Mazda Mazda6 reliability by year
27 recall campaigns and 1,899 owner complaints across 17 model years. Best year to buy: 2017. Year to avoid: 2009.
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 2 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021 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 17 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 70, more than the 27 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Mazda6 aggregated across 17 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Mazda Mazda6?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2017 Mazda Mazda6 scores 7.8/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2021 range. 60 complaints on file, 1 active recall. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Mazda Mazda6 year should I avoid?
The 2009 Mazda Mazda6 scores 3.2/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 386 owner complaints with NHTSA, 10 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2009 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Mazda Mazda6 should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2010 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 4.0/10 — below the segment average); 2009 (high-risk ownership — electrical system: 28 complaints, classified severe). The cleaner years on the data are 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014. 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 Mazda6 are tracked?
17 model years (2005 through 2021) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 27 distinct recall campaigns and 1,899 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 70 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Mazda Mazda6?
airbags is the most-reported category — 536 complaints across 12 model years. Average shop repair runs about $1,100.