10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,244 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2015 Mazda CX-5 engine problems

engine problem

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2015 Mazda CX-5 Owner Comments

problem #12

Sep 052022

CX-5

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2015 Mazda CX-5 with 91,000 miles on it. Automatic transmission has failed. When I attempted to pull out into traffic the vehicle would not shift into 2nd gear and instead jerked hard and the engine RPMs revved up. I was not able to get the vehicle past 10mph. This failure with the transmission resulted in the oncoming traffic having to swerve and break to avoid a collision with me. The vehicle was taken to a Mazda dealership who did a diagnostic on it and found that the Mazda had an "internal transmission failure" and would require a full replacement. I asked if it would be replaced with the same exact transmission and was told "no, the defect was discovered by Mazda and has been correct for new transmission models." The manufacture knows about this issue. Luckily I escaped serious bodily injury. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer as well as an independent 3rd party transmission repair specialist. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to this incident to give warning.

- Altamonte Springs, FL, USA

problem #11

Apr 262019

CX-5

  • 46,000 miles
Driving normally, suddenly at an on-ramp, car would no longer accelerate. I hit the gas a couple times and engine just revved, and the car was jerky as if struggling to change gear. Anything over 3,000 RPM it would not drive. I also noticed electrical problems with radio and lights at the same time. Thankfully, I was able to coast to pull over. Turned off car and re-started. Test drove the vehicle around the area and it happened again at over 3,000 RPM. Luckily this didn't cause an accident.

- Harahan, LA, USA

problem #10

Dec 112017

CX-5

  • miles
Reduces speed while driving, unexpectedly. Causing the car to stop immediately while being driven. It's been happening constantly for months and I have seen myself in serious trouble situations

- San Lorenzo, PR, USA

problem #9

Feb 032018

CX-5

  • 55,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My foot was solely on the brake as my car was coming to a stop in a parking space. Then suddenly with no reason, the car accelerated, jumping the cement tire stopper, hit against the concrete parking column, went down a slight hill and hit another concrete parking column before stopping. The whole right side (passenger side) was completely totaled. Fortunately I only had bruises and no other cars were damaged. This is a serious safety problem and should be investigated.

- Daly City, CA, USA

problem #8

Aug 022017

CX-5

  • 43,000 miles
The car accelerates to high RPM's without touching the gas pedal. As soon as car was started engine roared and could not be contained when in gear. When put in drive the car reached over 50 mph without my foot touching gas pedal. When put in neutral the RPM's were revving excessive near the top of the dial. The only thing to get the engine to stop revving was to turn the car off. I had a hard time getting the car to stop. Problem happened both in the city and on the freeway. The first time it happened it was a hot day (100 degrees outside). Car had been driven for about 2 hours and then sat for about 1.5 hours and then problem happened. Problem happened about a dozen times before being taken to the dealership. I had not used the cruise control that day and do not regularly use the cruise control. Mazda says it's a battery issue and that I need a new battery. There is no way that is the problem. I've never even had to use jumper cables on the car. I bought the car new and have only had it for two and a half years. I'm the primary driver. Car has 43,000 miles. I'm demanding that Mazda replace the car with a similar age car/similar mileage and they are fighting it. I do not feel safe driving that car. I worry that I will be killed when I can't stop the car or that I will hit a pedestrian or other car and kill someone.

- Centerville, UT, USA

problem #7

Jul 072017

CX-5

  • 27,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Mazda Cx-5. while at a stop light, the vehicle began to accelerate without the contact depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact called lynchburg Mazda who stated that they were unfamiliar with the failure. The contact also contacted the first team auto mall dealer who stated that they were unfamiliar with the failure as well. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 27,000.

