GarageCalc What the data says
Engine accounts for about 35% of this year's Mazda CX-5 complaints. That is a moderate concentration; worth knowing, but complaints are spread across several areas.
The 2018 model year contributes 41 complaints (19%). Older vehicles dominate, consistent with age-related wear rather than a new defect.
Complaints are up year over year, 182 to 218 (+20%), against a market that rose about 2%. Year-over-year movement is the most useful signal here: a model's sales are roughly stable from one year to the next, so a sharp rise means the per-vehicle complaint rate genuinely moved, not just that the model is popular.
How to read this
Raw complaint totals track how many Mazda CX-5s are on the road as much as they track quality, so a high count on a best-seller is partly a volume story. Complaints are also self-reported: they capture what owners chose to file, not a controlled survey. Use these numbers to know where to look during a pre-purchase inspection and which recalls to check, not as a verdict on their own. Compare any car instantly in the Car Complaint Checker, or read the full 2026 study for the market-wide picture and methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mazda CX-5 reliable?
Complaint counts alone cannot answer that, because they track how many are on the road as much as build quality. What the 2026 data shows: 218 NHTSA complaints so far (rank 56 of 765 models), +20% year over year, with engine the most-cited area. Treat it as a starting point and cross-check recalls and a pre-purchase inspection for the specific vehicle.
What is the most common Mazda CX-5 complaint?
Engine: 77 of the 218 complaints filed in 2026 cite it (about 35%). That is a moderate concentration; worth knowing, but complaints are spread across several areas.
Which Mazda CX-5 model year has the most complaints?
The 2018 model year, with 41 of this year's 218 complaints (about 19%). Older vehicles dominate, consistent with age-related wear rather than a new defect.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, complaints received 2026-01-01..2026-08-24, compared with 2025-01-01..2025-08-24 (same window). Counted once per complaint ID, vehicles only. Aggregated data is available under CC BY 4.0 with a link to GarageCalc.