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2016 Mazda CX-5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most CX-5 years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Mazda CX-5 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 133.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

335 reports with mileage · 175 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 161 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 71 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 66 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

31 crash reports10 fire reports13 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

161 reports
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48,000 miles · Mar 27, 2019
Exterior Lighting

MAZDA CX-5 GRAND TOURING LED DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ARE DIM ON DRIVER SIDE AFTER ONLY 48,000 MILES. OUTSIDE OF 36K MILE WARRANTY. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT MANY OF THESE LED HEADLIGHTS ARE DEFECTIVE AND NUMEROUS OWNERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES AFTER 40K MILES.

NHTSA ODI #11191791

22,000 miles · Mar 27, 2019
Exterior Lighting

DAYTIME LED RUNNING LIGHTS FLICKERING AND GOING OFF. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 22,000 MILES THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NOW I FEAR MY WHOLE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT. THIS HAPPENS WHEN PARKED AND DRIVING. A SAFETY RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED FOR THIS SERIOUS AND DEADLY PROBLEM. NOTICED THIS A MONTH AGO BUT COULD HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR A…

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DAYTIME LED RUNNING LIGHTS FLICKERING AND GOING OFF. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 22,000 MILES THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NOW I FEAR MY WHOLE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT. THIS HAPPENS WHEN PARKED AND DRIVING. A SAFETY RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED FOR THIS SERIOUS AND DEADLY PROBLEM. NOTICED THIS A MONTH AGO BUT COULD HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR AWHILE I AM BEGGING YOU PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BECAUSE AT 22,000 MILES THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN

NHTSA ODI #11191780

50,000 miles · Mar 22, 2019
Exterior Lighting

DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS FLICKERING. DEALERSHIP ADVISED NEEDS REPLACED AT $1100 PLUS FOR ONE. I THOUGHT LEDS LASTED FOR 10 YEARS. VEHICLES ARE BEING DRIVEN IN UNSAFE CONDITIONS BECAUSE OF COST OR ARE UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. MAZDA SHOULD HAVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND STAND BEHIND THIS ISS…

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DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS FLICKERING. DEALERSHIP ADVISED NEEDS REPLACED AT $1100 PLUS FOR ONE. I THOUGHT LEDS LASTED FOR 10 YEARS. VEHICLES ARE BEING DRIVEN IN UNSAFE CONDITIONS BECAUSE OF COST OR ARE UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. MAZDA SHOULD HAVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND STAND BEHIND THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI #11190658

Mileage unknown · Mar 4, 2019
Exterior Lighting

MAZDA CX-5, HIGHLIGHT ASSEMBLIES NEED FULL REPLACEMENT, TWO MONTHS OUT OF 3 YEAR WARRANTY. NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY CONCERN.... ????? $3,000 TO REPLACE BOTH.

NHTSA ODI #11183933

50,000 miles · Feb 16, 2019
Exterior Lighting

PROBLEM WITH BOTH LED RUNNING LIGHTS. ONE IS COMPLETELY OUT AND THE OTHER STRING IS PARTIALLY LIT. MY DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON (CONSISTENT WITH ONLINE COMPLAINT POSTS) BUT THE WARRANTY WILL ONLY COVER IT IF THE MILES ARE UNDER 36,000 MILES...MY CAR'S MILEAGE IS OVER THAT.

NHTSA ODI #11180499

46,581 miles · Feb 15, 2019
Exterior Lighting

DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT ON PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT IS FLICKERING - DEALERSHIP SAID THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT OVER $1000 PER SIDE. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 3 1/2 YEARS OLD AND ONLY HAS 46000 ON IT BUT OF COURSE OUT OF WARRANTY. THERE HAVE BEEN TOO MANY DEFECTIVE 2016 MAZDA CX-5'S WITH THE SAME ISSUE - HOW …

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DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT ON PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT IS FLICKERING - DEALERSHIP SAID THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT OVER $1000 PER SIDE. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 3 1/2 YEARS OLD AND ONLY HAS 46000 ON IT BUT OF COURSE OUT OF WARRANTY. THERE HAVE BEEN TOO MANY DEFECTIVE 2016 MAZDA CX-5'S WITH THE SAME ISSUE - HOW CAN THESE DEALERS SELL DEFECTIVE VEHICLES OR NOT BE MADE TO FIX THE CHEAP DEFECTIVE PARTS THEY USE. DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ARE USED FOR SAFETY.....SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI #11180321

50,000 miles · Feb 12, 2019
Exterior Lighting

DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHTS FAILING AFTER ONLY 50000 MILES

NHTSA ODI #11176438

58,000 miles · Feb 6, 2019
Exterior Lighting

DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. DRIVERS SIDE LIGHT GOING OUT. PASSENGER SIDE RUNNING LIGHT IS OUT. I CALLED DEALERSHIP AND PRICE WAS GOING TO BE CLOSE TO $1200 EACH. I WAS UNAWARE THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHT WAS OUT. I DID NOTICE LAST FALL A 'BLINKING' IN THE LED ON DRIVER'S SIDE. WILL THERE BE A RECALL ON THIS MALFUNCTION?

NHTSA ODI #11174838

60,000 miles · Jan 31, 2019
Exterior Lighting

THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FAILED AFTER 3 YEARS AND 60,000 MILES. IT IS AN LED, NON-REPLACEABLE LIGHT THAT IS PART OF THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. OUT OF WARRANTY AND DEALERS WANT IN EXCESS OF $1,000 TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE LED LIGHT SHOULD LAST MORE THAN 3 YEARS. THIS IS …

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THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FAILED AFTER 3 YEARS AND 60,000 MILES. IT IS AN LED, NON-REPLACEABLE LIGHT THAT IS PART OF THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. OUT OF WARRANTY AND DEALERS WANT IN EXCESS OF $1,000 TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE LED LIGHT SHOULD LAST MORE THAN 3 YEARS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE A RECALL BY MAZDA.

NHTSA ODI #11173253

37,000 miles · Jan 21, 2019
Exterior Lighting

DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS NO LONGER WORK. FREQUENT PROBLEM WHEN RESEARCHING WEB

NHTSA ODI #11171174

Official recalls

4

20V063000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

Feb 6, 2020

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016 CX-5 vehicles. The LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) may fail while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

16V644000 · Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate

Sep 6, 2016

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

16V203000 · Steering

Apr 11, 2016

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

16V064000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:filler Pipe And Cap

Feb 3, 2016

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Mazda CX-5 problems