Mazda CX-5

Which Mazda CX-5 years should you avoid?

Going by 2,474 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Mazda CX-5 years to avoid are 2016, 2014 and 2018.

• 2016512 complaints, 3.4× a typical CX-5 year, most often about the headlights.
• 2014377 complaints, 2.5× a typical CX-5 year, most often about the electrical system.
• 2018353 complaints, 2.4× a typical CX-5 year, most often about the engine.

Too new to judge: 2025 and 2026. Complaints take a few years to arrive, so a new model year looks better than it is.

How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →