Mazda CX-5 reliability by year
7 recalls and 2,129 owner complaints across 13 model years. Best year to buy: 2025. Year to avoid: 2016.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 1 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 13 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the CX-5 aggregated across 13 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Mazda CX-5?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2025 Mazda CX-5 scores 8.6/10 — the strongest in the 2013–2025 range. 21 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Mazda CX-5 year should I avoid?
The 2016 Mazda CX-5 scores 6.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 505 owner complaints with NHTSA, 5 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2016 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Mazda CX-5 should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2016 (avoid — the electrical system — 5 fire-related complaints and 3 crash-related complaints on the electrical system). The cleaner years on the data are 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2018. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Mazda CX-5 are tracked?
13 model years (2013 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 7 recalls and 2,129 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Mazda CX-5?
electrical is the most-reported category — 368 complaints across 11 model years. Average shop repair runs about $850.