Mazda · CX-5 · 2020
2020 Mazda CX-5: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 110 owner complaints and no safety recalls for the 2020 Mazda CX-5. The most-reported problem area is the electrical system (28% of complaints), followed by engine and brakes.
Common 2020 Mazda CX-5 problems
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Electrical system problems
31 owner complaints to NHTSA (28% of all complaints for this model year) involve the electrical system, including 1 crash, 1 injury. One owner reported: “My 2020 mazda cx-5 was 2 days old and the battery was completely drained and had to be towed to the dealer. I picked it up and they did nothing to the battery. They told me nothing was wrong and they replaced the key fob battery. Two more…”
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Engine problems
18 owner complaints to NHTSA (16% of all complaints for this model year) involve the engine. One owner reported: “Cylinder Head has failed at 53,000 miles. Mazda has a technical service bulletin acknowledging that this is a common occurrence with this part. They have an extended warranty for the turbo engine but not for the standard engine. Looking…”
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Brakes problems
14 owner complaints to NHTSA (13% of all complaints for this model year) involve the brakes, including 6 crashes, 4 injuries. One owner reported: “Bought a mazda cx5 june 2020 and it was involve in a accident sept 17th 2020 do to brake failure. My mother was driving the vehicle and attempted parking in a apartment complex when the vehicle failed to stop and collided with the facility…”
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Forward collision avoidance problems
12 owner complaints to NHTSA (11% of all complaints for this model year) involve the forward collision avoidance, including 3 crashes. One owner reported: “I was traveling behind a propane truck, that was going to make a right turn. I disengaged the adaptive cruise control by tapping on the break. I began coasting to a stop, suddenly the car began accelerating again with no warning. I was…”
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Transmission & powertrain problems
10 owner complaints to NHTSA (9% of all complaints for this model year) involve the transmission & powertrain. One owner reported: “The vehicle's component that fails seems to be the transmission locking up in first gear after accelerating from a stop. During wet conditions, the car will fish tail and the traction control will kick in.”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 31 | 28% | |
| Engine | 18 | 16% | |
| Brakes | 14 | 13% | |
| Forward collision avoidance | 12 | 11% | |
| Transmission & powertrain | 10 | 9% | |
| Speed control & acceleration | 7 | 6% | |
| Body & structure | 6 | 5% | |
| Airbags | 5 | 5% |
110 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 10 crashes, 6 injuries. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2020 Mazda CX-5 recalls
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2020 Mazda CX-5.
2020 Mazda CX-5 crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2020 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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