2018 Mazda CX-5 Complaint Log

During cold starts there is a loud ticking sound coming from the top side of the engine. It appears to be one or more HLA.

The infotainment system randomly goes crazy - as if a ghost is touching the screen. This causes navigation to sudden stop, phone calls to randomly be made, the music to turn on and off, all sorts of other odd things. It can be highly distracting and even dangerous when it impacts navigation. This happens randomly and frequently and has been going on for about 6-7 months. Date below is approximate date it most recently happened.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Engine cylinder head was broken and caused oil leakage How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Oil leakage resulted in a smoky smell while driving and could have led to cars on the road or my own car could have skid leading to a fatal accident Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Dealer has inspected. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear - No warning lamps but there was a smoky smell while driving & visible oil leak under the front hood.

Defective Engine. Cracked Cylinder Head. Engine oil leaked overnight because of known Mazda 2.5 liter Skyactive engine defect.

Ticking sound coming from engine. Likely related to the hydraulic lash adjusters. Vehicle has had a recent oil change by a technician.

Cylinder head cracked at 46,000 miles causing smoke and oil leakage. This was the root of an almost $6,000 repair, leaving me without a vehicle for 15 days. This issue could also lead to more extensive engine problems in the future.

Cracked cylinder head

Infotainment system randomly changes without user input. Distracting when randomly changes channels, brightness. Dangerous when randomly increases volume to maximum settings during driving.

At approximately 65,000 miles, a burning oil odor was detected, and we took our vehicle to the nearest Mazda dealership. Techs confirmed a failed master cylinder resulting in a leak, and that this master cylinder failure is common with 2018 CX-5s resulting from porosity in the cast metal wall creating a leak path over time. I was able to retain the failed casting and all parts which were replaced and am saving for records and analysis. Mazda customer service was contacted about the master cylinder casting failure and declined to cover it because the vehicle was beyond warranty period and because the failure was repaired before I was able to establish contact with Mazda customer service. Note that the failure happened in the approach to the holidays, and while efforts were made to establish contact with Mazda service via website chat, e-mail form submission, and phone, they were unsuccessful due to technical issues on the Mazda site and a non-responsive phone line. I can confirm that my local dealership POC provided me with Mazda corporate contact info per my request when the diagnosis was made (e-mail copies available.) The issue was not on my end, as efforts were made again immediately after Christmas, and phone and website chat were immediately successful when attempted. The website chat log indicating their denial and rationale for denial is available. This same vehicle has also had an issue with the front timing cover leaking as several others have noted, and this issue was also acknowledged by local dealership technicians as an endemic issue with this model. The front timing cover issue were identified and repaired within the 60,000-mile warranty. Copies of available correspondence with Mazda, including dealer invoices/receipts, service records for the vehicle (all done at Mazda dealerships) and chat history with Mazda customer service can be provided.

There is a known issue with 2018 Mazda CX 5 related to a cracked cylinder head. I have just under 60,000 miles and I noticed smoke coming from under the hood near the exhaust manifold and a strong odor of burning oil. Dolan Mazda in Reno, NV has confirmed I have a cracked cylinder head and it is the cause of the burning oil. I am concerned that oil leaking from the cracked cylinder head onto the exhaust is a fire hazard. I feel a recall should be issued.

The cylinder head on my 2018 Mazda CX-5 developed cracks on the exhaust side, leading to significant oil leakage onto the exhaust manifold. This has caused engine damage and safety concerns. The vehicle is currently at a Mazda dealership, where the issue has been inspected and documented. The component is available for further inspection upon request. The oil leaking onto the exhaust manifold creates a serious fire hazard due to the high heat generated in this area. Additionally, the vehicle experienced burning smells and visible smoke coming through the air vents, which could impair visibility or cause distraction while driving. These conditions place the safety of myself, my passengers, and others on the road at risk. The issue has been confirmed by a Mazda dealership. They provided a video showing oil actively dripping from the cracked cylinder head and stated that the engine requires a full replacement. Mazda dealership video: [XXX] This video contains the engine inspection findings conducted at the dealership during my recent visit. It clearly shows the damage and highlights the issues identified. The vehicle has been inspected by the Mazda dealership service team, who identified the cracks in the cylinder head and documented the oil leakage and related engine damage. There were no warning lamps or messages on the dashboard prior to the failure. The symptoms began with a noticeable burning smell inside the cabin, followed by a slight mist coming out of the air vents and smoke from under the hood. Oil leakage was later observed on the ground, and the coolant level appeared empty. I’ve received a video inspection of my vehicle from the service center on March 7, 2024 with no concerns at that time, which you can view here: [XXX] . This link leads to TruVideo, a platform that many dealerships use to share service videos with customers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

There was a burnt rubber smell coming off the vents, took to dealership and they confirmed there was an issue with the front timing cover and was replaced. Less that a week later, there was smoke coming from the hood of the car. Took back to dealership unaware if it was recurring issue but it was determined there was a NEW oil leak due to faulty cylinder head needing replacement on my car which has less than 50,000 miles. While there was no warning lights, the car was unsafe to drive in that condition.

