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2016 Mazda Cx 5 Recalls, Issues & Maintenance

The 2016 Mazda Cx 5 carries 5 open NHTSA recalls — most recently covering hatchback/liftgate and steering. Owners report 8 recurring issue clusters, led by “Daytime running light flicker and failure.” Mazda's Skyactiv engines use unusually high compression ratios (13:1 to 16:1) and require strict adherence to oil intervals — extending oil life on a Skyactiv engine accelerates carbon buildup on intake valves. Mazda's published Schedule 1 (severe) covers most US driving conditions. Mazda3, CX-5, CX-30, and CX-50 share the Skyactiv-G platform.

5 Open Recalls

Source: NHTSA

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

Campaign #16V644000 · Jun 9, 2016

Issue: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles manufactured November 18, 2008, to June 8, 2013, 2012-2015 Mazda5 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2010, to June 22, 2015, 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 26, 2015, and 2013-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured December 15, 2011, to December 26, 2015. On the affected vehicles, the lift gate support struts may corrode, possibly causing the struts to break and/or the lift gate to drop unexpectedly.

Risk: If the lift gate falls unexpectedly, it may hit the user, increasing their risk of injury.

Fix: Mazda dealers will replace the both lift gate supports, free of charge, however parts are not currently available. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9916H.

STEERING

Campaign #16V203000 · Nov 4, 2016

Issue: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 2, 2015, 2013-2014 Mazda2 vehicles manufactured July 3, 2013, to August 8, 2014, 2014-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured January 19, 2013, to December 2, 2015, and 2013-2015 CX-9 vehicles manufactured December 6, 2012, to July 31, 2015. The lower mounting nuts and bolts that attach the front strut assembly to the steering knuckle may loosen, allowing the steering knuckle to separate.

Risk: If the steering knuckle separates from the strut assembly, it can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lower mounting nuts and bolts that secure the front strut assembly to the steering knuckle. If the bolts are loose, they will be replaced and then correctly tightened, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 20, 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9316D.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP

Campaign #16V064000 · Mar 2, 2016

Issue: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Mazda CX-5 vehicles manufactured June 27, 2013, to February 2, 2016. The affected vehicles have a fuel filler pipe that may rupture in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."

Risk: A rupture of the fuel filler pipe may result in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will alter the attachment between the fuel filler pipe and the left rear side of the bracket of the fuel filler pipe, free of charge. The recall began on February 25, 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 6. Mazda's number for this recall is 9216B.

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

Campaign #16E002000 · Jan 19, 2016

Issue: Pilkington North America, Inc. (Pilkington) is recalling certain replacement windshields, model FW04026 GTY, manufactured November 23, 2015, to December 16, 2015 for use in Mazda CX-5 vehicles that are equipped with the Smart City Brake Support system. The affected windshields have a bracket mounted on the inside to hold a laser sensor or LIDAR device for the Smart City Brake Support system. These brackets were improperly affixed with only tape instead of tape and urethane and therefore may loosen.

Risk: If the bracket loosens or detaches from the windshield, the safety features of the Smart City Brake Support system may be disabled and therefore increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Pilkington will contact the wholesalers and retailers that purchased the windshields to try to identify the affected customers. The affected windshields will be replaced, free of charge. This recall began on February 15, 2016. Owners may contact Pilkington at 1-844-278-7230.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

Campaign #20V063000 · Jun 2, 2020

Issue: Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016 CX-5 vehicles. The LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) may fail while driving.

Risk: If the DRL fails, the vehicle's visibility may be reduced to other drivers on the road, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlights, and replace the sealing gasket or headlight assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 20, 2020. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 4320A.

Recall data refreshed Sep 6, 2026.

Known issues for this vehicle

What drivers and federal regulators have officially reported about the 2016 Mazda Cx 5.

Reported to NHTSA

Daytime running light flicker and failure

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

44 NHTSA complaints · 2020-02 → 2025-08

“MY 2016 CX-5 GT IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY BASED ON MODEL YEAR, ALTHOUGH IT ONLY HAS 21000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS ALMOST EVERY OTHER OWNER OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL, WHICH IS THAT THE LED DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ON ONE SIDE (SO FAR) HAVE STOPPED WORKING”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11308286
“I received a notice from NHTSA (Campaign No. 20V-063) in May 2020 regarding a recall on daytime running lights due a problem with flickering or not lighting at all. A local dealership changed the lights in September 2020 at no charge to me”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11435059
“LED daytime running lights. 1 is sporadic/ flickering, and the other one is now out/ inoperable, soon the flickering one will go also. Making the vehicle harder to see by other drivers”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11430475

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Infotainment reboot loop and ghost touch inputs

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

17 NHTSA complaints · 2020-12 → 2026-06

“INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM CONTINUOUSLY REBOOTING / CMU GOES BAD. CANNOT REBOOT WITH REMOVING NAV CARD, ETC. THIS DISABLES BLUETOOTH, NAVIGATION, AFFECTS THE CAMERA”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11413114
“Ghost Touch on infotainment system. The infotainment system will randomly make selections - make calls, change gps location destination, change settings, turn off screen, give verbal instructions, etc while driving. This is very distracting and can be a safety issue”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11533318
“Rear Video Camera / Back-up Camera Display Malfunction: The display in the dashboard continuously resets, causing the view from the back-up camera to disappear completely or dim to to the point where it is not viewable”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11452163

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Engine failure and cracked cylinder head

ENGINE

17 NHTSA complaints · 2020-05 → 2026-04

“My daughter was driving her 2016 CX5 when the coolant temperature warning message displayed on the instrument panel, advising her to pull over immediately. She had just driven on to the expressway, but luckily was still in the right lane and was able to pull over safely”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11603978
“First symptom, no heat coming out of heater vent took to shop to investigate and found antifreeze in the oil . Cylinder head removed and found a nonreparable crack In the cylinder head”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11571922
“The car engine is eating oil. There were no warning lights on the dash to indicate this. i happened to check the oil and it was 3 quarts low. This could have caused the engine to malfunction while driving if not caught in time. This started around 70K miles”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11644848

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Sunroof glass shattering while driving

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

7 NHTSA complaints · 2020-03 → 2025-08

“Our sunroof exploded while we were driving on the highway. Glass shattered on us and fell while we were driving with a very loud explosive noise”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11682679
“I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MY HUSBAND AND OUR SUNROOF GLASS SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED. WE JUST HEARD A REALLY LOUD BANG AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN, WE COULD HEAR THE WIND BLOWING AND OUR SUNROOF COVER WAS BEING FORCED OPEN”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11404675
“AS I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE INTERSTATE, THE GLASS ON MY SUNROOF EXPLODED. THE WEATHER WAS ABOUT 70 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND THE CAR IS TYPICALLY GARAGED EXCEPT FOR WHEN I DRIVE IT”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11343510

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Electronic parking brake engagement and rear caliper drag

SERVICE BRAKES

29 NHTSA complaints · 2020-04 → 2026-07

“Last month, my vehicle suddenly applied the electronic parking brake (EPB) while I was driving. The EPB & related warning lights illuminated & would not release until the vehicle was turned off”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11484295
“THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE ON MY 2016 MAZDA CX-5 STARTED ACTING STRANGE A FEW WEEKS AGO. AT FIRST IT WOULD NOT DISENGAGE AFTER STARTING THE CAR, BUT WOULD DO SO AFTER A COUPLE OF RESTARTS. THEN IT STARTED ENGAGING SLIGHTLY WHILE DRIVING, WITH NO INDICATIONS”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11395126
“MY TIRE PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT WAS TRIGGERED ON WHEN I DROVE THE CAR FOR ABOUT 40 MPH. I STOPPED AT A PARKING LOT AND I NOTICED THE REAR RIGHT WHEEL WAS LITERALLY SMOKING. LATER I WENT TO A LOCAL SHOP AND I WAS TOLD THE BRAKE WAS OVERHEATED ON THE REAR RIGHT SIDE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11375160

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Sudden unintended acceleration at low speed

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

9 NHTSA complaints · 2020-05 → 2026-04

“My wife slowed down to a stop before entering the driveway. She gave the vehicle some gas to move forward. She stated that there was a pause, then the vehicle accelerated forward slamming into the garage door and the corner of the garage/house”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11734199
“It's happened 5 or 6 times--twice when in a drive thru. It seems that if I am idling (not pressing on gas or brake) the car will sometimes suddenly accelerate”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11476063
“I WAS DRIVING AND WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN SO I PRESSED BRAKE TO COME TO A STOP. WHILE I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE, THE CAR SUDDENLY REVVED UP AND LURCHED FORWARD. I HAD TO SWITCH THE CAR TO NEUTRAL GEAR TO STOP AND THEN BACK UP OUT OF THE WAY OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11404375

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Seat heater overheating and seat fires

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SEATS

8 NHTSA complaints · 2021-11 → 2026-02

“I noticed smoke filling the inside of my car. I looked over at the passenger seat, and my coat was on fire. I poured my drink on it, pulled over, and threw the coat out of the car”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11717451
“THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT HEATING SYSTEM CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED THROUGH THE FABRIC AND MY DOG'S SEAT. THE FUMES MADE ME AND MY DOG NAUSEOUS.I HAD TO SWERVE ACROSS THE HIGHWAY AND STOP ON THE SHOULDER TO EXTINGUISH THE SEAT FIRE/BURN”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11697961
“The front passenger seat warmer caught fire as i was driving the vehicle. No fuse tripped or anything when it over heated. The seat not just melted but actually caught fire and filled the vehicle with smoke”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11645904

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Fuel pump failure and engine stalling

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

9 NHTSA complaints · 2020-12 → 2026-04

“High pressure fuel pump has been replaced twice in less than a year. Car has less than 100,000 miles. Both times the fuel pump went out while driving, causing loss of acceleration and stalling of vehicle. Had to be towed to shop both times”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11728753
“The low pressure fuel pump on my Cx-5 failed on my drive back home, while in a remote area. I was able to limp the vehicle home with a check engine light that illuminated (at the time of the incident) and erratic vehicle performance (uneven power deliver)”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11505265
“My son was driving the car when it suddenly lost power and would not shift correctly. This occurred without warning while in moderately fast traffic that was moving at 40-50 mph. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the problem occurring”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11461989

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Issues on other model years

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Complaint data refreshed Sep 11, 2026. Investigation data refreshed Sep 11, 2026.

