NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Mazda CX-5. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Our 2021 Mazda CX-5 infotainment/backup screen went black/blank. I could still hear radio, but when vehicle put in reverse, backup camera not working. Tried a recommended “fix” which was putting vehicle in reverse and pushing down volume knob for 3 seconds which did not work. Turned vehicle off, waited a minute and then restarted but screen still black and backup camera not working. After vehicle sat for approximately 15 minutes, restarted vehicle and system back to normal. Contacted decker and they had no fix. This is the third time this type of incident has occurred since purchasing vehicle in March 2021.
My car have barely 10k miles and every 3k miles the oil engine light turn on. I thought was a leak but there is no leak or spilled oil anywhere. I find out that lots of 2021 mazda engine have the same issue and that BURN oil for a valve fail that Mazda still didnt recall. To confirm i had a mechanic check for it and they state that engine is burning oil and is not supposed to, expecially because the car barely have 10k miles in almost 3 years driving and that many other customers with same year and vehicle have the same issue .
Just before taking the vehicle for a second oil change at a total of 11,664 miles or approximately 7,000 miles between changes, I noticed that the oil level was at least 1 quart below normal. I added oil to make sure that it was above the add point on the dipstick. I researched and found several other complaints about other 2021 Mazda turbo engines with the same complaint. I'm concerned that this excessive use of oil will damage the internal parts of the engine.
I was on vacation and returning home when I got a message on my Mazada App that there was an issue detected. It was time for an oil change which I intended doing when I returned home. The message stated that I had Low oil level and to add 1 qt. of engine oil. The "oil" light illuminated on the dashboard and I immediately pulled over and turned the vehicle off for 5 minutes as stated in the owners manual. When I restarted the car the "oil" light was off but I was very fearful of driving the car as I had 6 hours of driving left to get home. I found an instant oil change facility and immediately had the oil changed and refilled to full. I contacted the dealer to record this incident. The car has 25,000 miles on it and I religiously take the vehicle to the Mazada garage for all required services. This is the first time this happened with this vehicle. My advice from the dealer was to keep checking the oil level every week.
The low oil light has come on a total of 3 times already for me and I'm only at 18k miles. I have gotten 4 oil changes already. The 2021 models burn oil like crazy and Mazda has not put out an official recall yet. There's a TSB (01-012/21) and a class action lawsuit (8:22-cv-01055 )
I have only 20k miles on my car and my engine's oil consumption has suddenly jumped. Despite checking my oil frequently, my oil becomes low and the oil warning light comes on. The oil warning light last came on while I was traveling on a snowy 2 lane canyon road while leaving a ski resort in Utah. I had to immediately stop my car on a busy, icy road to add more oil. I almost got hit by a sliding car and killed. I went to the dealer with this problem and they told me they could not help me unless my oil light was on. Driving with a oil light on in the winter is dangerous. The engine could seize and leave me stranded on the side of the road. The dealership said to run the car low on oil with the oil light on and them come in.
The engine low oil light comes on every ~3000 miles when Mazda recommends an oil change at every 7,500 miles. For some reason this engine eats oil and has consistently reproduced the check engine light every 3k miles. Mazda hasn't issued an official recall but has published a technical service bulletin.
Engine burns excess oil and must be topped off before service is due. The dealership acknowledges this is a problem on all 2021 Mazda turbo engines. Mazda has no fix. The first time occurred when I was driving in the country in July 2022 and the check oil light came on. Today, March 3, my check oil light lit up. I am not due for service for another 1800 miles. I have read it is a valve stem problem which causes oil to leak into the engine which can cause the car to stall among other issues such as unnecessary wear and tear. A class action suit has been filed in California (Heinz vs Mazda) November 15, 2022.
I experienced a sudden unintended acceleration incident. I pulled into my driveway and stopped the vehicle with my foot firmly on the brake since my driveway is sloped. I pushed the garage door opener remote when suddenly the vehicle accelerated and shot forward hitting the garage door. There was no brake action and all backup systems failed. There was no Automatic Emergency Braking or Forward Collision Warning. There were no warning lights displayed. No airbags were deployed. If the garage door had been open, the vehicle would have hit a concrete wall in the garage. The vehicle was taken to the Mazda dealership and a full circle inspection and diagnostic check. Mazda found no codes and everything was working as designed in vehicle.
