There are 26 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2018 Mazda CX-5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
While driving through town the braking system malfunctioned and the car came to a stop in the middle of the road with messages on dash saying the smart city braking support was malfunctioning as well as brake assist. Engine light came on as well as traction control light right after the car coming to a sudden hard braking stop. Drove straight to shop to check engine code which was p0882. I am so afraid of this happening on the highway with my daughter in the car. There is a recall for this system but my car isn’t under the recall so I'm sure there are others that are having the issue but aren’t covered under the recall either.
Two bolts simultaneously dislodged brake caliper which, in turn, disconnected brake fluid hose resulting in loss in brake responsiveness.
Parking brake system malfunction. Flashing brake light and the parking exclamation point light on. When I try to release the emergency parking brake it continues to light up on the dashboard as well as yellow flashing light on the physical brake similar problem with 2016 model. Seen multiple people with similar problem but no solution Restarting the car multiple times makes the light go away eventually
Calipers sticking causing brakes to wear down every 3 months.
I had my brakes replaced and when they reactivated the parking brake, it's only working on one side of the car. The mechanic informed me that the car has a faulty actuator and this is a very common problem with my car.
Certified Mazda cx5 sold with faulty wheel bearing and had to be back in service less than 24 hours from purchase. They failed to replace the piece of engine after 35.000 maintenance and another dealer found 5 areas that needed work 3 weeks later. Brake warning system went off took5 days to determine it was a dead switch and replaced exactly one month later Brake system warning goes off after car was In park and off for 25 minutes at the airport. I was told that I was fine to drive it despite the manual clearly saying do not drive if Brake warning lights go on. And it was supposed to have been repaired. The dealership expected me to believe that a rubber mat set off the high tech Brake system this is ridiculous They bought back car did not return the 5000 down payment or 14000 trade in and refused to honor the store warranty of buy back for life KBB 125 of trade in value. They refused to do anything to cancel warranty but then [XXX] canceled all 3 and had no authority or permission by me to illegally cancel my warranty and refuse to provide the documentation that the warranty company insist the dealer has to provide. There is no record of my ownership of this vehicle when VIN is run ir the excessive amount of damage to the car by Koons Mazda silver spring INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Brakes failed when at complete stop car lurched forward about 2 car lengths
Car has 38000 miles and the caliber needed replaced yesterday. Brakes started grinding a day before that slightly in the morning by the time I got off work and drove home it was so loud I was terrified to break at all. Mechanic said he’s not seen calipers seize up like that in a newer model car.
The contact owned a 2018 Mazda CX5. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 35 - 40 MPH, the power steering assist and brakes failed, causing the vehicle to crash into trees. None of the air bags deployed upon impact. All of the warning lights were illuminated. The contact's wife attempted to turn off the vehicle, but it would not turn off. The fire department had to disconnect the battery to turn off the vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact's wife was later taken to the hospital for injuries sustained to her knees. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
