Exterior Lighting owner reports: Mazda CX-5 years in the records

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“Humming sound coming from driver’s side headlight as soon as unlock bottom pressed in key fob. This sound comes from a faulty cooling fan inside the headlight and is a known defect. Humming sound progressed to very slow pitch indicating that fan function is diminishing over time. Mazda will replace the headlight but required me to pay $200 toward it. This should be a recall with replacement at no cost to the consumer as they are aware of the defect.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“The mechanical motor assembly inside the adaptive front-lighting headlamp unit has failed on my 2022 Mazda CX-5. This mechanical malfunction severely compromises nighttime driving illumination, creating a direct road hazard by reducing forward visibility during essential evening commutes. An initial repair and parts request was submitted to Mazda several months ago, but no corporate response or resolution was ever received. The vehicle and component are currently available for inspection at Yark Mazda in Toledo, OH, where technicians have confirmed the headlight motor failure. Because the prior request went unanswered, the dealership has advised me to contact Mazda corporate directly to follow up. No dashboard warning lights appeared prior to the component failure.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“My 2022 Mazda CX-5 Signature began producing a loud whirring/rattling noise from the driver-side front headlight assembly. After investigation, the noise was identified as coming from the internal cooling fan located inside the LED headlight unit. The cooling fan, which is integrated into the bi-LED headlamp assembly, appears to be failing prematurely due to bearing wear. This is a known widespread defect on 2019–2023 Mazda CX-5 models. Mazda has already issued Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 09-015-23, which acknowledges the noise issue and instructs dealers to replace the entire front combination light assembly under warranty. However, no formal recall has been issued. The root cause appears to be Mazda’s design decision to use the full LED headlight beam as the Daytime Running Light (DRL), which keeps the headlight cooling fans running continuously whenever the vehicle is in operation — even in daylight. This accelerates fan bearing wear far beyond normal expectations. The headlight assembly costs $1,200–$1,700 per side to replace out of warranty. Owners whose warranty has expired are facing repair bills of $2,400–$3,400 for both sides. This constitutes a significant safety risk as headlight failure reduces nighttime visibility. I have scheduled a warranty repair at an authorized Mazda dealer under TSB 09-015-23.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“The contact owns a 2022 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at nighttime at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the headlights. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an unknown headlight fan bearing failure. The vehicle was not repaired because the warranty had expired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“Both LED headlights died within two months of each other on this relatively new vehicle. Outside the three year warranty, but only 27,000 miles (well within the 36,000 warranty period). As it's outside of the three years, the warranty already expired regardless of mileage. One headlight was grinding (fan) while the other's low beam simply died. Each headlight cost $2800 to replace. You can't simply replace a burned out bulb with this headlight design. The entire unit must be replaced at a cost of almost $3000 depending on your dealer. This is a major safety issue when headlights die while driving at night. This is not a user maintenance issue. It is not normal wear and tear. Almost $6000 dollars to replace poorly designed headlights within two months of each other on a new-ish vehicle while being a safety concern constitutes reason enough to issue a recall, and to reimburse owners for previous replacements.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“RH LED headlight cooling fan failure. Diagnosed by Mazda dealer and quoted $2450 cost. Vehicle is just outside warranty coverage by 2900 miles. This is a very well known and documented problem that Mazda is not standing behind. Owners are removing the relay for their daytime running lights, rendering them inoperable in order to save wear and tear on the headlight cooling fans. This is a safety hazard.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“Headlight cooling fan is faulty and causing headlight outage prematurely.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“My driver side front headlight fan is malfunctioning. It stays on and makes a loud noise when the car is parked and off and the lights are still on. This is a known defect and my dealership is asking for 2k to pay for it. I am concerned the light will go out causing safety concerns. (TSB) SA01323 and 09-015/23. This should be recalled as is it not a general wear and tear issue, it is a manufacturing issue. My car is out of warranty but this should still be covered.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“I have a failed leveling motor on my led headlight assembly causing a constant noise as it is attempting to level. This is apparently a known problem and has had a TSA technical service bulletin of 09-015/23. My car is past the 3 yr warranty but under the 36,000 mile warranty period with only 33,000 miles. Mazda refuses to cover it since it has not had a recall yet even though it is a common and known problem. They are quoting a 1200 repair cost. Can you please help in any way and address this? Thank you”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“Both front headlights are making an abnormal loud whining noise which started intermittently about 6 months ago and became continuous January 2026. Took vehicle to dealership where the dealership reported that the noise may be due to contamination by a foreign matter during the manufacturing process getting inside the adaptive headlight system causing the fan motor bearings inside the headlight to wear out. MAZDA dealership in Bridgeport WV stated the fix is to replace both front headlights at a significant cost to the owner if the vehicle is outside the warranty. The only indication that there is a problem is the loud noise coming from the headlights, there has been no warning messages. MAZDA is not willing to fix the issue unless the vehicle is within warranty. My vehicle is not within the known Vins listed below having this issue and is outside of the warranty. I reached out to Mazda Corp with case # [XXX] and MAZDA Corp denied financial assistance, but stated I could work with the dealership to trade my vehicle instead of fixing the issue. MAZDA knows the issue is on these vehicles per the TSB report given to me when I took my vehicle to the dealership. Previous TSBs per the report (SA-013/23 & 09-015/23) 2020-2025 CX 30 (Mexico built) Vins lower 3MV DM **** ** 794028 (Produced before Dec., 2020) 2022-2025 CX-5 Vins lower than JM3 KF **** ** 57088 (Produced before Sep., 2024) 2025 CX-70 Vins lower than JM3 KJ**** ** 118240 (Produced before Sep., 2024) 2024-2025 CX-90 Vins lower than JM3 KK**** ** 204555 (Produced before Sep., 2024) 2022-2024 MX-30 Vins lower than JM1 DR**** ** 200939 (Produced before Apr., 2024) 2016-2024 MX-5 Vins lower than JM1 ND**** ** 610111 (Produced before Oct., 2024) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“Over the past several weeks, we began hearing a pronounced noise coming from the front of the vehicle, which the dealership diagnosed as a failing motor within the driver-side headlight unit. Given that this is a critical safety component, and part of the upgraded package purchased when the vehicle was new — we were surprised to encounter this issue on a vehicle of 4 years and 41,540 miles. Mazda Customer Care told me to pound salt”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“The right headlight is very noisy. Like it is going to fail very soon. People say it's the problem with the cooling fan inside. A lot people have the same issues， Mazda should recall it ASAP”