IllustrationAir bag light is flashing in the dashboard. It says passenger air bag off. Driver seatbelt doesn't always click when trying to fastent seatbelt. I have to try multiple times until it clicks.
2020 Mazda CX-5
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2020 Mazda CX-5 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 133.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all CX-5 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 23 of 106 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports0 fire reports6 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
5 reportsWhile traveling on an Interstate highway, my passenger side curtain airbag suddenly deployed without any warning while I was driving. There was no collision or impact, there was no debris on the road, or any significant bumps in the road. There was a very loud explosive sound and then my entire passenger side was covered in b…
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While traveling on an Interstate highway, my passenger side curtain airbag suddenly deployed without any warning while I was driving. There was no collision or impact, there was no debris on the road, or any significant bumps in the road. There was a very loud explosive sound and then my entire passenger side was covered in blue. The sound was so loud that it left my ears ringing and left me badly shaken up. I lost all visibility out of my passenger side as all of my side windows and mirrors were obscured, and I knew there was traffic in that lane along side of me. It felt very dangerous and I had to rely on my lane change sensors to safely pull to the side to assess any damage. There was no evident sign of any impact to my car. All of the glass was intact, there were no scratches, dents or missing paint. The airbag fully deployed for no apparent reason and I was extremely lucky that I was not injured and that my reaction did not cause an accident when this happened. The car was taken to a Mazda dealership to assess, and they did not find any damage either, but said there was no mechanical error on the part of the car, so it is still unexplained. I had it evaluated by an autobody/collision shop, again no damage was determined, their scan showed a diagnostic code that there was a "circuit short to ground".
-Passenger side air bags deployed for no reason on May 19, 2025 at 1945h. -Driver safety compromised due to shock, momentary loss of hearing, disorientation while driving. -Other drivers safety compromised due to driver having to react, re-orient themselves and drive to safety. -Culver City Mazda dealership ran diagnostic. Concl…
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-Passenger side air bags deployed for no reason on May 19, 2025 at 1945h. -Driver safety compromised due to shock, momentary loss of hearing, disorientation while driving. -Other drivers safety compromised due to driver having to react, re-orient themselves and drive to safety. -Culver City Mazda dealership ran diagnostic. Conclusion: air bags deployed due to pressure. NO OTHER conclusions regarding system error, software error, ignitor, sensors or vehicle impact. -Police inspected vehicle at time of incident. No damage was observed or reported. -NO warning lamps or messages appeared prior to passenger air bag deployment.
Airbags did not deploy when I crashed into a guard rail dragging for 40-50 feet.
VEHICLE WAS ON A CITY STREET TRAVELING AT 35-40 MPH WHEN THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL (YOKOHAMA GEOLANDAR G91) SPONTANEOUSLY BLEW OUT DESPITE NOT COLLIDING WITH ANY OBJECTS OR ROAD HAZARDS. AS A RESULT, DRIVER SIDE CURTAIN AND SEAT AIRBAGS ERRONEOUSLY DEPLOYED AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SHUTOFF, CAUSING DISORIENTATION AND TEMPORARY LOS…
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VEHICLE WAS ON A CITY STREET TRAVELING AT 35-40 MPH WHEN THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL (YOKOHAMA GEOLANDAR G91) SPONTANEOUSLY BLEW OUT DESPITE NOT COLLIDING WITH ANY OBJECTS OR ROAD HAZARDS. AS A RESULT, DRIVER SIDE CURTAIN AND SEAT AIRBAGS ERRONEOUSLY DEPLOYED AND THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SHUTOFF, CAUSING DISORIENTATION AND TEMPORARY LOSS OF HEARING IN ONE EAR.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.