ISSUE WAS A FROZEN CALIPER BRACKET ON THE REAR DRIVERS SIDE WHICH RESULTED IN CREATING EXCESSIVE HEAT AND PREMATURE WEAR OF THE PADS AND ROTORS
REAR DRIVERS SIDE CALIPER BECOMES STUCK WHEN ELECTRIC BRAKE WHEN DISENGAGED CAUSING OVER HEATING OF ROTOR AND EXCESS HEAT TO THE WHEEL RESULTING IN PREMATURE WEAR OF ROTOR AND BRAKE PADS AND ALSO COULD LOSE BREAKING CAPABILITY I HAVE MADE AN APPT WITH DEALERSHIP TO RESOLVE ISSUE ON JULY 6TH
MADE A SLOW RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING PLACE TO PICK UP MY DOGS AT THE GROOMER, WHEN I APPLIED BRAKES TO STOP, THE CAR ACCELERATED LURCHING FORWARD. I THEN TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND REAPPLIED INSTEAD OF SLOWING DOWN THE CAR SPED UP AND WAS ONLY STOPPED WHEN I HIT A BRICK BUILDING. I HAD TWO DASH WARNINGS "FRONT CAMERA SENSOR SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" AND "FORWARD SMART CITY BREAD SUPPORT MALFUNCTION" I AM NOT CERTAIN HOW FAST THE CAR WAS MOVING WHEN I HIT THE BUILDING BUT THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE CAR IS SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED. FURTHER THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE PHOTOS OF BOTH THE COLLISION DAMAGE AND THE WARNING LIGHTS. THE DEALERSHIP REQUESTED THEY RUN DIAGNOSTICS AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG CLAIMING THE ACCIDENT WAS MY FAULT AS I MUST HAVE PUT MY FOOT ON BOTH THE BRAKE AND GAS AT THE SAME TIME. I AM AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER AND THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. THE ALSO STATED THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT NOT THE CAUSE. I AM ONLY GRATEFUL I WAS NOT PULLING INTO A SPACE CLOSER TO THE DOOR AS I WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH A PLATE GLASS WINDOW AND MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE CAUSE A SERIOUS INJURY TO ANYONE STANDING IN THE LOBBY.
WHILE LIGHT BRAKING, CAR BRAKES JAM... CAUSING UNINTENDED STOP. DANGEROUS. AT NO TIME WAS A CODE FLAGGED. MENTIONED TO GIRL AT DESK WHEN IN FOR SERVICE 3 TIMES. WHEN CAR WHEN IN FOR SERVICE. LADT SERVICE I BELIEVE CAR WAS PUT ON DIAGNOSTICS. WAS TOLD NOTHING FOUND. BECAUSE IT HAPPENS SO OFTEN, & DEALERSHIP TELLS ME CANNOT FIND ANY PROBLEM...I CALLED A MECHANIC OUTSIDE OF MAZDA. SPOKE ON PHONE WITH MASTER MECHANIC. & DESCRIBED PROBLEM..HE INFORMED ME PROBLEM WAS A SENSOR IN THE TRANSMISSION. CAR SHUTS DOWN & LOCKS. BECAUSE IT HAPPENS SO FAST NO CODE IS GENERATED. SAID IS SERIOUS PROBLEM.
WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AND THERE IS A CAR STOPPED IN FRONT, I WILL START TO BRAKE LIGHTLY AND THEN INCREASE BRAKING IF NEEDED. THREE TIMES THE CAR HAS STOPPED ITSELF WITH MAZDA'S "SMART CITY BRAKE" FEATURE. I HAD SPACE TO STOP IN TIME, BUT THE CAR'S SCB TAKES OVER AND VIOLENTLY BRAKES THE CAR TO A STOP AN INCREASES THE CHANCE OF A REAR END COLLISION FROM A CAR FOLLOWING ME. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. EVERY TIME I HAD CONTROL AND COULD STOP IN TIME AND THE VEHICLE'S ALGORITHM SAYS TOO CLOSE AND STOPS THE CAR VIOLENTLY, EVEN IF I AM APPLYING THE BRAKES ALREADY. UNACCEPTABLE TO HAVE THE SCB FEATURE THIS SENSITIVE, AND SHOULD NOT BRAKE MORE IF THE DRIVER IS ALREADY APPLYING THE BRAKES.
DRIVING IN THE CITY WHILE A CAR IN FRONT IS TURNING RIGHT AND WELL OUT OF THE CARS FUTURE PATH, THE SMART CITY BRAKE FEATURE WILL ILLUMINATE ON THE DASH TO BRAKE. THERE IS NO NEED TO BRAKE AS THE CAR IN FRONT IS TURNING OUT OF THE WAY. VERY ANNOYING AND UPSETS MY WIFE AS A PASSENGER. RADAR NEEDS REFLASHED AND THE BEAM WIDTH BE SMALLER. CAR SHOULD SEE THAT THE CAR IS LEAVING THE RADAR PATH AND SHOULD NOT START BEEP. THIS HAPPENS ALOT.
MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR WITH SPEED 20 AND HIS DAD WAS SITTING NEXT TO HIM. HE TURNED TO NEIGHBORHOOD GATE. HE PRESSED THE BRAKE BUT THE CAR ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN LIKE CRAZY. IN SHORT DISTANCE FROM SPEED 20 WENT TO A SPEED THAT FLIPPED OVER AT THE GATE. INSTEAD OF BRAKE CAR ACCELERATED SO FAST THAT WAS UNBELIEVABLY. HOPEFULLY NO INJURY HAPPENED. BUT THE CAR IS TOTAL LOST.
THE SCBS (SMART CITY BRAKE SUPPORT) SYSTEM OVERREACTS TO OTHER VEHICLES AND FORCES MY VEHICLE TO STOP SUDDENLY (NOT SLOW DOWN) WHEN THERE IS SUFFICIENT DISTANCE FOR ME TO STOP OR THE VEHICLE IN FRONT IS TURNING AND NO THREAT. THIS OVERREACTION HAS NEARLY CAUSED FOUR ACCIDENTS IN WHICH THE SCBS FORCED THE CAR TO BRAKE AND THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME NEARLY HITTING MY CAR. RATHER THAN AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT, THE SYSTEM WILL CAUSES THEM IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE QUICK REACTIONS OF THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 MAZDA CX5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED. THE CONTACT WENT TO THE CHIROPRACTOR FOR TREATMENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AWAY TO TOWING YARD AWAITING INSPECTION FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. THE VEHICLE HAD A NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V497000 (POWER TRAIN, ENGINE). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
PERSISTENT ISSUE WITH SMART CITY BREAK SYSTEMS MALFUNCTIONING CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BREAK WITHOUT WARNING. SO FAR ONLY AT LOW SPEEDS BUT IT TRIGGERS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DUE TO ME PUSHING THE GAS WHILE THE CAR IS TRYING TO BREAK. WHEN I CAN GET TO A SPOT TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF, THEN BACK ON, THE WARNINGS GO AWAY. IT'S VERY UNSETTLING WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND FEELS LIKE AN ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR AT ANY MOMENT AS I CAN'T CONTROL THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. SO FAR THIS HAS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS AND ONCE WHILE DRIVING IN A CURVY COUNTRY ROAD. HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST 5 TIMES IN THE TWO WEEKS I'VE ONLY THE VEHICLE AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS NO IDEA WHAT IS WRONG. THEY REPLACED SOME PARTS BUT IT'S STILL HAPPENING.
12/26/2018 VEHICLE HAS 1500 MILES ON IT. DRY CLEAN PAVEMENT, 39 DEGREES F, AT NIGHT. SLOW SPEED, 15MPH, NORMAL BRAKING IN CONGESTED HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, GOING STRAIGHT, ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY BRAKED VERY HARD, VEHICLE BEHIND STRUCK OUR CAR FROM BEHIND BECAUSE THEY DID NOT ANTICIPATE A VERY HARD BRAKE, CONDITIONS DID NOT CALL FOR A HARD BRAKE. DASH WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON INDICATING "FORWARD SMART CITY BRAKE SUPPORT MALFUNCTION" AND "FRONT CAMERA SENSOR SYSTEM MALFUNCTION". ONLY DAMAGE WAS TO REAR OF VEHICLE, NO INJURIES. VERY DANGEROUS MALFUNCTION. WILL BE BRINGING TO DEALERSHIP TODAY , 12/27/2018. STATE TROOPERS AT SCENE AND REPORT FILED, NOT YET ON HAND FOR SUBMISSION. TWO PHOTOS TAKEN MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT OF DASH ATTACHED.
Showing 1–20 of 26 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026