There are 1 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2021 Mazda CX-5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
We have a new 2021 CX5 and the two taillights (the ones that are on top of the backup lights) do not light up. The dealer, Napleton Mazda in Libertyville, IL, told us that that is normal and those lights are not meant to light up. The dealer said they have many customers bringing their car in for service for the same issue, but it is not something they can fix. At night the car is not as visible as it should be, especially if you are in a dark area and stopped without your foot on the brake. We had the police pull over my daughter in the car saying she had no lights in the rear. This is not on all these models, but we were told this particular model doesn't have the lights, even though the light kits are installed.
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