10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
43,578 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Mazda CX-5 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Mazda CX-5:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2013 Mazda CX-5 Owner Comments

problem #19

Jul 132020

CX-5 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This issue has occurred multiple times where I put my car into park (therefore being stationary), press the button to turn off the car and the car does not fully shut down. It appears to be a safety issue with the steering sensor not full recognizing that the car is in park and therefore not shutting off the car completely. In order to get the car to completely shut off, the car has to be shifted from drive to park/actively turning on and off the car sometimes as many as 5-6 times in order for it to fully shut down. I have read dozens of reports of other Mazda owners experiencing the same problem. Cars being unintentionally left on is definitely a safety issue that needs to be looked into.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #18

Apr 012019

CX-5

  • miles
Defective parking switch. Ignition fails to disengage even though the dashboard display shows the car is in park. At times the engine stays on; majority of the instances the engine shuts down but the ignition remains on with an audible alarm sounding when the driver's door is open. This problem drains the battery completely and requires disconnecting the battery to avoid the drain. Dangerous for everyone but particularly dangerous for those who are deaf when the engine runs or the ignition stays on and causes the battery to drain. The vehicle is parked when this occurs. At times continuing to turn on the engine, shifting through all options and back in to park solves the problem. Several occasions when shifting back into park and turning off the ignition will not solve the problem. The problem started to occur randomly but now occurs daily. Since this issue I have replaced starter and battery with no affect. The mechanic found the technical service bulletin issues by Mazda for this problem.

- Chepachet, RI, USA

problem #17

Sep 132019

CX-5

  • 83,000 miles
Defective parking switch. Ignition fails to disengage even though the dashboard display shows the car is in park. At times the engine stays on; majority of the instances the engine shuts down but the ignition remains on with an audible alarm sounding when the driver's door is open. This problem drains the battery completely and requires disconnecting the battery to avoid the drain. Dangerous for everyone but particularly dangerous for those who are deaf when the engine runs or the ignition stays on and causes the battery to drain. The vehicle is parked when this occurs. At times continuing to turn on the engine, shifting through all options and back in to park solves the problem. Several occasions when shifting back into park and turning off the ignition will not solve the problem. The problem started to occur randomly 10/16/2018 but occured with daily frequency on 9/9/2019, the repairs were made on 9/13/2019 when the mechanic found the technical service bulletin issues by Mazda for this problem.

- Johnstown, CO, USA

problem #16

Apr 012019

CX-5

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car had an engine light after driving it for 43K mile. Took it to my local Mazda dealer and found out it has code P011A which required the coolant sensors replacement. Had the work done which cost me about $600 but the engine light came back with the same error code. After speaking with their top level technician and management team it turn out the heater core was the main issue it was a missed diagnostic. So now the heater core is required which will cost me another $1800 to get it fix. If the heater core is not replaced the engine can over heat and also if the heater is turned up, it can slowly cook or suffocate the driver and passengers. With the safety concerns in mind I did some research and found out there are others reporting similar issue with seem to indicate the heater core might be a design flaw or defect from the start which require a replacement every 50K mile.

- San Pablo, CA, USA

problem #15

Feb 042019

CX-5

  • 101,000 miles
Car issue on May 6th 2018, I first experienced an issue with my vehicle not fully turning off the car while in park. I have a push button start on my car and after I put it in park, I pressed the push button to shut it off and it would not turn off. I want to exit the vehicle and it was beeping at me as if I did not turn off my car. And the light on the push button was orange. The car was in a state as if I was using the battery but did not have my engine on or ac. I put my foot on the brake, pressed the button to try to shut it off, and it turned my car back on then I pressed the foot on the brake to shut it off and it went back to using the battery only. I tried many different ways to shut off my vehicle and I still could not. I attempted this at least 5 times before my vehicle finally shut off. I put my car in park, go to shut off my car and it will not fully shut off. I attempted to shut it off seven times before I finally put my car in reverse put it in park and then my car shut off. I called my Mazda dealership, and ask them what I would do in the future to fix this issue and they said they have never heard of this issue before. I looked up on the internet, and there&apos's hundreds of people that have had this issue and all of them say that Mazda says they've never heard of the issue. They urged me to come in, have my car diagnosed, and then they could try to see what is wrong with it. Because my car is no longer under warranty, I would be paying for something that might be a recall issue. How are there hundreds of people, blogs everywhere with the same issues as myself and no one has ever heard of it? this is now happening to me on a regular basis. I love this vehicle but I'm seconds away from getting rid of it. I've had enough. This is definitely a defect in the manufacturing of the vehicles.