The cylinder head cracked while waiting for a light to change at a busy intersection, causing heavy smoke to enter the vehicle through the air vents with the heater on. The smoke filled the car quickly, causing my wife and me to exit the vehicle at the very busy intersection. A local independent service center diagnosed the problem. I was unable to drive the vehicle to the manufacturer for safety reasons and smoke filling the cabin. No warning lights were displayed. This vehicle was maintained following the manufacturer's recommendations throughout its 77,000 mile life.

Purchased vehicle from dealership drove 1650 miles, cylinder head began leaking, excessive oil. Took vehicle to repair shop their assessment cracked cylinder head. Warranty expired, dealership refused help in addition to Mazda Corp. unless brought to nearest dealership 140 miles away, with no guarantee. Vehicle is not driveable, I do have photos of the cracks.

We are a senior citizen couple driving this 2018 Mazda. Went out to garage to find a significant size area of oil spillage on the floor. The car has just over 25,000 as we are low mileage drivers. Took to a mechanic to find out it is a cracked head and oil is steaming out of the crack.i have since learned that Mazda is well aware of the weakness in this model and has chosen not to do anything about it. Our car is out of warranty. It would be a hardship for us to repair. And if repaired, would it happen again? This has recall written all over it, as well as a class action suit. I would like our vehicle repaired at no cost to us. How long were they aware of this issue? I have found hundreds of complaints. I prefer not to pursue this legally but this is unacceptable by Mazda. This was my second Mazda purchase but will be my last if they cannot stand behind their products.

This car has a confirmed cracked cylinder head and is leaking oil. This is a known issue and there is a TSB out for it. It happened at $62500 miles and is just outside of the warranty. This has happened to several of these cars. Mazda is not doing "good will" to repair them and there is not yet a recall which there should be. The car suddenly started leaking oil and smoking/burning. It is unsafe and a defective cylinder head. Mazda should be taking responsibility for this

The engine cylinder head has a crack that has caused the engine oil to leak from the engine. This seems to be a common issue known by Mazda. The oil has saturated the right front brake and portions of the undercarriage, that will also need to be cleaned and or replaced. We had the car looked at a repair shop in Portland OR. they let us know this is a huge problem with this engine and we have not had this repaired as of this note. we will contact or dealer where we purchased the CX-5 and see about getting it replaced. This happened as my Wife was driving from California to our home in Washington. She noticed the oil light was flickering and she found a repair shop in Portland that looked at it and for that the head was cracked. Our car has 89,413 miles on it and has been maintained and does not have any other issues at this time.

Excessive intermittent Engine vibration at 10 mph to 40 mph at very light load, very light throttle. If a very light throttle Is applied or removed the vibration seems to go away. In light traffic at low speed the vibration is of concern as to the damages it may further cause. On 11/19/2024 Boucher Mazda charged me to perform PCM and TCM updates which did not correct the problem. On 12/11/2024 Russ Darrow Mazda of Greenfield Wi, thought a motor mount KN-39-040 should be replaced. $540.28 later, the problem is worse. I believe the problem is caused by the CYLINDER DEACTIVATION issue Identified by Recall 3719F which I was never notified. This is a safety issue, because I don’t know when the engine is to fail or stall or what the damages will be. I pay a large fee for Diagnosing only to get “LIP” Service.

The engine makes a tapping noise during the cold weather that will only go away after the engine has been fully warmed up. This a known issue for with a TSB sent out. However, the issue persist even after repair. The repair is extremely costly and can reach the thousands. This issue also causes worry there is no knowing if the problem will lead to issues further down.

2018 CX-5 has a cracked or porous (depending who is telling me the issue) cylinder head at 60000 miles. I was told by the Mazda service advisor that the issue is common. I reached out to Mazda for assistance in covering their faulty part and was told they would not cover any of it.

