2020 Mazda CX-5

During snowfall, the front camera becomes obstructed, leading to a malfunction in the smart brake system. When this occurs, an alert appears indicating a “Smart Brake Failure,” accompanied by an audible warning and the illumination of the check engine light. The vehicle then exhibits unpredictable behavior, including unintended braking and sudden acceleration, creating a hazardous driving situation. The only temporary resolution is to restart the vehicle; however, the check engine light remains on for several days before eventually turning off. This issue occurred while I was driving on the highway on February 19, 2025, posing a significant safety risk. This is not the first time the car has done this.

My infotainment display has a prevalent ghost touch issue that causes majors distractions while I'm driving, and no warnings on when it'll happen. The ghost touch will end my navigation, end my calls or put them on hold, call random people in my contacts, turns on/off the music, changes the volume, changes various settings (sometimes safety settings), switching back/forth to different things, etc. It used to only happen when the car was not moving or I'm parked (as the touchscreen is only supposed to be available then), but now it's happening even when I'm driving on the freeway. I used to try correcting/fixing whatever by using the knob control, but the problem can become so severe that even when I use the physical knob I can't gain control over it. I can't turn off the infotainment display because the ghost touch just turns it back on! I brought it into my local Mazda dealership for regular servicing and decided to ask about it, but they're quoting me over $800 to fix it. They said it's a common issue they get all the time and it's something to do with a faulty screen?? Not too sure what exactly, but a friend of mine said he had the same issue and the issue was too sporadic he decided to disconnect the touch screen altogether. It's too much of a distraction to deal with while driving, even for quick trips to the store, etc. It causes cognitive, visual, and manual distractions...these faulty screens are putting us all at a higher risk of being involved in an accident by taking our attention away from driving, even for just a split second.

The vehicle accelerated on its own, while I was parking. My foot was on the brake when the vehicle just took off. It continued to accelerate until a building stopped it. I continued to brake but the vehicle did not stop. Once the vehicle collided with building, saw on the digital read out the "Brake System Malfunction" and then Camera Malfunction. The vehicle was towed from the site and the insurance adjuster has sent me word that the vehicle is a total loss.

The infotainment screen is malfunctioning and making selections on it's own without me, the driver, pushing any buttons or the screen. This is troublesome while driving as I then have to end calls or turn things down, etc. out of nowhere. This also means I am unable to take any calls while driving, which is also a driving hazard and not safe if an urgent call comes through to my phone. It is not usable at this point due to this malfunction. This has been an issue in previous years' models as well, and there have been recalls on this same issue. Not sure why or how this has not been resolved for future models, and is still being sold with this huge malfunction. This is a new vehicle with just under 30,000 miles and should not have this big of a malfunction this early on. There are tons of other owners that report this issue all over online as well. It is a known issue, but yet nothing has been done about it.

The infotainment system has a known "ghost touch" issue. This issue caused a recall in prior models but that recall was not extended to current models. This is an extremely dangerous issue. The screen will turn on loud blasting music, randomly call people, turn off GPS, etc. at any given time. This has happened while I am driving at high speeds on the highway and has nearly gotten me into accidents. This is very concerning. I have reached out to Mazda and they acknowledge it is a known issue but claim it is not a safety issue. I have read multiple forums about this issue and the dangers it poses as it is well documented that distracted driving is incredibly dangerous. This has put multiple people at risk. Imagine accidentally calling your boss when you are driving, realizing the car is doing that when you are driving on an unknown route at high speeds. It is incredibly distracting and dangerous in the moment. Likewise, I have been on a call and the call is repeatedly put on hold or the screen has changed and it is incredibly distracting. Mazda claims this is not a safety issue however, the research is clear that distracted driving is a danger to the driver, passengers, and others on the road. Please conduct an inquiry into this issue. I am happy to provide my car for inspection or to share further information. The issue has been diagnosed and it is known, however the company refuses to issue a recall or pay for repairs.

While backing the vehicle the rear camera sometimes goes off because the screen in the car keeps switching itself to night mode, radio channel, Bluetooth, clock setting and sometimes the screen freezes which is very dangerous while reversing. The car is a CX5 Mazda Touring 2020. I called Mazda dealer today he told me it will cost me $300 to $400. There are no sign of malfunction on the dashboard so far but the radio screen keeps malfunctioning all the time especially when driving and reversing, it been happening for the last 5 days.

When I would stop my car while driving (at a light, a stop sign, traffic, temporary stops for yielding, etc.), the infotainment system would start randomly selecting things on the screen. This would include adjusting volume settings, randomly dialing people from my contacts, canceling navigation systems, etc. This created distractions while trying to drive my vehicle after stopping, including noise issues and inability to navigate places safely. This issue was ongoing for nearly a full year after purchasing my car. Once I finally had the change to take it to the dealership, they reproduced the issue and confirmed it is a common problem. After telling us it was not covered by warranty and my wife applying pressure on them, they replaced it saying they would submit a warranty appeal to Mazda. There were no warning lights or messages, it just began happening not too long after buying the vehicle. The contact stated in August of 2019, NHTSA announced Mazda was conducting a Special Service Program to fix the same issue happening as the contact reported in the 2014-2016 Mazda3. Hopefully this will add to the need for a recall or requiring Mazda to do a similar type of program for 2017-2020 CX-5s.