We display NHTSA's record with attribution; we don't editorialize on what these complaints mean for any specific vehicle.

Essential maintenance

Critical for safety and preventing major damage

Engine Oil & Filter

Every 5,000 mi

Replace 0W-20 full-synthetic oil every 5,000 miles under Schedule 1. Schedule 2 (highway-only): 7,500 miles. Mazda CX-50 Turbo and CX-9: 5,000 miles regardless of schedule.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$120–$160

Shop

~$85–$115

DIY

~$25–$55

Full synthetic costs more than conventional. 5-quart 0W-20 + filter is the typical bill.

Tire Rotation

Every 7,500 mi

Rotate tires every 7,500 miles. AWD CX-5, CX-50, and CX-9: 5,000 miles to prevent uneven wear from front-biased AWD coupling.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Often free at the shop where you bought the tires — worth asking before paying.

Brake Inspection

Every 7,500 mi

Inspect brake pads, rotors, and parking brake at every oil change. Mazda3 and CX-5 front pads typically last 35,000-50,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Most shops do this free as a courtesy with any service. Don't pay separately if you can avoid it.

Brake Fluid

Every 30,000 mi

Replace DOT 3 brake fluid every 30,000 miles or 36 months.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$180–$200

Shop

~$125–$140

DIY

~$10–$25

DOT 3 or 4 — match the cap. Vacuum bleeders make this a one-person DIY.

Important maintenance

Keeps your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently

Engine Air Filter

Every 30,000 mi

Replace engine air filter every 30,000 miles. Skyactiv-G direct injection is sensitive to airflow restriction — inspect at every oil change.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

5-minute job on most cars; the airbox lid usually has clips, no tools needed.

Automatic Transmission Fluid

Every 60,000 mi

Replace ATF every 60,000 miles severe / 100,000 normal. Use Mazda FZ ATF — substitutes cause harsh 1-2 shifts and torque converter shudder.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$330–$500

Shop

~$235–$355

DIY

~$60–$180

Some sealed transmissions have no dipstick — fill is precise and best left to a shop. Many drivers can still DIY drain-and-fill.

Spark Plugs

Every 60,000 mi

Iridium spark plugs every 60,000 miles on Skyactiv-G 2.0L and 2.5L. CX-50 Turbo and CX-9 Turbo: 45,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$390

Shop

~$200–$275

DIY

~$25–$100

Iridium plugs cost more but last 100k+ miles. V6/V8 access varies wildly — some are tough.

FL-22 Long-Life Coolant

Every 60,000 mi

Mazda FL-22 (yellow): first change at 120,000 miles or 10 years, then every 60,000. Do not substitute — silicate-free formula prevents water pump damage on Skyactiv engines.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$330

Shop

~$200–$235

DIY

~$25–$60

Use the manufacturer-specified coolant — wrong color/chemistry can damage the cooling system.

Transfer Case / Rear Diff (AWD)

Every 60,000 mi

AWD CX-5, CX-50, CX-9: replace transfer case fluid and rear diff fluid every 60,000 miles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$105–$140

Shop

~$75–$100

DIY

~$15–$40

AWD/4WD vehicles only. Easy drain-and-fill on most platforms.

Recommended maintenance

Extends the life of your vehicle and improves comfort

Cabin Air Filter

Every 15,000 mi

Replace cabin air filter every 15,000 miles. Behind the glove box on Mazda3, CX-5, CX-30, and CX-50.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

Usually behind the glovebox. Shops charge labor for a 10-minute job — easy DIY win.

Fatal crash history & reported problems

Occupant deaths in fatal crashes (FARS)

56 crashes 2010–2024

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road. How to read this number

Owner-reported problem signals

Separate from the federal fatality data above: complaints owners filed with NHTSA about this year and model. These are reports of problems, unverified, and are counted here only as signals.

31

complaints mentioning a crash

10

complaints mentioning a fire

Reviewed known issues for this vehicle·Open recalls for this vehicle

Typical U.S. ranges. Actual quotes vary by shop, parts choice, and vehicle condition.

How we estimate: Dealer = OEM parts × 1.4 + labor × $165/hr. Shop = parts + labor × $115/hr. DIY = parts only.

This maintenance schedule for the 2016 Mazda Cx 5 reflects Mazda's published service intervals. Your actual service needs may vary based on driving conditions, climate, and vehicle usage. Always consult your owner's manual for model-specific recommendations.

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