10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
700 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2020 Mazda CX-5:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #4

Aug 142025

CX-5

  • miles
While traveling on an Interstate highway, my passenger side curtain airbag suddenly deployed without any warning while I was driving. There was no collision or impact, there was no debris on the road, or any significant bumps in the road. There was a very loud explosive sound and then my entire passenger side was covered in blue. The sound was so loud that it left my ears ringing and left me badly shaken up. I lost all visibility out of my passenger side as all of my side windows and mirrors were obscured, and I knew there was traffic in that lane along side of me. It felt very dangerous and I had to rely on my lane change sensors to safely pull to the side to assess any damage. There was no evident sign of any impact to my car. All of the glass was intact, there were no scratches, dents or missing paint. The airbag fully deployed for no apparent reason and I was extremely lucky that I was not injured and that my reaction did not cause an accident when this happened. The car was taken to a Mazda dealership to assess, and they did not find any damage either, but said there was no mechanical error on the part of the car, so it is still unexplained. I had it evaluated by an autobody/collision shop, again no damage was determined, their scan showed a diagnostic code that there was a "circuit short to ground".

- Milford, PA, USA

problem #3

May 192025

CX-5

  • miles
-Passenger side air bags deployed for no reason on May 19, 2025 at 1945h. -Driver safety compromised due to shock, momentary loss of hearing, disorientation while driving. -Other drivers safety compromised due to driver having to react, re-orient themselves and drive to safety. -Culver City Mazda dealership ran diagnostic. Conclusion: air bags deployed due to pressure. NO OTHER conclusions regarding system error, software error, ignitor, sensors or vehicle impact. -Police inspected vehicle at time of incident. No damage was observed or reported. -NO warning lamps or messages appeared prior to passenger air bag deployment.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #2

Sep 172022

CX-5

  • miles
Airbags did not deploy when I crashed into a guard rail dragging for 40-50 feet.

- Reading, PA, USA

problem #1

Mar 132021

CX-5

  • 2,800 miles
Vehicle was on a city street traveling at 35-40 mph when the front left wheel (yokohama geolandar G91) spontaneously blew out despite not colliding with any objects or road hazards. As a result, driver side curtain and seat airbags erroneously deployed and the vehicle immediately shutoff, causing disorientation and temporary loss of hearing in one ear.

- Foster City, CA, USA