibly causing the struts to break and/or the lift gate to drop unexpectedly.
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Steering
Risk: If the steering knuckle separates from the strut assembly, it can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lower mounting nuts and bolts that secure the front strut assembly to the steering knuckle. If the bolts are loose, they will be replaced and then correctly tightened, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 20, 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9316D.
Full recall summary
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 2, 2015, 2013-2014 Mazda2 vehicles manufactured July 3, 2013, to August 8, 2014, 2014-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured January 19, 2013, to December 2, 2015, and 2013-2015 CX-9 vehicles manufactured December 6, 2012, to July 31, 2015. The lower mounting nuts and bolts that attach the front strut assembly to the steering knuckle may loosen, allowing the steering knuckle to separate.
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Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap
Risk: A rupture of the fuel filler pipe may result in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will alter the attachment between the fuel filler pipe and the left rear side of the bracket of the fuel filler pipe, free of charge. The recall began on February 25, 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 6. Mazda's number for this recall is 9216B.
Full recall summary
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Mazda CX-5 vehicles manufactured June 27, 2013, to February 2, 2016. The affected vehicles have a fuel filler pipe that may rupture in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."
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Visibility › Windshield
Risk: If the bracket loosens or detaches from the windshield, the safety features of the Smart City Brake Support system may be disabled and therefore increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Pilkington will contact the wholesalers and retailers that purchased the windshields to try to identify the affected customers. The affected windshields will be replaced, free of charge. This recall began on February 15, 2016. Owners may contact Pilkington at 1-844-278-7230.
Full recall summary
Pilkington North America, Inc. (Pilkington) is recalling certain replacement windshields, model FW04026 GTY, manufactured November 23, 2015, to December 16, 2015 for use in Mazda CX-5 vehicles that are equipped with the Smart City Brake Support system. The affected windshields have a bracket mounted on the inside to hold a laser sensor or LIDAR device for the Smart City Brake Support system. These brackets were improperly affixed with only tape instead of tape and urethane and therefore may loosen.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. To check whether a specific car’s recalls have been repaired, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
2016 Mazda CX-5 crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2016 Mazda CX-5 SUV AWD. Ratings can differ between body styles and drivetrains (2 versions tested or listed).
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Specifications
- Drivetrains
- AWD, FWD
- Body styles
- SUV
Other Mazda CX-5 years
About this data
Problems, complaint counts, recalls and crash-test ratings come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public databases, last checked 2026-11-03. Complaints are reports from owners and have not all been verified by NHTSA.
How we score reliability: every model year starts at 100. Points come off for the number of owner complaints (on a log scale, up to 40 points), for each safety recall (2 points each, up to 15) and for complaints involving crashes, fires, injuries or deaths (up to 15). Popular vehicles get more complaints simply because more are on the road, so compare scores between similar vehicles. More about our method.
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