2021 Mazda CX-5: What to check before buying

Oil runs low well before the scheduled change, and the low oil warning comes on, often about 3,000 miles after service. Reports cite up to a quart every 1,000 miles, mostly on cars under 30,000 miles. Several tie it to the turbo engine and service bulletin 01-012/21. Dealers often just top off the oil. A separate group of reports describes a check engine light with code P0126, covered by a bulletin on the coolant control valve. On some cars it comes back after the repair.

Oil consumption dominates these reports too. On turbo models the low oil light appears 3,000 to 4,000 miles after a change, with no visible leak. Other cars do leak oil, including a timing cover gasket that kept leaking after repeated warranty repairs and multiple seals at 70,000 miles. A failed rear differential, first noticed as a new noise at 24,000 miles, also appears. Some owners describe rough, jumpy driving below 30 mph, or shaking and stuttering when cylinder deactivation kicks in that can feel close to a stall.

The infotainment screen goes black and takes the backup camera with it, or the audio cuts out. The usual fix is waiting or disconnecting the battery. Several reports involve the telematics unit recall. They describe battery drain, and in one case a keyless ignition fault after the repair that left the car unable to shut off. An engine stall on the interstate cut power steering and brakes and was traced to the high pressure fuel pump. The 2 crash reports cite repeated self-acceleration and a blind spot monitor that missed a car.

Glass breaks without any impact. Reports include a rear window that shattered twice in a week and a sunroof that burst outward at about 65 mph. The other recurring complaint is weak defrosting. The windshield has a single center defrost vent, so only the middle of the glass clears. The area in front of the driver and the sides stay fogged in rain and snow, and it is worse at night.

Rear glass fractures while the car sits parked. One owner reports it happening four times since June 2023, leaving glass across the rear seat. The windshield also fogs in heavy rain when the climate system blows only hot air, and dealers could not reproduce the problem. In freezing weather the power-folding mirrors can freeze in the tucked position. That burns out the mirror motor and leaves no view behind the car. Later model years added a setting to turn folding off, but there is no retrofit for this year.

The main pattern is sudden acceleration while the driver is pressing the brake. It usually happens at very low speed, pulling into a parking space, driveway, or car wash bay. Of the 5 reports, 4 involve crashes, with 4 injuries, and dealer inspections found no stored codes. In another crash, adaptive cruise control sped up toward slowing traffic instead of braking. Snow packed on the front emblem can also block the cruise control radar and shut the system off.

Rotors rust and chip and pads wear out early, often by about 15,000 miles. Owners notice vibration or squealing when braking. Dealers have treated this as normal wear and quoted as much as $800 to replace the parts. Other reports describe pads that click as they shift, a brand-new car with a burning smell and an antilock brake malfunction alert, and a car that pulled left on a snowy road shortly after all its pads were replaced.

Airbags go off when they should not. In one report the passenger side airbags fired at about 25 mph with no impact, yet the event log still recorded a crash. In another, the driver's curtain and seat airbags deployed after a light curb bump on ice at 10 mph or less, with no damage to the car. A third report describes an airbag warning light that has stayed on for months.

Most tire failures involve the sidewalls on the 225/55R19 size. Reports describe a sidewall bubble on a Firestone Destination LE3 tire and cracking where the sidewall meets the tread on all 4 tires, which a dealer flagged as possible tread separation. Another owner had repeated flats on tires only 6 months old. One report pairs the sidewall bubble with a popping sound at 70 mph and a tire pressure warning light.