It appears that my car has the check oil level light coming on at approximately 3000 to 4000 miles after an oil change. This seems like a safety issue to me because a brand new car should not be burning a quart of oil at this interval.
oil consumption on a 2021 Turbo CX-5. problem has been reproduced and confirmed by dealer. warning lights twice. first time told it was normal. happened twice. only on my third maintenance oil change was it acknowledged. had to do a lot of research on my own. caused enormous stress to existing mental health issues. would not have even been addressed had i not stated the issue.
Engine is either burning or leaking oil. The low oil light flashed after a 2hr highway trip (traveling to my parent's house for Christmas with my wife), low oil was confirmed the following day via dipstick. Oil was changed at the dealership about 4 months ago, mileage is under 24k miles. Looks to be related to this service bulletin, which still does not appear to have a fix or recall associated with it. Mazda Oil Consumption TSB Turbo Engines Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, TIRES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM NHTSA ID Number: 10202685 Manufacturer Communication Number: 01-012-21-3832 5 Affected Products Vehicles MAKE MODEL YEAR MAZDA CX-30 2021 MAZDA CX-5 2021 MAZDA CX-9 2021 MAZDA MAZDA3 2021 MAZDA MAZDA6 2021 Summary Some vehicles may have a LOW ENGINE OIL LEVEL warning message and a CHECK ENGINE light illuminated in the instrument cluster, along with DTC P250F:00 stored in memory. DTC P250F:00 - Engine oil level signal: engine oil level low. Upon inspecting the engine oil level, the level is found to be low and there doesn't appear to be any trace of oil leakage in the engine compartment. This concern usually occurs when the mileage reaches approximately 3,100 - 4,700 miles (5,000 - 7,500km) and may also occur again after replacing or topping off the engine oil. The root cause of this concern has not been identified yet, therefore a repair procedure will be announced at a later date. Since this issue has been reported after a valve stem seal modification, it is very likely that valve stem seal damage is causing oil to leak into the combustion chamber.
My car is a 2021 CX-5, Turboed AWD vehicle. It keeps consuming oil. I took it to the dealership, Sandy Sansing Mazda in Pensacola, where I purchased the car. The technicians informed me that these models are known to consume oil. They did not tell me that when I bought it in September of 2022! They had a technical service bulletin, which works as a policy for the company, with a range of VIN numbers that indicated the vehicles with those VIN numbers are likely to have a manufacturing defect that allows oil to leak into the combustion chamber. My car's VIN number falls within that range. While I purchased this vehicle to drive long distances, including to see and care for my mother in NC, who was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and to Alaska from FL, my newish (pre-certified) car runs out of oil quickly. It must be causing internal damage (plugs, wires, exhaust, and the cylinders). When I asked the Mazda techs to fix the issue, they informed me they would not uphold the warranty, because I put oil in the vehicle. I was 400 miles away from home on a trip, on a Sunday, when a light in my car came on that indicated the car was low on oil. Why wouldn't I put oil in it? It is not safe to drive a vehicle with no oil, as it could cause the engine to stop working. One time, my oil pump went out in a 2002 Tacoma, and my camshaft welded itself together, or to other parts of the engine, at 70 mph down a highway. I lost power steering, power brakes, power in general. The timing belt was instantly shredded. It's not safe to drive cars that consume oil so rapidly between recommended changes. Mazda would not uphold their warranty responsibly, and they have known about the defect for some time, yet they are still selling cars that are unsafe to drive.
Low engine oil light appeared despite standard maintenance service and oil change at Mazda dealer the prior month. Service technician confirmed oil was low by 1 and 3/4 quarts and added oil. Mazda dealership advised there is a service bulletin for my vehicle with this problem dating back to 2021, and that the problem is likely due to a faulty valve, but that they have no planned fix available. I am concerned about the long-term damage of engine oil continually leaking into the combustion chamber. Mazda should be asked to fix this for car owners, not simply top off our oil each time that it leaks.
Low oil light appears at least twice between oil changes.
When I reached 7000 miles on my car the low oil light came one. I immediately drove it to the dealership - ending a vacation early as I thought something was seriously wrong with the car. I got to dealership and they blamed me for getting an oil change at a competitor and not putting in enough oil. They then changed the oil and again at 12000 the low oil light came on. There seems to be an oil consumption issue that Mazda is NOT admitting to or fixing. Every time I drive more than 4500 miles the car is 1/2 a quart low and it warns me. Now the dealership wants me to spend HUNDREDS of dollars on a vehicle in warranty for oil consumption testing....though there is no leak and no soot in the tail pipe.
