2020 Mazda CX-5 problems, complaints & recalls

Far fewer Falling

NHTSA has received 107 owner complaints about the 2020 Mazda CX-5, or 15.8 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.39, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 83 model-year 2020 vehicles we track, it ranks #31 of 83 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Mazda models its rate is 38% higher; against other Compact SUVs it is 74% lower.

Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count

Complaints filed between 2020-02-18 and 2026-09-27. Median delay from incident to filing: 5 days.

107Complaints

15.8Complaints per year on the road

0.39Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles

0Recalls

9.3%Share involving a crash or fire

17Last 12 months

Analysis

The previous model year (2019) drew 34.7 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2021) drew 25.6 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2020 model collected 24 complaints, 57% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.

The most common problem area is Electrical (27.1% of complaints), followed by Engine (16.8%) and Unspecified or other (14.0%). Electrical complaints are 1.7 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 10 reports (9.3%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 6 injuries and 0 deaths.

Half of the reported incidents happened within 48 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (36% of incidents). In the last 12 months 17 new complaints were filed, versus 31 in the 12 months before — down 45%.

NHTSA lists no safety recalls for this model year.

Complaint index

vs. all tracked vehicles0.39
vs. other Mazda models1.38
vs. other 2020 models0.42
vs. other Compact SUVs0.26
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (24)0.43
#31 of 83 · 2020Rankings ›

1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.

Other model years

201813.7 per year0.34
201934.7 per year0.86
202015.8 per year0.39
202125.6 per year0.63
202213.6 per year0.34
202316.9 per year0.42
202416.1 per year0.4
202515.7 per year0.39
202615.0 per year0.37

Mazda CX-5 problems, complaints & recalls by model year ›

What owners complain about

Electrical29 · 27.1% · 1.72×
Engine18 · 16.8% · 0.75×
Unspecified or other15 · 14.0% · 1.56×
Brakes11 · 10.3% · 1.71×
Driver-assist systems8 · 7.5% · 1.31×
Body & structure8 · 7.5% · 0.82×
Transmission / powertrain7 · 6.5% · 0.56×
Airbags & seat belts5 · 4.7% · 1.24×

vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average

Problem areas: Engine · Electrical · Unspecified or other · Body & structure · Brakes · Transmission / powertrain · Driver-assist systems · Lighting

When complaints were filed

Crashes reported: 10
Fires reported: 0
Injuries: 6
Deaths: 0

Vehicle age at incident

<1 yr15.0%
1–2 yrs11.2%
2–3 yrs4.7%
3–5 yrs33.6%
5+ yrs35.5%

Median age at incident: 48 months

What owners report

When coasting into a parking space the car suddenly accelerated. At a high rate of speed, the car jumped the curb and planting area of median separating the parking area. The car struck 2 other cars on the other side of the median.

Electrical · 2026-09-27 · ODI 11767211 · Crash
While driving on the highway in traffic, I was applying the brakes (slowly and smoothly) and moving with the flow of traffic when the SBS system activated the brakes harshly and slammed me to a stop without reason.

Brakes · 2026-04-07 · ODI 11729750 · Crash
I purchased a brand new Mazda CX5 in 2020 that now has 46,000 miles on it. It is experiencing the known “ghost touch” issue in which the entertainment system and screen displayed in the center of the dashboard turns itself off and on, changes settings, shuts…

Unspecified or other · 2026-08-10 · ODI 11756022
Cylinder Head has failed at 53,000 miles. Mazda has a technical service bulletin acknowledging that this is a common occurrence with this part. They have an extended warranty for the turbo engine but not for the standard engine.

Engine · 2026-06-19 · ODI 11745274
The infotainment display screen on my 2020 Mazda CX-5 has suffered a severe hardware failure resulting in un-commanded inputs, commonly known as "ghost touching." While driving at highway speeds, the touchscreen constantly registers phantom touches.

Electrical · 2026-06-10 · ODI 11743236

Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.

Segment peers · 2020 · Compact SUVs

Models	Complaints	Complaints per year on the road	Complaint index
2020 Mazda CX-5	107	15.8	0.39
2020 Volkswagen Tiguan	141	20.8	0.52
2020 Jeep Compass	143	21.1	0.52
2020 Kia Sportage	162	23.9	0.59
2020 Hyundai Tucson	178	26.2	0.65
2020 Nissan Rogue	210	30.9	0.77
2020 Chevrolet Equinox	313	46.1	1.14
2020 Jeep Cherokee	324	47.7	1.18
2020 Honda CR-V	439	64.7	1.6
2020 Subaru Forester	601	88.5	2.19
2020 Toyota RAV4	648	95.4	2.36
2020 Ford Escape	1,826	268.9	6.66

Safety recalls (0)

No recalls on record for this model year.

How to check whether your car has an open recall ›

Investigations

No NHTSA investigation covers the tracked model years.