2019 Mazda CX-5 complaints

I own a 2019 Mazda cx 5 and it has 78,000 miles. I noticed smoke coming from the engine and a lot of oil leaking on the ground. I brought the car into my independent service center and they confirmed that there was a crack in the engine cylinder head. There is a TSA # SA-031-21 on this problem. I feel that my safety was at risk, since the engine could have seized while driving. This vehicle is available for inspection upon request. No warning lamps or messages were displayed, however there was a strong odor of burning oil. This problem occurred on 1/9/25 and it has been in the service center since.

As I was driving, a burning smell emanated from the car. There were no check engine lights on. When I pulled over, I saw a lot of smoke coming from the engine. I checked the oil level and it was above the minimum line bit just barely, even though my husband had just done an oil change on it. I refilled the oil and continued on my trip. The problem repeated for several dqays until I got home and took it to the Mazda dealership. They reported the following: "Cylinder Head Assembly: oil leaking out of back of head, recommend replacing cylinder head and related gaskets. The cylinder head sits above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion chamber. This joint is sealed by a head gasket. In most engines, the head also provides space for the passages that feed air and fuel to the cylinder, and that allow the exhaust to escape." This service is $5600! My car only has 80K miles on it. This is a safety issue because there was no warning. No check engine light appeared and there was no warning.

Good afternoon. I am reporting an incident that occurred on December 29, 2024. I was driving my 2019 Mazda Cx-5 and I was about to make a left turn. However, as I was making the left turn, I received a notification on my dashboard about a "Forward Smart City Brake Support Malfunction" (a photo of the notification will be included). My car instantly lost control and it did not stop until it collided with the street curb of the road I was attempting to turn on. Fortunately for those around me, my car did not collide with any other vehicles on the road. However, this collision caused damage to the right side of the vehicle, as the right airbag of the vehicle had deployed. I believe that this is a very significant problem that should be looked into as soon as possible. If my car were to hit other drivers on the road, it could have led to a very tragic incident. As far as repairs go, I wanted to wait and see how this complaint would carry out. I do not believe that it would be fair for me to pay repairs for an event that was out of my control. Thank you.

Car was purchased in June 2019. Car started smelling like burning oil and started finding oil pooling under the car around November 2024. At time the incident was discovered, car only had 38k miles. There was no warning lights or indication there was an issue other than the smell and small pool of oil under car. The Mazda service manager immediately knew what the issue was and told me they were going to confirm with a full inspection and diagnosis. I was told that I have a cracked cylinder head and I will need to have it replaced. Warranty ended few months prior so they will not cover. I was told it would cost $4589.76. The Mazda service department told me that this is a common issue and to hold off on repair and contact Mazda corporate since warranty just ended. They topped off my oil and told me to keep an eye on the oil level and to wait to hear back from Mazda corporate.I submitted a case with Mazda and the customer care specialist told me that they cannot guarantee they will cover this. Within a week, the temperatures got colder and issue got worse. Low oil light came on, topped off with oil. Lost 4 quarts in one day. Called Mazda service and they told me to top off oil and come drop car off immediately. Upon researching this issue, the cracking of cylinder heads in Mazda CX-5 vehicles, particularly those with the 2.5-liter (NA) engine were widespread and discussed in online forum. The contributing factors of the issue point to a design flaw of the cylinder head due to t

Engine block cracked, passenger cabin filled with noxious odder. Vehicle was suddenly leaking oil at high rate.

My 2019 Mazda CX-5 suddenly developed a major oil leak within the last 7 days. My car has only 44,350 miles and I have had all scheduled and required maintenance completed timely, including oil/filter changes, coolant level checking and maintenance, etc. I took the car to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the problem as a cracked cylinder head. I then took the car to a local Mazda dealer who confirmed the diagnosis and informed me that there would be no warranty coverage as my 60,000 mile/60 month powertrain warranty had expired 60 days earlier. Some two years earlier my car's check engine light came on and overheated. I took it to the same local dealer, who replaced the coolant control valve & related components. In November 2024 I received a "Warranty Extension Program" letter from Mazda about the same fail-safe thermostat problem. I believe this is relevant and related to the cracked cylinder head since almost all instances of a cracked cylinder head are due to engine overheating. This issue put me at risk as I was close to driving the car with no oil and oil leaking heavily onto very hot engine components that could have resulted in a fire. I am now facing repairs to this car between $4,800 and $6,000 and given the faulty/defective cylinder head from Mazda, I could face this safety issue again, as it will be replaced with a similar cylinder head from Mazda!

I started to smell a burning smell while I was driving and noticed smoke coming from under the hood along with the burning smell. When I parked the car I noticed a bunch of oil leaking from under the car. I took the car to get checked out and there was oil all under the bottom of the car and it was confirmed that there was a very bad oil leak which occurred due to a crack in the cylinder head. No check engine lights or any indication of this issue aside from discovering the burning smell, smoke from under the hood, and a significant amount of oil underneath the car. The car hasn’t been driven in a month because of this issue. When you turn the car on you can hear a ticking sound coming from under the hood. The bad part is there was no indication. A 2019 with 50,000 ish miles shouldn’t have this problem and I confirmed that with mechanics and Mazda. This is a safety risk as you can’t safely drive the car without being concerned about the lack of oil in the car due to the leak as well as the smoke coming from under the hood, not being able to drive the car thus resulting in needing the car towed in order for the car to be serviced for this problem. I was told that if the oil continues to leak and if I was to drive it the engine could start to have issues and possibly turn off due to the leakage. This leak had oil all over the exhaust system as well.

We were locked out of the car on a road trip due to a dead battery. We needed to open the car door to pop the hood in this emergency situation. With the Battery down, we had to use the physical keys provided by Mazda to unlock the door. Both Mazda's original keys did not open the driver-side door. We were stranded and had to call emergency key services to open the door. The purpose of physical keys is to open the car in case of emergency but in Mazda CX5 case they were useless. We have also reported the issue to Mazda and are awaiting a response.

This car has less than 37,000 miles on it it has significant oil leaks from the valve cover gasket, it’s timing cover gasket and now it had been determined it has a cracked cylinder head. This was covered by 3 Service alerts with the cracked cylinder head being SA-031/21. None of the dealers notified us of the issue when serviced Galpin Mazda and New Century Mazda. But Big O Tires did. The two oil leak gasket repairs cost over $1600. The car is 8 months past warranty. The car is burning oil when driven. Due to the leak and the smoke particles and smell enter the cabin. The engine smokes when shut down instill it cold down. The smoke particles in the cabin are dangerous. The engine oil light appeared in late November (my daughter’s car, she is away at college). We found out the depth of the oil leak issues the second and fourth week of December. The fact that the dealers did not notice us or do preemptive repairs is a major failure by the Mazda organization.

I have a 2019 Mazda cx 5 with only 67,000 miles on it and the cylinder head is cracked and leaking oil everywhere. I have noticed TSBs released for this issue, but it seems to be a very common issue with most people not being covered for a very major repair. Mazda refuses to fix the issue created by the improper build of this component and may lock people's engines if not caught soon enough

The 2019 has a creaked cylinder with 40000 miles on it. This is a problem with that has been happening. We are 4 months out of the warranty with May 2024.

Brought 2019 Cx-5 to local dealer with complaint of strong smell and smoke coming from hood. Cracked cylinder head at only 21k miles. Known flaw for this particular make and model. Only 6 months out of warranty. Mazda refuses to make it right and only extended warranty for turbo engines. Mazda needs to make this right for ALL engines with this issue.

My Mazda CX-5 was found to have a cracked cylinder in the engine and was profusely leaking oil. When I spoke to the dealership they denied seeing this regularly, however, upon doing research on reddit, it is found to be more pronounced than indicated. There was no known cause indicated, however, on reddit it appears that the original casting done in Mexico maybe the culprit because it is so thin and causes it to crack between 40-50k miles. There is no other sign or warnings, besides an obscene amount of oil leaking. The failure of this could cause the engine to fail while driving. This is a significant risk.

Vehicle has 40k after a oil change noticed oil spots on pavement took it back to the garage that did the task, was told that the leak was near cylinder #2. Called Mazda customer service and was informed that my warranty expired in May of 2024. my mechanic called Mazda parts to get the price of cylinder head and was told that they had a run on cylinder heads due to defective heads coming from the Factory, SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE MAZDA.

The steering and braking systems on my vehicle malfunctioned after jumping my vehicle when the battery drained too far to start, or even power my cars baseline electrical systems. After jumping my car, I started backing out of my parking spot and when I turned the wheel it very violently jerked in a manner that could have hurt me if I'd been holding onto the wheel tighter. Around this same time I believe I recall the brakes automatically applying and halting the vehicle. I was too far out of my parking spot when this began occurring and had to try to maneuver into a different one, during this attempt both of the conditions described above reoccured several times. I eventually noticed that it only seemed to trigger when the wheel was at more extreme steering angles, by keeping the steering angle lower I was eventually able to maneuver into another spot without triggering the issues. After parking and letting the car run for a bit to recharge the battery I no longer experienced these issues. There were several warning lights related to roll stability control, lane departure monitoring before pulling out. The following warnings were present, but I'm unable to recall whether they displayed before I first hit the issues: Smart Braking Malfunction, Power Steering Malfunction, Transmission Malfunction, Check Engine Light. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by anyone, however I was able to find evidence of other people complaining about what sounds to be the same issue going back

The head gasket cover is leaking leading to a great deal of smoke. The car should not be driven per my mechanic due to risk of fire

Mazdas infotainment system was issued defective. The system is plagued with issues in which a “ghost” touch on the screen makes changes to the system. It is a very distracting issue and poses a safety concern as it distracts the driver from the road as the ghost touch can make changes on the infotainment system moving between settings, changing music, making random calls, and randomly triggering voice assistant if an Apple car play is connected. This is a known issue for which Mazda has a fix but has never issued a recall. If you search online you will find hundreds of examples of the ghost touch affecting Mazda vehicles.

I have 115k miles on my 2019 CX5. Never has any issues. Now all of a sudden I have a cracked cylinder head leaking oil. I was smelling smoke but mot seeing it. I took into dealership they noticed oil dripping thus why smell. Its a $4500-5000 job. I cannot afford this. This should not happen at this kind of mileage. My warranty just expired too. Mazda needs to cover these type of repairs

The vehicle starting stalling, check engine light would come on, and the vehicle would slipped into “limp mode” while traveling on the freeway. I was amount in two auto collisions because of the vehicle slowing down in the middle of the highway. The problem started in August 2023 and was towed to the dealer on one occasions and towed to my home on another occasion. The dealer ran a diagnostic and said it was the brand new battery I had installed and then the catalytic converter. After repairing both; the vehicle proceeded to not drive over 30 miles per hour. The dealer said it was the engine and then said it was something else. I’ve expressed that the symptoms are those more aligned to the PCM issue recalled on 2019. A actual diagnostic report from Auto Zone supports this. The vehicle has also been inspected by another Mazda dealer and a stand alone mechanic.

Car failed while on highway driving 60 mph with the engine and power steering turning off instantly. A day prior the dash was blinking warnings. Mazda of Lodi replaced the entire transmission plus other parts. Just made it under warrantee. Would have cost 5k once expired.was told half the fleet of 2019 were recalled but not the second half of production for some reason even though they both experience the same failure.. also had 22,000 miles at end of the. Something smells in Denmark

At 49k miles and 4 months out of warranty, the car began leaking oil and smelling like smoke. The dealer diagnosed with a cracked cylinder head and repaired it.

Infotainment screen malfunctions, pressing buttons by itself.

CX5 Cylinder head cracked at 53,500 miles. Was driving when received engine overheating and pull over immediately warning. The car smelled like maple syrup as it was engine coolant burning. Took it to the dealership and they informed me of the cylinder failure. It is currently awaiting parts and its not under warranty.

Cracked cylinder head requiring replacement at 62,000 miles.