One of the Cylinder heads has a crack in which has cause some oil to leak in the affected area. This is not the 2.5T engine, there is a TSB out for those engines. The affected engine is the 2.5 NA engine.

At approximately 57,000 miles, the cylinder head cracked. It was leaking oil and white smoke was coming out of the engine bay. There were no warning lights. I have since gotten the cylinder head replaced.

We purchased our vehicle from Riley Mazda in September 2018. Shortly after reaching approximately 50,000 miles, we began to notice that the gauges would fluctuate, and there was a slight burning odor in the car cabin. We replaced the air filters for both the engine and cabin, as well as performed an engine oil change. In October, we had a brake flush done when we inquired about the burning smell coming from under the hood. Despite our concerns, the dealership was unable to identify any problems at that time. On a subsequent visit, we paid a diagnostic fee of $220.00. It was during this visit that the dealership discovered an issue with the engine. The newly identified problems will significantly impair the vehicle's performance and decrease its value. Additionally, we anticipate needing future repairs, which could pose serious safety hazards.

Vehicle has a cracked cylinder head at 43,000 miles. It is leaking oil and will lead to further engine damage if not repaired. Dealer inspected and diagnosed the problem. There were no vehicle warnings. It was brought to dealer because it was leaking oil and smelled of burning oil. It appears to be a common problem with Mazda Cx5s.

The contact owns a 2018 MAZDA CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the infotainment system displayed a blank screen, then one minute later, the infotainment screen displayed as intended. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and turned on and off the vehicle and the infotainment system displays as intended. The contact mentioned that this failure has occurred on several different occasions. The contact stated that the infotainment system independently displays calls, and the radio comes on independently. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

The infotainment system on the Mazda consistently glitches causing vehicle settings to be changed while the vehicle is in motion or stopped. The volume changes, navigation settings change, maintenance settings change including door settings and any setting that can be controlled by the touch screen. If a phone is connected to the system it will make calls and stop volume on system. Additionally, when reversing and the back up camera is enabled/used the screen glitches and you can no longer see a large portion of the rear view - making it a very large safety hazard. There are thousands of people who report this and little has been done for years other than people being charged for an entire replacement and the issue just comes back. Please see duffy v. Mazda, filed this year. There has also been another Mazda model where the infotainment was identified by nhtsa to be faulty - the repair period was extended 7 years but has been expired for years now - it has not covered any of the CX models. Dealers are very aware of this.

Entertainment touch screen has a ghost touch, randomly will click options or turn music up or change my destination for GPS. Huge distraction, have almost ran into back of cars/ ran off the road trying to get my destination on GPS back going again.

First warning was the oil light came on and I became aware of a leak. When I took it to the mechanic the next day, he described a porous spot on the side of the cylinder head that had opened up and was rapidly losing oil when the engine was running. I understand that this is not a unique problem to my vehicle but is common with this model year. I am concerned that the engine will run out of oil and malfunction causing loss of control at highway speed. The car is currently scheduled for confirmation of the problem with the local Mazda dealer.

The car would produce white smoke under the engine hood after getting to speed. It would smell like burnt oil. The shop found a crack in the 3rd cylinder. Will need to replace the cylinder head.

My car has a center display that is touch screen when you're not driving but once moving you have to use controls to move around the screen. Lately as I'm driving the screen starts moving rapidly into different menus whether it's the music or time or contacts. Most recently it started changing my display from day to night. So that during the day it dims so dark I can no longer use it for mapping causing safety issues. As well, I've tried getting it to stop while driving which is of course not good. Today I was using car play and playing iheart radio and suddenly it was switching to different iheart channels. I've googled and found many other Mazda owners have had the same problem. Some of have gone to the dealership and if out of warranty they've had to pay upwards to $1200. Others have posted videos showing how to DIY it. That's something I'm not going to try as it could end up creating more problems. Apparently this is a result of the touch screen. So people are going through and disconnecting the touch screen capability.

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.

The center display on it own ( ghosting) changes setting randomly this impacts safety information displayed including rear camera, and distracts the driver. The cause is a defectinve digitizer on the LCD screen panel. The 2016 model year of the same car Mazda CX-5 has a simalar problem and was recalled There is no warning prior to these occurances

Engine seems that it cracked. The car has 66K and has good maintenance record. I took my 2018 CX5 to Mazda for a possible oil leak. Mechanic says block has hairline crack, is leaking oil down exhaust manifold and engine needs to be replaced. It seems a known issue with this model & Mazda is aware of the problem. There is no recall or class action lawsuit that either of us found. Mazda has said this car in no longer under warranty. It has 66K and the engine is broken?

