Mazda CX-5 Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Mazda CX-5 model year from 2012 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 3,259 federal complaints, 9 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2014, 2016, 2018. These years top the CX-5's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Electrical tops the Mazda CX-5 file with 678 complaints, concentrated in the 2014–2016 model years, most often reported around 40,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 19 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 2025 | Too early to call | 51 | 0 | — | 13 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 63 | 0 | — | 11 |
| 2023 | Typical | 84 | 0 | Electrical | 16 |
| 2022 | Better year | 83 | 0 | Electrical | 15 |
| 2021 | Typical | 198 | 0 | Engine | 34 |
| 2020 | Typical | 153 | 0 | Electrical | 25 |
| 2019 | Below average | 359 | 2 | Engine | 48 |
| 2018 | Avoid | 474 | 3 | Engine | 64 |
| 2017 | Typical | 195 | 1 | Electrical | 27 |
| 2016 | Avoid | 628 | 5 | Electrical | 100 |
| 2015 | Typical | 167 | 4 | Body & structure | 26 |
| 2014 | Avoid | 492 | 4 | Electrical | 61 |
| 2013 | Below average | 292 | 1 | Electrical | 36 |
| 2012 | Few reports | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
Questions buyers ask
What Mazda CX-5 years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2014, 2016, 2018 as the Mazda CX-5 years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Mazda CX-5 problem?
Electrical tops the Mazda CX-5 file with 678 complaints, concentrated in the 2014–2016 model years, most often reported around 40,000 miles.
What are the best Mazda CX-5 years to buy used?
The quietest Mazda CX-5 years in federal records are 2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Mazda CX-5 only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.