While driving, I received a warning that the engine in my car was overheating. Upon arriving home and parking, I noticed pooling under the car. My car was due for an oil change so the next day I dropped off the car for the oil change and mentioned the overheating message and leak to the technician thinking the fix would be routine. To my surprise, I was told my vehicle had a serious coolant leak related to a cracked cylinder. I was advised to take the vehicle to a Mazda dealer. Morrie's Mazda in Minnetonka, MN confirmed the cracked cylinder head which required a full engine replacement despite the car being only ~5 years old and having ~63,000 miles. Mazda had issued a technical service bulletin on this issue but had not issued a recall. As a result, I was left with a large repair bill to replace the engine in a relatively new car. This is a serious issue and I feel Mazda put my life and others in jeopardy by not recalling vehicles and letting customers drive with the risk of the engine overheating.

The infotainment system ghost touches on its own. It changes all car settings by itself. Active driving display, safety features like distance recognition, lane assist, blind spot monitoring, etc. Every setting available in the infotainment system gets changed or reset on it own. Even when you turn it off. It turns back on. GPS routes, dials people, hangs up, mutes on its own, etc. Mazda dealership says it’s out of warranty and I would have to pay out of pocket to fix it. However it is an ongoing issue where now there is a class action lawsuit.

Coolant leaks at cylinder head on 2019 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring Reserve. Mazda North American Operations released a technical service bulletin (01-013/21) regarding 2016-2020 Mazda CX-5, CX-9, and Mazda6 with SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engines. This issue can cause the engine to leak coolant, overheat, and stall, potentially leaving the driver and passengers stranded in an unsafe location. Mazda is aware of this manufacturing defect but has not recalled these engines to be repaired or replaced if they are outside of their manufacturers warranty period and placing costly repairs and potentially life-threatening situations as the responsibility to their customers. The diagnosis to repair this issue is a replacement of the cylinder head/sleeve or replacement of the engine block, which has since been modified by Mazda to resolve this issue. This is a costly repair for diagnostics, labor hours, and parts and Mazda is refusing to be held responsible for these defects outside of the power train warranty period. Mazda customer support advised this will only be potentially covered if diagnostics are completed at a Mazda dealership and does not provide any assistance if the customer uses a non-Mazda affiliated repair shop. Messaging on the dash console advised excessive heat and thermostat was nearing 260°F

Started smelling smoke randomly and discovered an apparent oil leak in the engine. Mechanic inspected and noted that it appears to be an issue relating to the cylinder head/head gasket, which is in line with a technical services bulletin put out by Mazda several years ago for this make/model/year for a known design flaw that can result in catastrophic engine failure. I am just outside the five year warranty but well under the 60,000 miles, so expecting them to tell me they won't cover the repair even though this should have been a recall due to the potential outcome. I cannot drive the vehicle until this is repaired because it can cause engine fires (or worse).

There is a coolant leak at the cylinder head. We have been told that the cylinder is cracked at the back of the cylinder head where the exhaust ports meet. The dealer's technician said there is a "redesign" in the cylinder head. This is a known issue that is a defect apparently due to Mazda's design of securing the turbo on exhaust studs that are not designed to hold the weight. Why has there not been a recall? There is a Mazda TSB - 01-013/21, issued 10/15/2021 Verbal estimate from dealer for repair - over $7,000

My vehicle started smoking and I smelled a oil burning smell coming through the vents. I took it to the Mazda dealership and they diagnosed it with a cracked cylinder head. The repair estimate is $4,900. It is a 2019 with less than 60,000 miles, but it is a few months out of the powertrain warranty. However, this is a KNOWN issue to Mazda. As I have been researching online, many Mazda CX-5 owners have reported the same issue and I believe Mazda has traced it back to defective manufacturing in a batch of these parts. My local mechanic has also told us that he has seen this issue with 2019 Mazda CX-5s and recommended we report them. Mazda SHOULD issue a recall, but I understand that is expensive for them. At the very least, they should alerting drivers to this possibility and voluntarily repairing these cylinders without cost to unsuspecting drivers who could end up with an engine fire. I have submitted a complaint to Mazda customer service and I am awaiting a response.

