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.
I got my rear brakes replaced. Within a few days I noticed drag on each of the rear brakes would seize up at times causing excessive heat and a burning smell. When I took it into my local Mazda Service Center, I was told by the Service Manager and the Service Tech that this is a known issue with Mazda CX5s, that when the Mazda is not put into -??maintenance mode-?? when replacing the rear brakes, it can cause damage to the parking brake motors and calipers. They said my vehicle was allegedly put into maintenance mode before brake service and that the issue can still happen even when the precautions are taken. Upon doing some brief online research I am finding that I am far from the first person to experience this unsafe defect. My safety and the safety of those on the road with me are at an extreme risk as my brakes could overheat and fail, causing a deadly accident. I believe this needs to be addressed by the manufacturer on all 2016/2017 CX5 models immediately as more and more are needing rear brake replacements, causing more and more risk on the roadways. Please hold Mazda accountable for this defect in their parking brake mechanism and require them to replace calipers and parking brake motors when performing rear brake replacements, and even better would be to recall all CX5 models to ensure a safe parking brake mechanism is on every vehicle Mazda sells. I was a huge fan of Mazda and planned to purchase more of their vehicles in my lifetime until this incident happened. I always service at authorized Mazda Service Centers to ensure I get expert level service and avoid mistakes or shortcuts being made.
My Mazda has a feature called SBS (Smart Brake Support). It is touted as a safety feature, as it will brake the car when it approaches an object without driver braking. It can be disabled by the driver via the navigation panel; however, it automatically engages again upon engine start up. On a few occasions, when approaching a vehicle, I have braked and release, upon seeing the vehicle ahead begin to move. On such occasions, my Mazda's SBS activated, screeching my car to a near stop, scaring me and the vehicle behind me nearly rear-ended me. This action scared me, which affects my ability to control the situation and conduct appropriate action. I have contacted Mazda to ask for a permanent deactivation of this dangerous feature. They have been unable/unwilling to assist. They have concern that if a different driver should drive my vehicle, it would be problematic. I explained that this is my vehicle and I fear their SBS feature will cause me to be rear-ended and seriously injured. I have requested that the Mazda Customer Service rep submit a safety complaint on this issue. An Internet search finds that there are other customers with the same safety concern on Mazda's SBS feature. It is time that this be addressed.
The brake pads on this vehicle wear out prematurely, despite not using them aggressively. All four brake pads on the SUV wore out in less than the first 16,000 miles (first 3 years) and had to be replaced. The braking has also aways been -??soft-?? and the car takes longer to come to a full-stop in the event urgent braking has to be done in traffic. The rotors have corroded prematurely too, despite keeping the car very clean and dry as a matter of habit. The dealer dismissed this issue stating the brakes were fine, as if this was the first car I was driving. I do not engage in hard stops, or perform sudden, jerky, brake applications and yet the brake pads wore out to almost nothing. All the other cars that I-??ve owned historically had their brake pads last for 6-8 years of normal driving while this car wore them down in just 3 years. Premature brake pad wear can be a huge safety issue since an unsuspecting driver may not be aware of it and can result in an accident on the road from the vehicle not being able to come to a full stop in time.
Drivers side emergency brake drags just enough to prematurely wear inner brake pad down to the metal. 60,000 miles on car. All other pads are at 50% wear.
Hello, this car was leased back in Oct 2017 as a brand new car from garden city Mazda (NY). Six months ago (July 2019), we brought the car to the service to check the huge vibrations when braking. They found a left rear brake caliper was leaking and failed caused plate (rotor) and pad damage. Car was only done 5731 miles. They have replaced the left rear rotor, pads and caliper. Then resurfaced (rr) rotor and pads. After 6 months today (Jan 3rd 2020), we had to take the car to the service because of the vibrations re-occurring when braking as it was very concerning. Car is done 9744 miles to date. And this time it was both front brake plates (rotors) and pad are worn out. This car is almost daily driven (4-5 days a week) and have low mileage due to the low distance (+-10 miles/day) it was driven per day. And we had to change the brakes twice within less than 10K miles. Mazda service and Mazda (manufacturer) claims this is due to regular wear and tear and car must be sitting there for a long. Which I do not believe is a valid statement from Mazda as an experience car owner and a driver. I had other cars that were sitting on my drive way longer than this car and never had this many brake issues. Brake failures are very dangerous and put everyone at risk. My concern is that the brake components used in 2017 Mazda CX5 is not up to us consumer safety standards and not suitable for the weather conditions where the vehicles were sold. Really appreciate if you can investigate this issue further and I hope that will help so many consumers using these vehicles today and future. Found more complains on: Thanks very much, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Rotors began showing signs of irregular wearing at 15K miles, causing the vehicle to shake uncontrollably when braking. The dealership indicated that this was normal wear and tear and inclement weather. However, there is a vast number of reports online with identical issues, occurring around 25K miles, which appear to be related to defective brake pads out of the factory.