The car has a key fob which is supposed to automatically lock the car when you walk away (and unlock when you press a button on the door handle when the fob is in close proximity). My car sometimes does not lock when I walk away. They encourage relying on this method, and so sometimes I return to my car, and it is unlocked. I consider this a safety issue both from a personal safety standpoint and from a car theft/ interior item theft standpoint. I have tried discussing this with the dealership repair department, but they mansplain to me that you have to walk FAR away for the lock to activate (which is actually directly contrary to the owner's manual for this model, as well as my personal experience).
Vehicle drives very "rough" at low speeds less than 30 mph. The car feels like it is jumping and can't tell at what year it should be driving in. This is very noticeable when driving around residential areas. This is a common issue with the Mazdas with the Skyactive engines. Dealership in Raleigh knew about this problem and said that there is nothing they can do except possibly provide an update to the computer software. I have written to Mazda corporation regarding this and of course, no response was received. Mazda needs to acknowledge this problem with their special transmission/engines and FIX this. I shouldn't be having these kinds of issues with a vehicle that has less than 13,000 miles
While Driving the car in highway and you turn signals to change lanes and that moment you start changing the automatic brake system activated and car suddenly brake almost making me get in to a rear collision this happens twice in highway, it also happens twice in city driving while cruising street and theres is nothing in front of you the emergency brake light shows brake as emergency and car suddenly brake without having anything on front
At 16,550 miles (5675 miles since the last oil change), my oil pressure light came on. Per owner's manual, I turned the car off & let the oil drain into the pan for 5 minutes. I checked the oil but due to it being so hot it was hard to get an accurate reading. I turned the car back on & the oil light was off. I proceeded to drive into town and 25 miles later the light came on again. I checked the oil & it appeared to be very low. I added a quart of oil and the light went off. I checked the oil level later when the car was cool & the oil level on the dipstick was now halfway between the 2 dots on the dipstick. I drove about 300 miles home from our trip and the light never came back on. I took it to the dealership the next day & the technician said no codes showed that my oil level was low and they said my oil level was now 2 Qts too high. I only added 1 and they changed it last. Even though I was told there was a known issue involving a valve stem seal, they told me Mazda will not authorize the repair unless the engine code error is present (P205F?) & the low oil light is on. They were unable to explain why my low oil light came on. I was told that I need to change my oil every 5k miles even though the owner's manual says I can go up 7500 miles. They also told me that I should wait 10-15 minutes to let the oil drain after shutting the car off and not the 5 minutes that it states in my owner's manual. They told me if this issue happens again, to have my car towed to the nearest Mazda dealership. However, again the repair would only be done if both conditions were present. A bulletin had been produced on this issue but not provided to the owners of the vehicles. This is a safety risk since I was on a trip and would never imagine having this issue with a new car 1year old. Had I known this was an issue, I could have been more prepared. Potentially letting oil continue to seep into the combustion chamber of my engine is not ok.
I am having 2021 cx5 signature turbo 3400 mile and the engine light can me on upon checking the oil level was to low mark burnt out . I am concern that Mazda have not came up. With a recall yet.
Upon exiting my local car wash, I drove my car around to the area used for vacuuming. I pulled into the parking space and when I applied the brake pedal to stop, the car suddenly accelerated and crashed into the wall of the building. I have the Car Wash Security Camera footage of this incident. It shows my brake light is ON at the car's point of acceleration and my brake light is ON at point of impact with the wall. If you need to review it, I can email it to you.
Car has 13000 miles and is consuming oil
Detected slight odor of burning oil while highway driving, mileage approximately 8,650. Three days later “low oil level” warning light lit up, mileage 8928. Allowed car to rest and checked oil level manually. Oil level was slightly above the minimum required. No signs of oil on garage floor.
Low oil level between oil change cycles with over 1,000 miles remaining before oil change is required. This has happened between both oil changes so far and I have to add oil myself to ensure oil level isn’t low. The oil consumption seems extremely high and is concerning that at only 12,000 miles I’ve had this problem happen twice.
New vehicle at approximately 6,000 miles and again at 9,500 turned on low oil light dashboard. Added one quart oil each time (twice) to restore oil level. Vehicle currently has approximately 10,500 miles. McDonald Mazda West slow to respond to performing warranty service related to TSB 01-012/21. Thank you.
Motor using excessive amount of oil. Vehicle has just turned 20,000 miles. Uses a quart of oil ever 1500 miles or so.
Engine burns about 1 quart of oil ever 5000 miles since new.
Engine oil light indicated low oil level at 6000 miles. Dealer states there is a TSB on this issue but no repair process is available.
Engine oil consumption - around 2000 miles after oil change.
Oil burning and leaking as well after only 14,500 miles. I see there is a Class Action lawsuit filed against Mazda in late May of 2022 regarding faulty oil stem seals that cause oil to leak into the combustion chamber which will eventually cause O2 sensors to fail, catalytic convertors and engine valve failure. Dealer acted like they never knew about this issue and initially told me it was "normal" while the engine breaks in to burn oil. They attributed the "leak" to a faulty oil filter they put on during my recent oil change on July 8. Ridiculous that a brand-new car burns and leaks oil. Massive cover up by Mazda and a recall should be demanded. Apparently, they either do not want to spend 1000's of dollars in recalls or they do not have a fix. Either way, not owning up to this is a travesty and injustice!
New vehicle at approximately 5,500 miles turned on low oil light dashboard. Added one quart oil each time to restore oil level. Vehicle currently has approximately 7,000 miles. McDonald Mazda West slow to respond to performing warranty service related to TSB 01-012/21. Thank you.
Oil consumption issue with the 2.5T motor. Engine is burning oil at an accelerated rate.
Low oil light keeps coming on before it’s due. Went to dealer and they gave me a notice of a bulletin. 01-012/21. It states there is an issue where the engine leaks oil faster and could eventually cause engineer damage. They are asking us to come in more frequently for oil changes or to top off. Unknown what the fix is and it’s been on multiple new Mazda vehicle types.
While beginning to turn into an interstate exit lane, all dashboard lights lit up, the engine died, and the car stopped. Power brakes & steering were inactivated. My husband was able to coast the car to the shoulder. My Mazda app said nothing wrong with car. Waited 3 hours for tow as we were out of state. The Mazda dealership found the high pressure fuel pump to have a malfunction. Two different technicians at the dealership related that Mazda was aware of the issue & had not yet issued a recalled.
Low oil light came on 4500 miles after oil change. Engine used nearly 2 quarts of oil quarl in that distance. Engine burning excessive amount of oil. No oil leaks. Burning oil internally. Reported to dealer.
July 6, 2021 Low oil light came on and I stopped to check oil and it was down 1quart. Then added oil. Miles on car 28,734. I always have oil changed every 5k miles and this was between oil changes. Happened 3200 miles into my next oil change. Mazda has a TSB out in reference to these engines and the TSB is TSB NO 01-012/21 Dated October 4, 2021. It states that Mazda is aware of the problem and as soon as they identify the root cause a complete repair will be made. I will be bringing vehicle into dealer for an oil comsumption test in the next 1500 miles when my oil change is due. The dealer does know there problems with these engines stated in the TSB. My safety and all others are good. On the Mazda Forum there are many complaints and I mean many complaints on this exact same issue I'm experiencing with this vehicle. People are extremely frustrated and getting excuses that this is just normal for these engines to use a quart of oil every 3 or 4 k miles. I don't agree and this is not normal.
My check oil light has come on 3 times in between my first and 2nd oil changes. Added a total of 1 1/2 quarts between the 3 oil changes. Made the dealership aware of this last week at 2nd oil change. They’ve begun to monitor my mileage with my oil consumption and I’ll go in every 500 miles so they can document.
On July 4th when car had only 10,300 miles driven on it, oil light came on. Oil level was down over 1.5 quarts. Car was not due for an oil change for another 1800 miles.
I bought a 2021 Mazda CX-5 from Ramsey Mazda of Des Moines, IA. It offered comparable comfort & features. A selling point was the safety features touted by the salesman. Odd things occurred during the first few months but I attributed it to a learning curve. I saw some odd messages but I really did not think it was relevant until June 28, 2022. I was backing out from a parking space. The Blind Spot Monitoring failed to indicate a car approaching from the right that then stopped in my blind spot. I hit the car behind me. Despite the fact, I understand personal responsibility, I never would have had the BSM worked correctly. I dropped the car off on July 15, 2022 to the Ramsey Mazda Service Center after the BSM failure and a Check Engine Light appeared. I already had the Ramsey Mazda Collision Center look at the car and told them of the of the BSM failure. That man doing the estimate said he had heard of those failures before. On July 15, I dropped the car off at the Ramsey Mazda Service Center to look at the BSM, a Check Engine light, the door locks and the hatch opening on its own. I tried to tell the Service Center that there was something severely wrong with the electrical system in this vehicle. I have a witness to its erratic behavior, but I was continually dismissed. There is more wrong now with my car than when I left it with the dealership. They kept my car for 19 days. During the 19 days, I continually had to call and check on the status of my vehicle. Ramsey Mazda was not and is still not initiating conversation with me or responding to voicemails. The manager of the Ramsey Mazda Dealership on Hickman in Des Moines, IA (JD) is supposed to be handling this issue personally with Mazda Corporate because it now “appears” to be affecting multiple systems in his words. Multiple issues include but are not limited to the BSM, Seat Belt notifications, power driver’s seat, camera system, cruise control system, entertainment system, & hands free communications.