The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving downhill at an undisclosed speed, the oil warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a cylinder head leak. The dealer replaced the cylinder head and the gasket. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

Cylinder head was found to be cracked for a while on the vehicle. This was discovered at 117K miles but likely was cracked well before judging from the age of the oil in the engine bay. Car has been maintained well this shouldn't be happening at all this early into its life.

The infotainment center glitches and starts clicking things on its own, often changing the volume to all the way loud suddenly orchanging radio station constantly, startling me while I am driving and causing major distraction which can easily lead to an accident. Settings, including safety setting start to get changed on their own while driving as well. The edges of the screen on the infotainment center are also crackling on their own inside the screen somehow, and I am not sure if heat has caused this, and been making this issue worse because it is only ever wiped with a microfiber cloth.

Burnt oil smell started being noticed in the cabin. Checked for leaks and none was found. Took the car to the dealer and it turns out the cylinder head is cracked. Dealer acknowledged this is an ongoing manufacturing issue. I contacted Mazda corporate to see if I qualify for after warranty assistance. No engine lights are on. Car has been maintained properly.

I bought this brand new in 2018 (Aug.) and I take care of this car very well. I was in the Korean Army, and I worked at the motor pool taking care of cars and trucks. Last year, I noticed my oil level decreasing that I kept refilling. I just thought it was burning some oil. Last week, I was losing lots of oil with some smoke (oil burning). I took the car to a local shop and they said "the cylinder head appears to be leaking oil from the back drivers side of the head".

Mazda vehicles currently have an infotainment system that that is touch screen when the vehicle is stopped or below 10 MPH. Above 10 MPH, the touch screen disables and can only be used with the control console. Mazda infotainment systems have a "ghost touch" issue where when stopped, will behave abnormally and select random menus, options etc. Today while stopped at a red light, this ghost touch issued caused the infotainment system to TURN OFF blind spot monitoring and smart city brake support (automatic braking.) Due to the ghost touch, the control console wheel does not over ride the ghost touch issue. I could not turn these safety features back on until I started moving the car (accelerating ABOVE 10 mph) while driving at which point the touch screen "disables" and only allows the input of the manual control wheel. Mazda is aware this is an issues and refused to recall/fix these defective units outside of warranty without charging $500 - $1000 per customer.

My vehicle is affected by a well known "ghost touch" infotainment touch screen issue. Due to safety hazard nature of this issue, Mazda had a recall program but it only covered Mazda3 models (Special Service Program SSPB6 - see attached file). My issue was diagnosed and confirmed by an authorized Mazda dealer (see attached file). I contacted Mazda customer center about this issue and they declined any help "due to the mileage and service history" (case number: 00284155). Mazda acknowledged that "ghost touch" issue is caused by manufacturing error but apparently they are not willing to fix it unless forced to, even though the issue poses a safety hazard.

I noticed a burning smell while driving. Smoke started coming through the air vents and made me light-headed. I asked my son to take a look, and he said that oil was dripping onto the exhaust and smoking, and it could have caught on fire. There were no warning lamps or any other indicators besides the smell and smoke. I could have passed out from inhaling the smoke and died, or my car could have caught on fire. I took my car to the Mazda dealer. They confirmed that my car was affected by the well-known 2018-2021 CX-5 cylinder head crack. They quoted me $4848 to fix it. When I asked if they could help me with the price, they offered me 10% off. I told them that’s unacceptable. After much back and forth with the dealer and Mazda Corporate, they dropped the total to $1470.60.

Defective sealant used on timing cover, already leaking engine oil at 85000km… also confirmed as the same engine prone to cylinder head cracking from poor casting dimensions resulting in engine oil contacting the exhaust manifold and smoking. Possible fire hazard. Engine can seize up from low oil pressure at highway speeds and lock up the wheels causing an accident. Not sure why Mazda hasn’t issued a recall for this obvious safety concern… reminds me of Hyundai/Kia engine problems and now they’ve been sued and replacing thousands of engines for free.

After online research, other people with Mazda vehicles have had the same problem and it’s called ghost touch. My screen controls go automatically without me touching any dials while I’m driving, which is extremely distracting and unsafe. I have tried to get it fixed by a few dealerships and they either put it off or say it’s not under warranty/recall.

