TireKick

Reported years

Electrical System owner reports: Mazda CX-5 years in the records

Owner reports are bound to model year 2017. A year on this list does not mean every car has the problem.

Years we reviewed

What to inspect

  1. 1Ask the inspector to test the named system and note any warning lights, noises, leaks, or stored codes.
Sources and limits
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“Blind spot monitoring system warning appears on dashboard of vehicle after driving for about 50-60 miles. This occurs only when I drive >50-60 miles in one trip without shutting off my vehicle. Speed does not matter. My sensors will not work until I turn off my car and turn it back on. This started as soon as I purchased my vehicle in July 2020. 1 previous owner (lease) before I purchased the vehicle. No prior accidents. Got the vehicle at ~30,000 miles. In January 2021, I drifted off the freeway and hit a tree going 35 mph during a snow storm. It was only myself (driver) and a passenger in the front seat at the time of the incident. Both were wearing seatbelts. The seat belts locked up, but airbags never deployed for myself or the adult passenger in the front seat. Driver sustained no injuries, but the passenger smashed their knee into the glove compartment and smacked their head on the window/seatbelt holder on the side of the interior wall. The passenger was asleep during the incident, which may have explained why they did not brace themselves. One minute we were on the freeway, then we hit a slippery spot, and within seconds we were head on with a tree. Drove away to avoid the possibility of any vehicles following my path and smashing into us. Car was still driveable somehow. Car was repaired after 3 weeks at Caliber Collision and looked great. Sensor issue persists still, but unrelated to accident. Mentioned it to Caliber Collision when vehicle was being repaired and they had a Mazda service person come out with a sensor machine and they could not find the issue.”
NHTSAcomplaintMay 2022Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“The radio is uncontrollable by driver. The radio the self dial from Bluetooth. Even if not connected, the radio surprises this driver by playing the radio unexpectedly at the highest rate. Due to the buttons not working, driver cannot turn down the radio causing safety concerns for being scared and distracted. There are no warnings. Mazda is unwilling to assess without pay.”
NHTSAcomplaintJun 2026Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“There is a consistent issue with the “ghost touch“ and the electrical system so when you’re going down the road, the musical will change. The music will blast up or down randomly it’ll get stuck and it’s very distracting. It will hang up on people while you’re having a conversation through the car phone. This was a recall for Mazda 2014 through 2016 and they need to extend it because it was still happening with my 2017. This is my first experience with Mazda and it has not been a good one as far as this goes. I do a lot of driving and phone calls and music are very important and stuff randomly changing or getting stuck while you’re driving and then trying to fix it is very dangerous.”
NHTSAcomplaintJun 2026Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“Infotainment system randomly makes its own selections. Turns volume up and down, changes settings, changes stations... etc. Anything that can be controlled on the screen is at risk of being randomly hijacked. Once, my drivers assist volume was unexpectedly turned to full blast and randomly shouted "navigation assistant will be at this volume. " I jumped so badly I actually could have crashed if I hadn't been at a light.”
NHTSAcomplaintMay 2026Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“During a one-hour car ride, the front passenger side seat heater burned a hole through the seat, damaging my wife's skirt and leaving a hole in the upholstery. The overheating definitely originated within the seat. We immediately turned the seat heater off and have not used it since. It could have started a fire, which is very scary, or burned my wife, which is a serious safety risk. This issue has been mentioned by other Mazda owners, but I cannot find any recall reports. There were no warnings prior to the burning. The component is being taken to the dealership to be examined today.”
NHTSAcomplaintMar 2026Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“UNKNOWN The infotainment system started malfunctioning on its own. Changes channels on radio, goes into settings and makes changes. Calls phone numbers etc. Does it more in the cold weather”
NHTSAcomplaintJan 2026Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“The infotainment system suffers from ghost touching. It has gotten out of control even after a “recall” fix at the dealership. Without being touched the volume changes, the stations change, the presets change, the car makes calls to my contacts. I am often unable to control the screen as it turns the car to max volume while driving. It is extremely unsafe, distracting and alarming.”
NHTSAcomplaintDec 2025Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“Dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Multiple warning lights all at once. This issue has been reported on multiple Mazda vehicle years. Took to Delker Auto repairs. Is electrical problem. Stated that so far nothing wrong with components. Will have to hunt for. Mazda has known electrical issues. In addition, your file upload will not let me upload picture even though it's in correct format. I can send separately.”
NHTSAcomplaintDec 2025Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“CX-5's infotainment system RANDOMLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING STARTS BEEPING AND CHANGING OPTIONS WHILE DRIVING, A VERY DISTRACTING EVENT. I TRIED TO SHUT THE SCREEN OFF BUT IT COMES BACK ON RANDOMLY AND CAUSES CONCERN AND DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING, IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR YEARS NOW AND OF WHAT I READ MAZDA WILL NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM”
NHTSAcomplaintNov 2025Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“The infotainment system in my 2017 Mazda CX-5 exhibits dangerous behavior consistent with known defects described in the Mazda Infotainment Class Action Settlement (Case No. 8:21-cv-01355). The infotainment system and touchscreen repeatedly activate critical functions on its own (“ghost touches”), sometimes going black, changing critical settings, disengaging phone calls as well as unexpectedly activating phone calls, and navigation features engage or freeze unpredictably. These malfunctions distract from safe vehicle operation, requiring driver attention to manage the malfunctioning display. The vehicle’s display is integrated with backup camera, audio, and Bluetooth controls, so these repeated malfunctions cause safety concerns while driving. Mazda and the dealership have refused to repair the defect under the Limited Warranty Extension established in the settlement, incorrectly claiming the issue is unrelated to the CMU (connectivity master unit). However, these symptoms are identical to those described in Mazda’s internal service bulletins (CSP13 and TSB 09-022/17) and covered by the settlement. I believe Mazda is failing to properly address a continuing safety-related defect that impacts infotainment stability and driver concentration. These issues have occurred for years and are continuing nearly every time I operate the vehicle.”
NHTSAcomplaintNov 2025Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“I purchased this vehicle on the 10th of September. BY the 12th I I noticed the infotainment system was doing its own thing without me touching anything. The next day it did the same thing I E.changing stations on its own,volume going up or down etc...”
NHTSAcomplaintSep 2025Open source record
Source recordEvidence: Limited confidence

The records describe a possible crash, fire, injury, or loss of control.

“Unknown The infotainment system started malfunctioning on its own”
NHTSAcomplaintSep 2025Open source record