I am writing to express serious concerns regarding the recent service that occurred on November 14th, 2023. Due to the service's failure and negligence, Luther Brookdale Mazda has jeopardized the safety and well-being of my family members. On [XXX], my 2019 CX-5 was towed from Monticello, Minnesota, to the dealership in Brooklyn Center around 9 pm. While returning from [XXX] dinner in St. Cloud on [XXX] , a sudden warning appeared on the dashboard: "Engine Coolant Temperature High. Stop the vehicle immediately in a safe place." Upon receiving this notification, we pulled over to the shoulder and observed smoke emanating from the engine bay. We promptly turned off the vehicle. Concerned for our safety, we contacted our family to pick us up and had the vehicle towed by AAA. As we awaited the tow truck's arrival, we noticed coolant had sprayed all over the engine under the hood, and the engine cover was missing. Furthermore, the coolant reservoir was below the minimum threshold. This particular issue is the reason I brought the vehicle in for service the week prior, regarding insufficient coolant temperature. It was evident from the state of the engine bay that the dealership failed to follow proper protocol. This lack of oversight likely resulted in damage to the engine and other essential vehicle components, leading to the total loss of the car. I am deeply disappointed by the lack of care and attention to detail in the service provided. This negligence also compromised my fam

The display screen appears to initiate "ghost actions". It will change songs, put phone calls on mute/hang up, change display settings etc. on its own. I looked this issue up online and it seems to be very common with 2017 and newer Mazdas. I took it to the Mazda dealership and they wanted to charge me $150 for a diagnosis and another $500 for a screen repair. I decided not to do it because all of the threads online stated that this didn't fix the issue so no diagnosis was made. It doesn't put me at extreme risk but it is very distracting when I am using maps or CarPlay.

The INFO touchscreen randomly activates itself (the commonly reported "ghost screen" problem that occurs due to defective coating on touchscreen) which cause settings and selections to change uncontrollably, including placing phone calls, etc. This is very distracting and hazardous for this to randomly happen while operating the vehicle.

The main display has failed and/or malfunctioned regularly. Lighting systems for vehicle navigation system has been impacted and HUD lighting and visibility have been impacted. My safety and the safety of my passengers have been put at risk because of distraction and vehicle navigation malfunctions. The component has not yet been inspected. There were no other problems prior to failure. The first incident of this occurred several months to a year ago. This has been a continuous issue. The date provided below is simply to indicate that this has been occurring for an extended period of time.

This report is for a 2019 Mazda CX-5 with the Naturally Aspirated/Non-Turbo engine. This vehicle only has 26,500 miles and has developed a major oil leak from a cracked Cylinder Head. The continued safety of the vehicle has been degraded. The engine could seize while driving making the vehicle inoperable while on roadways. The vehicle has been inspected and confirmed by both an independent service center and by an authorized dealer service center. The only warning lamp that appeared was a low oil light. I immediately pulled over for safety and inspected the oil levels of the engine. I determined the engine oil levels were just below the fill line on the dip stick. I then added approximately half a quart of recommended oil and the oil warning light turned off. I then contacted a local service center for diagnostics of the problem. They determined the cause of the oil leak which was a Cracked Cylinder Head on the Engine. I then drove the vehicle to an authorized Mazda service center at the dealership. They also diagnosed the problem as a Cracked Cylinder Head on the Engine. Both the independent service center and the authorized Mazda service center recommended a full Engine replacement.

I have a 2019 CX5 Mazda that consistently leaks oil and smokes. After taking it to a mechanic, I learned that this is a known Mazda issue, but because my car is under warranty, they won't help me. The Cylinder head is pours, and my mechanic said even if he replaces it, it will happen again due to the design. After I have checked online, it seems that MANY people have this issue from 2018-2021. Mazda even made TSB #SA-031-21 to cover some of this issue but no recall. As mentioned, my car leaks oil everyday, and I have to constantly put oil in just to keep it from burning up. It smokes really bad, but I cannot afford a new car or afford to pay over $3K to get this fixed, or don't understand why they won't fix it if they know it was poor design???

UNKNOWN. Vehicle stalls and jumps when I step on the gas pedal or try to increase speed.

Mazda infotainment system experiences ghost touching. It would operate on its own and exit applications like navigation on its own. Mazda is aware of the issue but won’t issue a recall. This can be a safety hazard when the system exits out of navigation in the middle of nowhere. The system would also make calls on its own which would cause a panic to the driver who is distracted trying to end a call they never placed.

The contact owns a 2019 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle was smoking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was oil leaking from the main gasket and referred the contact to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.