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil light illuminated. The contact stated he stopped at a local gas station and purchased a quart of oil and topped off the oil level. The vehicle was driven to the dealer. The contact stated that after servicing the vehicle, the dealer informed him that the manufacturer had denied the repair because the check engine light was not illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
Car is burning oil. The low oil level light has come on twice, requiring additional oil be poured into the engine between oil changes. Appears the car is burning oil.
Low engine oil level light & status is coming on for our 2021 Mazda CX-5 turbo. It has 9115 miles and still 1300 miles away from needing oil change. I called our dealership today & was informed we were the 2nd to call today with message. They provided no further info. I have since found there are technical bulletins regarding this issue. Recalls need to be made & Mazda should be covering all repair costs for this.
At approximately 5,612 miles, the low oil pressure light came on. After changing the oil, it happened again at 7,760 miles. Both times the light came on, the oil level was low.
Vehicle has had excessive oil consumption. Engine consumes approximately one quart of oil every 4k miles or so with normal driving not spirited. Vehicle has no visible signs of outward leaks. First oil change was at 5030 miles with approximately 5.2 quarts of Castrol edge full synthetic oil and a Purolator boss oil filter PLB14612. Vehicle currently has 9352 miles. I have not let it get to a point where oil light comes on, but it has been to the quart low dot on the stick twice so far. This should not be normal. This has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center as I maintain the oil checks and oil changes myself. Tailpipes do have black soot inside but is not greasy or oily. I haven't noticed a lot of smoke from tailpipes just a small bit of whitish vapor that quickly dissipates when my wife pulls it out of the driveway and starts off down the road that I contribute to normal condensation, but I nor she can see tailpipes when we are driving a longer distance of course. I haven't smelled oil burn or seen any leaks on driveway, but the oil is going somewhere. I have seen a TSB from Mazda about possible valve stem seal problems with my VIN number. I hope Mazda will resolve this within my warranty as oil consumption can cause other major engine component damage down the road i.e., catalytic convertor, oxygen sensors, carbon deposits, etc.
On April 16, 2022, around 6:45PM, I drove my new Mazda CX5 (@ 3500 miles) into our church parking lot and turned right down the first row of cars. It was light out and the weather was pleasant. I turned right into a parking space with my foot on the brake. The car was facing and perpendicular to a sidewalk that was about 10 feet away. It was separated by a grassy median. When I depressed the brake further to shift from drive into park, the car surged forward and accelerated. There was a pedestrian on the sidewalk in front of the car. I turned the wheel to the right at a 90 degree angle to avoid hitting her. I kept pressing the brake but the car kept accelerating until it crashed into a large tree. The airbag deployed. Both the pedestrian and I were transported to the hospital. The pedestrian had bruises on her leg and hip, but fortunately was not more seriously injured and was released from the hospital. I was admitted to the hospital for contusions to the heart. The car hood was crushed and the car was totaled. The incident was terrifying. The police estimated the car went from nearly a standstill to about 40mph in about 15-20 feet. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the accident. I checked the NHTSA website after the accident and downloaded 16 similar complaints where low mileage Mazda CX5s accelerated out of control when drivers were attempting to park or stop.
Excessive oil consumption. After 3,000 miles driving, need to add a quart of oil as ‘oil low’ light comes on. Vehicle is 1 year old, and this happened at 3,700 miles on the odometer. Has happened after every oil change at around 3,700-4,200 miles driven.
Excessive oil consumption on brand new vehicle 1qt after 3800 miles
BSM Does not see all vehicles in the blind spot. It is very inconsistent. I have taken it to the dealer who told me that they could not repair it because no fault code shows up. Mazda has not been helpful.
Car is consuming oil since new and requiring additional oil to be added before oil changes. There was a TSB created by Mazda a year ago (TSB # 01-012/21) however there is no fix. I am concerned with the potential for damage to other engine systems aside from the reported issue with the valve stem seals resulting in undrivability and premature engine problems due to oil leaking past the valve stem seals.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026