- Guelph, AZ, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #14

Jan 032019

CX-5

  • 60,000 miles
While driving on the freeway, my glass sunroof shattered. There was not any sort of object that fell through it, and it seems to have just been faulty.

- Wheat Ridge, CO, USA

problem #13

May 172018

CX-5

  • 67,110 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On May 6th 2018, I first experienced an issue with my vehicle not fully turning off the car while in park. I have a push button start on my car and after I put it in park, I pressed the push button to shut it off and it would not turn off. I want to exit the vehicle and it was beeping at me as if I did not turn off my car. And the light on the push button was orange. The car was in a state as if I was using the battery but did not have my engine on or ac. I put my foot on the brake, pressed the button to try to shut it off, and it turned my car back on then I pressed the foot on the brake to shut it off and it went back to using the battery only. I tried many different ways to shut off my vehicle and I still could not. I attempted this at least 5 times before my vehicle finally shut off. Today, it happened again. I put my car in park, went to shut off my car and it would not shut off. I attempted to shut it off seven times before I finally put my car in reverse put it in park and then my car shut off. I called my Mazda dealership, and ask them what I would do in the future to fix this issue and they said they have never heard of this issue before. I looked up on the internet, and there's hundreds of people that have had this issue and all of them say that Mazda says they've never heard of the issue. They urged me to come in, have my car diagnosed, and then they could try to see what is wrong with it. Because my car is no longer under warranty, I would be paying for something that might be a recall issue. How are there hundreds of people with the same issues as myself and no one has ever heard of it? note: I am Canadian because it wouldn't give me the choice of a Canadian province, I made up the postal code to coincide with Alabama. Please let me know where I would file this in Canada. Km were converted to miles

- Guelph, AL, USA

problem #12

Feb 262018

CX-5

  • 75,000 miles
Bought in 2014 no problem till today went to Mazda dealer said electrical problem buzzing sound when off and not when running now will not start at all having to have it towed his am help went in my garage and heard buzzing sound drove straight to dealer and was not buzzing while driving

- Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

problem #11

Mar 072017

CX-5

  • 65,000 miles
When turning off eng, via pressing the electronic start/stop button. The radio stays on. Unless you press the button to turn on the accessories, then pressing brake down, then moving the automatic shift lever from park to drive, to park again and pressing the start/stop button again, then the radio will turn off. This has been happening for many months.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #10

Aug 232017

CX-5

  • 140,000 miles
August 23, 2017: While driving my 2013 Mazda Cx-5 on the expressway at approximately 70mps (speed limit 75) the moon roof suddenly shattered while passing through an underpass. It was roughly 98F with clear skies and there was minimal traffic. When I pulled over to inspect the car for any damage I saw the moon roof shattered, like it had been blown out in the middle.

- Pharr, TX, USA

problem #9

Aug 132017

CX-5

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Exiting freeway when I heard a thump from vehicle and then decelaration. Unable to accelarate normally. Car kept stopping. Pulled over for few minutes, then tried again and car resumed driving normally. A month later was is a store parking lot, reversing out of my space, put it in drive, and the car began showing the same problems as before, not allowing me to accelerate. Pulled over again and turn car off for five minutes. Then tried it again. This time problem remained and did not go away. Tried waiting a half hour and restarting unsuccessfully. Had to call husband to help. He disconnected the battery and reconected it several minutes later. It seemed to take care of the problem. Next morning planning to drive to dealer to get it fixed when the same thing happened again. Again, my husband disconnected the battery and reconnected it. Worked for awhile, pulled over on way to dealership and repeat same actions. Finally made it to dealership. The traction control was engaging when it was not suppose to. The dealership charges us $400 to replace the mass flow sensor. Seems like this could of resulted in an accident, and Mazda should recall the Cx-5 and replace the sensor before someone gets in an accident.

- Lincoln, CA, USA

problem #8

Aug 032015

CX-5

  • 20,000 miles
This has been happening for the last 2 years. I've taken it to 2 different Mazda dealerships for a total of 5 times and they cannot duplicate the issue or find any problems running diagnostics. My car has 50,000 miles on it and is a 2013 Mazda Cx-5. when I bought it had 20,000 miles on it and I started noticing a few months after I bought it. This issue happens mostly when: 'I'm turning left from a complete stop 'turning left while coasting toward a stop sign and then speeding up once it turns green 'merging into traffic going left or right 'turning right from a complete stop or while coasting to the red light and speeding up once it turns green car stalls/hesitates/lingers as if I'm not accelerating. As though the car was in neutral instead of drive. The RPM increases but the car does not move (unless it was already coasting and continues to move from momentum). It feels as though the transmission is not shifting quick enough into the right gear and I notice this while I'm usually at a lower speed trying to accelerate into traffic. I am often scared that a car will hit me from behind (or the side if I'm turning left) as I turn into traffic. It's the equivalent of someone turning into heavy traffic and then stopping. This will cause an accident and I'm hoping it doesn't take a fatal or near fatal accident before Mazda realizes there is a definite problem with this car.

- Mount Prospect, IL, USA

problem #7

Aug 152017

CX-5

  • miles
Has to do with recall of thel lift gate damper recall 9916H. The lift gate dampers were replaced but the anchors they attach to in hatch were not and they are badly corroded. Saw this when the lift gate stays were replaced. Mazda service advisor said not his problem.

- North East, PA, USA

problem #6

May 082017

CX-5

  • miles
I have had continuous issues with all four of my wheel bearings. After one went bad, I had to replace it. Two weeks later, I had to replace a second one, and then the final two wheel bearings had to be replace only a week after that. Upon taking it to one mechanic, I was told that this is a frequent problem with the Mazda Cx-5, and they get a lot of owners that come in to repair this issue. I did some research on my own, and realized that what the mechanic had told me was true. Apparently, a lot of Mazda owners are having this issue. I called up an official Mazda service center to inquire about this and the service technician had told me that they even get brand new cars (Cx-5) with low mileage that are having the same problem, so it's not a mileage issue. They're constantly replacing the wheel bearings for the Cx-5, regardless if the vehicle has low or high mileage. Unfortunately, my car is now out of warranty, so to replace each wheel bearing, it has cost me about $500 for each one. That is $2000 in repairs fora problem that seems to be very consistent with a lot Cx-5 models. I have owned other cars with three times the mileage without having such an issue. I think, perhaps, Mazda should look into as a recurring issue across the board with many Mazda owners. This sounds like a manufacturer defect that is of no fault to the owner. Perhaps Mazda should consider releasing a recall for this defect.

- Liverpool, NY, USA

problem #5

Oct 112016

CX-5

  • miles
Front seat passenger's feet have been burned when they are lifted off the floor and touch something under glovebox area. This has happened to me, when I have sat in the passanger seat and other passangers. This happens to one person at a time, but happens often. I had the dealership look at it to see if there was something wrong and they said there is not yet a fix for it. This area heats up after the vehicle is running a while.

- St. Charles, MO, USA

problem #4

Mar 212017

CX-5

  • 80,000 miles
3 times since PCM recall was completed- I have been driving on the highway 65mph, suddenly feel reduction in power, check engine light, low tire pressure lights and tractions stabilty warning lights come on. When the car is turned off, and restarted lights go out except check engine and car drives normal. By the time I get to pepboys they are unable to find a cause and the check engine light goes off.

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

problem #3

Oct 152015

CX-5

  • 11,000 miles
There was a recall on the lift gate stay damper. Recall was received Oct. 2016 &has not been repaired. Tupelo Mazda says there's no parts for it. This needs to be rectified asap. The recall says the lift gate can fall potentially causing injury, the stay dampers are faulty.

- Corinth, MS, USA

problem #2

Nov 252016

CX-5

  • 47,875 miles
Engine light, diagnostic code indicates heater core problem. System has been flushed at least 2 times and problem still reoccurs within a week. It has been a commuting inconvenience and my wife is fearful of driving the car with the engine light on.

- American Canyon, CA, USA

problem #1

May 212015

CX-5

  • 28,000 miles
I first started hearing this screeching noise back in May 2015, after which I took it to the dealership thinking whatever it was could be covered under warranty. They came back saying that it was due to not having any rear brake pads left and my rotors were severely damaged. Unfortunately, this was due to normal wear and tear and not covered under warranty. After fixing this, in August 2015, I started to hear the noise again. Took it back to the same dealership complaining about the same noise. This time, they stated that it was my front brake pads. Got this fixed as well. Now it is September, and I hear the same exact screeching noise as I heard in May. I decided to have it checked at another dealership but unfortunately, due to how the prior dealership used an air impact wrench to put on my wheel locks, they were not able to remove them. It actually stripped the key and now I am stuck with another problem to fix. While there, we asked if this might be the reason behind the screeching that we hear, but the mechanic stated that there is a service bulletin out on the rear calipers, etc and to fix it if a customer complains. Now my complaint is how is a customer supposed to be aware of this if it is not made known to us...and instead, the dealerships trick us into repeatedly returning to have it checked, taking time out of our busy work schedules. I also don't agree with at only 30K, I had to have all my brake pads changed already! all the other cars I've had, I did at around 50K.

- North Brunswick, NJ, USA

Not what you are looking for?