The 2019 Mazda CX5 GT started to make a clicking noise coming from the engine. After much investigation online, sharing multiple resources of videos and sound this seems to be the hydraulic lash adjusters for this specific year and model. Unfortunately this is outside the normal warranty and wasn't noticed until now. The car was inspected by local independent service center. This would pose risk to my family and others if the vehicle seized to work properly. There were no warnings given other than the clicking noise and inspected.

The video display board does not work properly. It randomly changes settings while driving and is very distracting and does not allow the GPS to work properly. It changes radio and display settings and any setting prev set. It cycles through them and randomly changes them The dealer (Kings Mazda in Cincinnati Ohio) stated that this is happening frequently in Mazdas and will cost over $400 for an after market fix and over $1000 for a Mazda fix. It is VERY distracting while driving

Engine head crack causing antifreeze leak. caught problem at 65980 miles. Defect confirmed by dealer. I had no indication of problem, only a terrible smell/odor. Dealer indicated a $6000+ cost of repair.(out of warranty). Thank goodness for extended warranty I purchased. I feel Mazda should be held accountable.

Back up camera display does not always immediately come on when placing car in reverse. It can sometimes be 10 -15 seconds before an image appears. I wait in the garage, driveway, or parking spot before backing but this potentially puts pedestrians behind the vehicle at risk. Per FMVSS 111 guidelines. S5.5.3 regarding response time: The rearview image "shall be displayed within 2.0 seconds of the start of a backing event." Problem has been intermittent but frequency seems to be increasing. I took the car to Headquarter Mazda in Clermont Florida. I was advised a software fix is available for the cameras but the cost would be $220 even though I have Mazda Extended Confidence warranty in effect.

"Ghost Touches", a known service alert for several years now, have stated to affect my car in the past couple of years. At times, it will max out my volume to blast through the car speakers, change settings in my car system (gps, phone, etc), and more. Mazda hasn't issues a recall on this, despite safety concerns by many owners.

Went to drive home from work one night, car had been normal until this event. Car suddenly began to state that it was overheating and throttled my speed down to 20 MPH. I was in the middle of traffic going 40-50 at this time. Turns out there is a VSB regarding a coolant leak that can occur and break. Nothing about how you are suddenly governed to 20 MPH

I had just had my car serviced for 30k services and about 2 months later smoke was coming out of my engine after driving. Took it in and it turned out to be a cracked cylinder head. None of my lights were on indicating there was an issue either. I was told this is a known issue with Mazda and should be a recall but there still isn’t one. TSB#SA-031-21

Just as the recall issued for the 2014-2016 the Mazda Connect Touch Screen continues to be an issue for most owners with this Infosystem. Mine for two years since I bought it will do the “ghost touch” on its own, literally operating on its own. My settings change on their own, doing such things as the volume on its own going from a normal tone to blasting, causing such alarm that I’ve nearly gone off the road. My back up screen brightness changes on its own, causing a real safety concern of running into something or someone. This is just two examples…all of the functions go “haywire” and just change at any unexpected time. This issue can be seen over and over online by Mazda owners. And I’ve reached out to Mazda themselves who state they are not aware of any issue, yet the dealerships are well aware of this dangerous issue and quickly know exactly what the issue is when you explain what the car is doing and let you know that for $1200 they can replace the info system. I just don’t see how they can have this issue since at least 2014 and continue to sell cars with the same issue a recall was issued for. It’s so dangerous.

Crack head leaking oil

My Mazda connect touch screen operates by itself (ghost touch) while driving down the road. My safety is at risk trying to press button to get it turned off, while driving down the road. It is a huge distraction. The volume speakers at the high level and continues to beep and yell your audio will be at this volume level (the loudest). It is not listed as a recall foe this make and model, but should be. Doing further research this looks to be an issue with all of their vehicles and Mazda is not holding themselves accountable or trying to fix the issue in newer vehicles. There have not been any warning signs. I’ve had my car for 5 years come this August and my vehicles has been doing this for about 6 months now.

Cylinder failure low oil pressure and check engine light. Mazda redid cyclinder and still getting the check engine light. Mazda working on issue and having issue resolving problem.