Problems · NHTSA complaints

2020 Mazda CX-5 problems

Owners filed 110 complaints about the 2020 Mazda CX-5 with NHTSA between Feb 2020 and Nov 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (31).

Complaints
110
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
10
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
6
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system31
  2. Engine18
  3. Service brakes14
  4. Forward collision avoidance12
  5. Power train10
  6. Vehicle speed control7
  7. Structure6
  8. Air bags5
  9. Back over prevention4
  10. Visibility/wiper4
  11. Fuel/propulsion system4
  12. Lane departure4
  13. Exterior lighting4
  14. Wheels2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
202014
202110
20226
202313
202419
202531
202617

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

31 reports1 crash
“Car stalls and 3 warning lights flash on the dashboard- “front radar sensor system malfunction”, “forward smart city brake support malfunction”, “smart brake system malfunction” and check engine light turns on. Car still drives but gas pedal and brake pedal don’t seem to work as well. Have to pull over, turn engine off and restart. Check engine light still on but other warning lights disappear. Check engine light turns off overnight. Has happened twice in the last month. Concerned about safety as gas and brake pedals seem off until turning the engine off and on again. Concerned about brakes failing. When brought to dealership, warning lights had all turned off and dealership found nothing wrong with car.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 25, 2026Electrical system, Service brakesODI 11773545

Engine

18 reports
“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 complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 1, 2026Power train, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11775025

Service brakes

14 reports6 crashes
“While driving on the highway in traffic, I was applying the brakes (slowly and smoothly) and moving with the flow of traffic when the SBS system activated the brakes harshly and slammed me to a stop without reason. In addition to throwing me forward against my seatbelt, it also resulted in the car behind me rear-ending me. I did not hit the car ahead of me, since I was far enough behind them BEFORE the smart brake support engaged, but the feature caused an accident that could have been avoided.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 7, 2026Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceCrash reportedODI 11729750

Forward collision avoidance

12 reports3 crashes
“When coasting into a parking space the car suddenly accelerated. At a high rate of speed, the car jumped the curb and planting area of median separating the parking area. The car struck 2 other cars on the other side of the median. The car directly in front of my car was moved several feet. My air bag deployed.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 27, 2026Vehicle speed control, Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidanceCrash reportedODI 11767211

Power train

10 reports
“I am filing a defect complaint regarding a severe drivetrain safety hazard on my 2020 Mazda CX-5 (currently at 62,800 miles). The automatic transmission has begun slipping and hesitating during acceleration, specifically producing a high-pitched chirping/squeaking noise during the 3rd-to-4th gear upshift. This issue is fully documented by the manufacturer under Technical Service Bulletin TSB 05-005/23. Mazda's internal bulletin admits that the root cause is an inherent manufacturing defect where the torque converter lockup clutch friction material degrades prematurely, contaminating the transmission fluid with fine iron powder and causing internal clutches to slip. This transmission slippage causes unpredictable power delivery and hesitation when merging into active traffic, creating an immediate safety hazard. Mazda Corporate (Case File: 00504052) has acknowledged the defect but refuses to cover the repair in full because the vehicle is 2,800 miles past its powertrain warranty, attempting to pass thousands of dollars in repair costs for a known factory defect onto the consumer. The car has already been diagnosed by Mazda Dealership at Walkers Renton Mazda, WA.…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 30, 2026Power trainODI 11774751

Vehicle speed control

7 reports3 crashes
“The contact owns a 2020 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while the cruise control was activated and driving 65 MPH in the middle lane of a busy six-lane highway, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle was suddenly stalled and coasted to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle to continue driving. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure and was unable to confirm that the failure had occurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 25, 2025Engine and engine cooling, Vehicle speed controlODI 11689633
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.