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2018 Mazda CX-5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most CX-5 years

Owner complaints for the 2018 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

Limited mileage data: 83 of 348 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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.

  • Engine. Review the 177 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

19 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

5 reports
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31,673 miles · May 6, 2025
EngineExterior Lighting

The contact owned a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 35-45 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and rattling. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the wheel bearings were faulty. The vehicle was repaired but the failure r…

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The contact owned a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 35-45 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and rattling. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the wheel bearings were faulty. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer again where it was diagnosed that there were loose parts in the engine. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. Additionally, the brake light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the switch and mat were causing the failure. The vehicle was repaired and returned to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 31,673.

NHTSA ODI #11659157

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2024
Exterior Lighting

The lighting system on the 2018 Mazda cx-5 base sport model has it so that during the daytime, the low beams continuously run. This and the continuously lighted dashboard make it hard to tell when you need to turn on the headlight/tail lights, since the headlights are always on. These arent even side drls, they are full low-beam…

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The lighting system on the 2018 Mazda cx-5 base sport model has it so that during the daytime, the low beams continuously run. This and the continuously lighted dashboard make it hard to tell when you need to turn on the headlight/tail lights, since the headlights are always on. These arent even side drls, they are full low-beam lights. I've seen many Mazda cx-5 base models that do not have auto headlights drive around with there without any taillight and makes it dangerous for traffic behind to see the vehicle. Additionally, when others borrow the car, they always never turn on the headlight because there is no indication that anything needed to be turned on unlike older cars where the dashboard is fully black when the headlight/taillight is off.

NHTSA ODI #11574125

Mileage unknown · Feb 1, 2023
Exterior Lighting

When driving at night or in diminished lighting, the headlights will turn on but the taillights do not. The taillights will only activate if the headlight switch is moved to the on position. When the headlights activate, it gives the driver the appearance of everything is operating as designed when in fact there are no taillight…

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When driving at night or in diminished lighting, the headlights will turn on but the taillights do not. The taillights will only activate if the headlight switch is moved to the on position. When the headlights activate, it gives the driver the appearance of everything is operating as designed when in fact there are no taillights illuminated.

NHTSA ODI #11504873

10,000 miles · Oct 28, 2019
Exterior Lighting

I AM CONCERNED THAT THE HEADLIGHT GLARE FROM MY 2018 MAZDA CX-5 MANUFACTURED IN NOVEMBER 2107 IS EXCESSIVE FOR ONCOMING VEHICLES. I FREQUENTLY HAVE ONCOMING CARS FLASH THEIR LIGHTS AT ME WHEN DRIVING ON 2 LANE ROADS AT NIGHT. MY VEHICLE HAS THE TECH PACKAGE, WHICH INCLUDES ADAPTIVE LED HEADLIGHTS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SELF …

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I AM CONCERNED THAT THE HEADLIGHT GLARE FROM MY 2018 MAZDA CX-5 MANUFACTURED IN NOVEMBER 2107 IS EXCESSIVE FOR ONCOMING VEHICLES. I FREQUENTLY HAVE ONCOMING CARS FLASH THEIR LIGHTS AT ME WHEN DRIVING ON 2 LANE ROADS AT NIGHT. MY VEHICLE HAS THE TECH PACKAGE, WHICH INCLUDES ADAPTIVE LED HEADLIGHTS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SELF LEVELING. THE IIHS TESTING OF HEADLIGHTS OF THE 2017 - 2018 MAZDA CHANGED IN MARCH 2018 FROM ACCEPTABLE TO GOOD.

NHTSA ODI #11271578

Mileage unknown · Oct 25, 2018
Exterior Lighting

LIMITED TAILLIGHTS. SMALL HALF CIRCLES ON THE CURVED SURFACE OF THE BODY. HARDLY VISIBLE FROM THE REAR. LARGE REFLECTOR ONLY ON LIFT GATE.

NHTSA ODI #11142568

Official recalls

3

21V875000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Nov 12, 2021

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3, Mazda6, 2019 CX-3, 2018-2019 MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and 2019-2020 Mazda2 vehicles. The impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.

19V497000 · Engine; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Jun 27, 2019

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018-2019 CX-5, Mazda6, and 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. A software error in the powertrain control module (PCM) may cause the engine to stall.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unexpected stall increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3719F.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Engine

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018-2019 CX-5, Mazda6, and 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. A software error in the powertrain control module (PCM) may cause the engine to stall.

Consequence: An unexpected stall increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3719F.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018-2019 CX-5, Mazda6, and 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. A software error in the powertrain control module (PCM) may cause the engine to stall.

Consequence: An unexpected stall increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3719F.

18V426000 · Air Bags:side/window

Jun 25, 2018

Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda CX-5 vehicles. In the event of a side impact or rollover crash, the side curtain air bags may not properly unfold during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the air bags do not deploy properly in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began July 31, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2718F.

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