- Bedford, VA, USA

problem #6

Dec 222016

CX-5 4-cyl

  • 51,100 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving through stop and go traffic near a traffic light on a downward slope (maybe 10-15 degrees), I attempted to apply the brakes in order to come to a stop. When doing so, the brake pedal was being applied normally but the vehicle wasn't slowing down like it normally does. As a result, I pushed down on the brakes as hard as possible and while the vehicle slowed down more than it previously was, it attempted to lurch forward more and more. I noticed that the rpms were slowly getting higher while I was in the middle of applying the brake pedal as hard as possible, but the vehicle was coming increasingly close to making contact with the vehicle in front of me. Due to the vehicle being close to being physically stopped already, I placed the vehicle in park as quickly as possible and the rpms for the vehicle immediately climbed all the way to the red-line (I believe 6,500 rpms) and then returned to normal. Throughout the remainder of the trip (another 5-10 miles), the vehicle exhibited no noticeable issues. I called the local Mazda dealership to see if any problems regarding the transmission were currently being investigated, but I was told that no recalls were currently open for a transmission problem.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #5

Oct 092016

CX-5

  • 28,000 miles
I have experienced intermittent problems with the steering wheel buttons, especially with regard to the cruise control (cc). Sometimes, the buttons appear to change functions with each other. Here is an example: 1.I am driving along on the highway, and I turn on cc ' the dash indicator appears in yellow. 2.I set the cc to my current speed, the dash indicator changes to green, and my speed is regulated. 3.I decide to reduce speed, so I press the minus (-) button once. 4.my speed increases by about one mile per hour. 5.I press minus (-) again, and I speed up another mile per hour. 6.I press plus (+), and I slow down one mile per hour. 7.I press cancel, and nothing happens ' the cc indicator on the dash stays green, and my speed holds at the current value. 'it is possible that cancel reduces my speed by one mile per hour, but I usually don't wait long enough to find out, because I am trying to cancel! 8.I press off, and the cc cancels. It is still on, but the dash indicator turns yellow, and my speed is no longer regulated (I am coasting). 9.I press off several times, and nothing changes ' the dash indicator is yellow. 10.no matter which button I press, I cannot shut of cc. 'the dash indicator will change from green to yellow and back, but cc never shuts off. 11.sometimes, I can run my thumb around the buttons in a circle, and cc starts working again, but this does not always work. 12.if I shut off the car, cc will work for a while. 13.if cc stops working as described, and I am on a long trip, it will sometimes start working properly again after some long period of time (30 minutes or so). I have experienced similar problems with the radio controls. I occasionally press the volume control and the station changes. Typically, this only happens once, and when I change the station back to where it was, I am able to adjust the volume again.

- Sarver, PA, USA

problem #4

Mar 202015

CX-5

  • 331 miles
Leaving an above-ground parking garage, the city brake assist feature engaged twice, without warning. The car came to a sudden and complete stop and the wheels locked up. There were no cars or other obstacles in the vicinity that would have caused the city brake assist feature to engage. When the feature engaged, the car was going about 5 mph, on a slight downhill (the decline was simply from the parking garage), and it occurred during a straightaway section of the garage (e.g., not while going around a bend).

- Los Angeles , CA, USA

problem #3

Feb 212015

CX-5 4-cyl

  • 6,500 miles
I just purchased this vehicle in September 2014. While I was driving on interstate 15 at approximately 70mph all a sudden I had no more power I could not accelerate, when I pushed the gas pedal nothing would happen. I pulled over to the side of the road and stopped put it in park and put it back in drive and it went. So I continued on my trip however, about 50 minutes into my trip now on interstate 215 that same thing happened this time when I pulled over just putting it I park and back in drive it didn't work I had to turn the vehicle off start it and then it worked. I had to turn around and cancel the trip as I didn't want to be stranded. I'm not sure if its the transmission or what.

- Oceanside , CA, USA

problem #2

Jan 162015

CX-5

  • 12,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Mazda Cx-5. while driving at approximately 65 mph, the vehicle's speed suddenly decreased to 40 mph without any warning. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000.

- Murietta, CA, USA

problem #1

Nov 122014

CX-5 4-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
Our vehicle is equipped with the "smart city braking" feature that automatically prevents collisions at low speed. This system triggers the brakes and brings the vehicle to a stop when an object is detected in front of the vehicle. This system has been triggered by steam clouds coming out of sewer grates and has brought the car to a complete and very unexpected stop several times. No real "object" was behind the steam cloud / yet because of the way the system is implemented it detected an object and activated the brakes. This unexpected braking can quickly bring the car to a complete stop and could result in serious property damage or injury. We pass by an area with multiple sewage grates releasing steam and this system is becoming a safety hazard. We have been lucky enough not to have someone behind us when the system is triggered - but it is only a matter of time before the braking triggers in heavy traffic.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

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