There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2021 Mazda CX-5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Brakes activated unintendedly, and the vehicle jerked to the left and independently accelerated and moved back in the lane intended lane. The vehicle then jerked to the right, unintendedly accelerated, and then went back into the intended lane. Then the vehicle resumed normal operation. While driving approximately 60-65 MPH a week later, the vehicle started jerking. The “Smart City Brake Malfunction” message was displayed, and the engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was advised by the dealer to continue adding oil to the engine as needed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,465.
Due to oil consumption issues & oil leak on 2021 Mazda cx 5 AWD I was told the timing cover and gasket needs replacement due to oil leakage. This appears to be a very common issue with this vehicle. The engine is at risk of catastrophic failure due to low oil levels
No codes, dealer unable to duplicate. I have been hearing a lifter tick come and go for months (since February ) with my oil level up to par. The ticking gets louder and then quieter.
Check engine oil light came on after only 2K miles from last oil change. Upon inspection there was practically no oil in my engine!!! I see there is an ongoing issue since 10/21 with 2021 Mazda CX-5 turbo engines. Despite Mazda’s awareness of the problem, they have yet to issue a recall to fix this issue!!!
The vehicle is low mileage (11,500 miles) and is burning an excessive amount of oil (up to a quart every 1,000 miles) The dealership is aware of this and just keeps saying to add oil.
For the third time in 3 years we have had to had the timing cover and gasket replaced due to major oil leakage. This appears to be a very common issue with this car, and even after getting it “fixed” the first time it is leaking again.
Low engine oil light 3600 miles before next oil change
Oil light has come on indicating low oil. I have serviced this car through the dealership on schedule since I purchased it new. I don't believe modern cars should "lose oil" at less than 30,000 miles.
Cylinder head crack. Oil leak.
Excessive combustible gasoline vapors in engine compartment and in passenger compartment. Engine, available for inspection. Risk of fire/explosion because of high concentration of combustible vapors/gasoline. Yes -- confirmed by dealer (Safford Brown Mazda of Fairfax (Virginia)). No -- Notwithstanding being apprised of the problem Manufacturer has not inspected No warning signs. Manufacturer has acknowledge gasoline leaking into engine oil. Vapors were exacerbated because of a failed oil enging filler cap (probably cracked), and replacement of the same.
I had driven about 10 miles when the Check Engine light came on when I was far from home. Not blinking. It was not on when I first turned the car on. No symptoms other than check engine light. Got to a garage who got a code p0126 that is covered under TSB 01-005/23 coolant control valve. Called dealer who said it would be safe to drive home 180 miles. I did that. Awaiting appointment tomorrow to get it fixed. I belong to a Mazda Facebook group where lots of others are reporting this same problem - some for a second time!
I thought this was for a mechanical issue (not a safety issue). Check engine light came on not blinking. Was code p0126 covered in bulletin 01-005/23 - Coolant Control Valve. I'm on the Facebook CX-5 page and I see that many people have had this issue. One person had the same problem twice on the same car. I would like very much to have the correct NHTSA link to report this problem so that others may report it as well. In my case check engine light came on far from home. A local dealer said it would be safe to drive home which I did (about 180 miles). But a problem that occurs many times on a given car model perhaps should be a recall. The only charge was about $75 from the garage who read the code and diagnosed the problem. It was covered under warranty so there was no further charge to me.
There is a ticking sound coming from the engine, it seems like there are many issues with faulty hydraulic lash adjusters after a search online.
Excessive oil leak after 11,000 miles/car purchased new from dealer. There is currently a class action suit regarding this issue. Dealer denies problem, offering to top off oil only.
I have an oil consumption on my cx-5 turbo. Have to add 1/2-3/4 quart 4k after service interval oil change.
On 8/7/2023 I noticed that there had been intermittent engine oil level alarms on my phone's Mazda app over the previous several weeks starting on 7/14/2023. In none of the instances did the low oil level light on the instrument cluster light up. I checked the oil level and it was at the bottom of the indicating range on the dipstick. I added 1 quart of oil to bring the level to the top of the indicating range. The oil had last been changed by a Mazda dealer on 10/31/2022 at a vehicle mileage of 13,699. On 8/18/2023 when I took the vehicle in to the Mazda dealer to check this issue the mileage was 20,432, a difference of 6,733 miles. That mileage was well within the owner's manual prescribed service interval mileage. There is no oil on the floor of the garage under where the car is parked leading me to believe the oil has been leaking into the combustion chamber. My vehicle is covered under Mazda Technical Service Bulletin 01-012/21 which offers a possible explanation. I suggest my VIN should be added to TSB 01-003/23 which covers the repair. Without fixing this oil leak, my engine is at risk of catastrophic failure due to low oil level.
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.
Showing 1–20 of 50 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