Yesterday my wife tried to stop our CX5 in our driveway but it kept a slow glide for a few yards thus crashing into our garage door. Shifting into park a 2nd time (1st time didn't work) and pounding the brake pedal finally stopped the vehicle after pushing in the garage door a few feet. Engine remained in low idle (no acceleration) and brake feedback was normal (not mushy) the whole time. This is 2nd occurrence. First occurrence was about 6 months ago as the CX5 glided part way into an intersection. All symptoms listed above were exactly the same.
My vehicle was on a city street behind a car which was at a stop sign. I stepped on the brake pedal, but my CX5 did not slow to a stop, but kept going at a steady speed toward the car ahead. My car suddenly stopped about 5 feet from the car ahead. My foot was on the brake pedal the whole time. This happened twice. Another time I was stopped behind a car making a left turn. With my foot N the brake pedal my vehicle moved about 3 or 4 feet and stopped before hitting the car in front.
When stopping my vehicle, my brake pedal tends to 'bleed' downward, to the point where it is below the level of the gas pedal. The result is I sometimes wind up hitting both the accelerator pedal and brake pedals at once. I've never had another car where this can happen. This is dangerous and terrifying when braking in close proximity to another vehicle. I took the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection and adjustment, the resulting slight improvement only lasted about a week, now it's happening again. In the absence of air or other contaminants in the brake line, nor detection of faulty components, I now consider this to be a possible design flaw.
Two weeks after I got the vehicle, I was driving on a highway doing speeds of 45 to 74. The drivers land change assist was not working as a car was right beside me several times I noticed and the light was off. My son mentioned it. Dec 22, 2017 2) I was driving at dusk on cruise control 74 mph and the car suddenly braked and a warning brake! was on the dash. I was in the fast lane with no objects or car in front.
While driving my 2017 Mazda Cx-5, the smart city brake support (scbs) indicator illuminates on the dash. This has happened multiple times over the past several months, on clear, sunny days and in rain and/or snow; on city streets and highways. The rate of driving speed varies from approx 10 to 65 mph. The indicator stays on for anywhere from 20 seconds or until the vehicle is stopped (upwards of 20 minutes). Service techs at local dealer were able to pull the fault code from the computer, but it was generic and gave no guidance. Mazda initially acknowledged this was a problem and replaced the camera that controls the system (mounted interior of car at windshield), but when problem persisted with the new camera, Mazda said it's "normal" for the lamp illumination to display on the dash under various driving conditions and referenced service alert sa-052/17, which discusses fog, rain, exhaust gas from vehicle in front, etc. Triggering the scbs. According to this service alert, a dirty windshield will also trigger the warning light to illuminate. This is a safety concern because not only is the scbs not functioning properly, when the light illuminates it distracts from the act of driving.
The contact owns a 2017 Mazda Cx-5. the contact stated that the smart city brake system failed to function properly when activated and modified to a specific distance or speed. The dealer (Mazda of mesquite, 15900 lyndon B johnson fwy, mesquite, tx 75150, (972) 686-6200) was notified, but was unable to replicate and diagnose the failure. The manufacturer provided a tsb that indicated that, without a warning indicator or warning chime, the function was not able to be replicated and the system was performing normally. The manufacturer did not send a technician to test drive the vehicle and determine if the function was properly working. The failure mileage was 0.
According to consumer reports (Aug. 2017, page 58, last paragraph) the Mazda's new Cx-5's forward collision warning with low-speed automatic emergency braking standard should be applauded. These features malfunctions in las vegas during hot weather. Mazda knows about the problem and has no fix. We bought a Mazda Cx-5 on June 9, 2017. While driving on the freeway on July 21, 2017 the car quit working properly and we had three warning messages come up on the dashboard: 1.smart city brake support malfunction 2.smart brake system malfunction 3. forward camera malfunction. Had I not been paying close attention while using the cruise control the car might have rear-ended the car in front at 60 mph. The dealer service staff I talked to on the phone when I got home said that Mazda knew about the failures. Mazda said these errors are caused by excessive heat and Mazda has had many complaints in many locations. There is presently no fix. It seems to work ok when the weather is cooler. These are safety features we purchased and they failed while we were driving in las vegas. The temperature was 104 at the time. Not excessive for las vegas nor other parts of the southwest desert. I currently have pictures of two of the warning messages that flashed on the dashboard and can be seen at https://photos.app.goo.gl/0mfdpf5wzvoux2sp2. This seems like a major flaw of the Mazda Cx-5 if their premier package safety features fails to work when the outside temperature is around 104. The car should not be recommended, or even sold, with these features until Mazda gets this fixed. Maybe other Mazda models have this flaw.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Colorado Springs, CO, USA