2018 mazda started smoking from under hood and noticed a burning oil smell. Took to mechanic and was told engine head gasket has a huge Crack. Car only has 22k on it and never been in any accident. All appropriate preventative services are up to date. There was no indication light no warning light nothing to identify why the car was leaking oil and smoking until it was looked at. This has multiple.complaints in regards to this specific year and model and needs to be addresses before someone's car catches fire or stalls in the middle of highway

Mazda has a safety problem with the infotainment system in their CX-5 models 2014 - 2020 and refuses to recall or do anything about it. The infotainment system has a ghost in the machine that changes settings while driving and literally screams at you through the stereo system. The ghost turns the volume all the way up and shouts, "navigation will be at this volume" over and over again (10+ times in a row). I try turning down the volume, but the ghost continually changes the volume back to max and continues shouting. Most often, this occurs when facing the sun. The ghost also changes all sorts of system settings, some relating to safety features such as lane departure, and blind spot warnings. When this occurs, it is incredibly distracting, and many times I have had to pull off the side of the road, until the issue subsides, just to get back on the road and have the issue continue to persist. This safety issue surfaced shortly after my warranty expired. In having the vehicle serviced, I was told it was either the control knob or infotainment screen. In 2023, I opted to have the control knob replaced out of pocket as that was the less expensive option ($600+). The screen replacement was quoted at $1200+. Since that time, the issue has persisted and worsened. In doing my own research online, thousands of Mazda customers have this exact same issue in models spanning from 2014 - 2020. The ghost is attributed to the touch screen function and a faulty wire mechanism. Many consumers have taken apart their dashboards (a huge undertaking) to disconnect the touchscreen wire and resolved the ghost problem, leaving the touchscreen non-functional. I have tried contacting Mazda corporate to explain this is a major safety concern and that I am a person who has auditory/sensory sensitivities. They refuse to make this right and I refuse to spend more money to fix a known issue that spans over 7 years.

Moon roof exploded

The radio changes stations by itself, speakers/music goes in and out. The screen freezes and cannot change stations. And also the car lags on taking off sometimes. Often smells like fuel when you turn on the car, Assuming a fuel pump issue, not sure. I spoke to the salesman who sold me the car (adam) within less than 30 days of having the vehicle and told me the electrical issue with radio would be covered. Then when I called to have the issue fixed I was told it wasnt going to fixed on their behalf. This car was sold to me with a few issue that I was not aware at the time of purchase.

The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently decelerated and lost motive power. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with fuel pump failure. The contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with fuel pump failure and fuel pump rail failure. The contact was informed that the fuel pump and the fuel rail needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V875000 (Fuel system, Gasoline) however the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

Issue with the engine cylinder head leaking engine oil from the side of the cylinder head, where the casting has a defect. Leaks engine oil onto the flashing for the exhaust and exhaust manifold, where it could catch fire. The problem has been confirmed and diagnosed by a licensed mechanic. However, the dealer would not take responsibility for repair or assistance in repair. There are no warnings, while driving and after stopping, the smell of burning oil comes into the car and also smoke from the engine compartment.

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to report a serious issue with the 2018 Mazda CX-5, specifically regarding the structural integrity of the cylinder head. This defect leads to significant oil leakage, toxic smoke entering the vehicle, and substantial repair costs for owners. Despite these problems, it appears Mazda has not initiated a recall, despite being aware of the issue. My wife owns a 2018 Mazda CX-5 with approximately 80,000-90,000 miles. Recently, after she returned home from work, we noticed gray, billowing smoke emanating from the hood. The smell of burning oil and rubber permeated our garage and home, making it difficult to breathe. We took the car to an independent technician at AAMCO, who, after a thorough evaluation, concluded that the cylinder head was cracked. Given the car's mileage and overall condition, they were extremely surprised and double-checked all other possibilities before reaching this conclusion. They informed us that this issue seems widespread, as evidenced by their online research (links provided below). For further verification, I drove the car to a Mazda dealership, which took about an hour due to avoiding the highway. During the drive, I continuously smelled burning oil, which raises significant health concerns, especially for my pregnant wife. The dealership acknowledged that this issue occurs with the CX-5 and quoted us $5,350 before tax for repairs. While my wife and I are fortunate enough to afford this repair, many consumers may not have $5,500 readily available to fix a manufacturing defect. This situation underscores the urgent need for Mazda to address this problem through a recall. Sincerely, [XXX] A few links below: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)