2017 Mazda CX-5
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 148 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 5th highest complaint count among 14 CX-5 model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 5 involved a crash. 3 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Trailer hitchesNov 21, 2017
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2017 CX-5 vehicles equipped with an accessory trailer hitch wiring harness. This harness may be routed such that there is insufficient clearance between the harness and the exhaust muffler, allowing the wiring harness to contact the muffler.
Contact with the muffler may damage the trailer wiring harness, potentially resulting in the trailer lighting being inoperative, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reroute the trailer hitch harness away from the muffler, replacing the harness if it is damaged, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 20, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1617K.
Campaign 17V744000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
44 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Jun 30, 2026
The radio is uncontrollable by driver. The radio the self dial from Bluetooth. Even if not connected, the radio surprises this driver by playing the radio unexpectedly at the highest rate. Due to the buttons not working, driver cannot turn down the radio causing safety concerns for being scared and distracted. There are no warnings. Mazda is unwilling to assess without pay.
Electrical system, Jun 28, 2026
There is a consistent issue with the “ghost touch“ and the electrical system so when you’re going down the road, the musical will change. The music will blast up or down randomly it’ll get stuck and it’s very distracting. It will hang up on people while you’re having a conversation through the car phone. This was a recall for Mazda 2014 through 2016 and they need to extend it because it was still happening with my 2017. This is my first experience with Mazda and it has not been a good one as far as this goes. I do a lot of driving and phone calls and music are very important and stuff randomly changing or getting stuck while you’re driving and then trying to fix it is very dangerous.
Electrical system, May 30, 2026
Infotainment system randomly makes its own selections. Turns volume up and down, changes settings, changes stations... etc. Anything that can be controlled on the screen is at risk of being randomly hijacked. Once, my drivers assist volume was unexpectedly turned to full blast and randomly shouted "navigation assistant will be at this volume. " I jumped so badly I actually could have crashed if I hadn't been at a light.
Electrical system, Seats, Mar 5, 2026
During a one-hour car ride, the front passenger side seat heater burned a hole through the seat, damaging my wife's skirt and leaving a hole in the upholstery. The overheating definitely originated within the seat. We immediately turned the seat heater off and have not used it since. It could have started a fire, which is very scary, or burned my wife, which is a serious safety risk. This issue has been mentioned by other Mazda owners, but I cannot find any recall reports. There were no warnings prior to the burning. The component is being taken to the dealership to be examined today.
Electrical system, Jan 9, 2026
UNKNOWN The infotainment system started malfunctioning on its own. Changes channels on radio, goes into settings and makes changes. Calls phone numbers etc. Does it more in the cold weather
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Dec 30, 2025
The infotainment system suffers from ghost touching. It has gotten out of control even after a “recall” fix at the dealership. Without being touched the volume changes, the stations change, the presets change, the car makes calls to my contacts. I am often unable to control the screen as it turns the car to max volume while driving. It is extremely unsafe, distracting and alarming.
Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 4, 2025
Dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Multiple warning lights all at once. This issue has been reported on multiple Mazda vehicle years. Took to Delker Auto repairs. Is electrical problem. Stated that so far nothing wrong with components. Will have to hunt for. Mazda has known electrical issues. In addition, your file upload will not let me upload picture even though it's in correct format. I can send separately.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 13, 2025
CX-5's infotainment system RANDOMLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING STARTS BEEPING AND CHANGING OPTIONS WHILE DRIVING, A VERY DISTRACTING EVENT. I TRIED TO SHUT THE SCREEN OFF BUT IT COMES BACK ON RANDOMLY AND CAUSES CONCERN AND DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING, IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR YEARS NOW AND OF WHAT I READ MAZDA WILL NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM
Electrical system, Nov 4, 2025
The infotainment system in my 2017 Mazda CX-5 exhibits dangerous behavior consistent with known defects described in the Mazda Infotainment Class Action Settlement (Case No. 8:21-cv-01355). The infotainment system and touchscreen repeatedly activate critical functions on its own (“ghost touches”), sometimes going black, changing critical settings, disengaging phone calls as well as unexpectedly activating phone calls, and navigation features engage or freeze unpredictably. These malfunctions distract from safe vehicle operation, requiring driver attention to manage the malfunctioning display. The vehicle’s display is integrated with backup camera, audio, and Bluetooth controls, so these repeated malfunctions cause safety concerns while driving. Mazda and the dealership have refused to repair the defect under the Limited Warranty Extension established in the settlement, incorrectly claiming the issue is unrelated to the CMU (connectivity master unit). However, these symptoms are identical to those described in Mazda’s internal service bulletins (CSP13 and TSB 09-022/17) and covered by the settlement. I believe Mazda is failing to properly address a continuing safety-related defect that impacts infotainment stability and driver concentration. These issues have occurred for years and are continuing nearly every time I operate the vehicle.
Electrical system, Sep 21, 2025
Unknown The infotainment system started malfunctioning on its own
Electrical system, Sep 21, 2025
I purchased this vehicle on the 10th of September. BY the 12th I I noticed the infotainment system was doing its own thing without me touching anything. The next day it did the same thing I E.changing stations on its own,volume going up or down etc...
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 14, 2024
Twice now, my 2017 Mazda CX-5 stalled on the highway with a check engine light popping up--both times was driving around 60-70mph for a couple of hours and had about a quarter tank of gas left. The first time, no code was found, but the second time, after a deeper diagnostic, the dealership found a P0192 code. After reading here and many other places online, based on the code and the car's behavior, it really sounds like the Denso low-pressure fuel pump is to blame; that's the source of the recall for 2018 and 2019 Mazda CX-5s experiencing this same issue [XXX] ). If the 2017 model also uses that fuel pump, why isn't it included in the recall? If this dangerous and erratic car behavior is due to a faulty part, it really should be covered by the recall. Shame on you, Mazda. Lives are at risk. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Sep 19, 2024
There is a known issue of "Ghost Touching" on the infotainment system on 2017-2020 Mazda's. The ghost touching causes the infotainment center to randomly self-select options on the screen, which is highly distracting. The following are experiences I've had while driving (sometimes going 70MPH on the interstate), where my infotainment center begins to make selections on it's own: Unpausing paused music Making random phone calls Opening text messages and selecting the reply button Flipping between screens continuously Ending phone calls This is extremely distracting and dangerous. Mazda is aware of this issue. I had my screen replaced in 2020, and replaced with another faulty screen that I now have to get replaced again.
Electrical system, Sep 12, 2024
This car has an issue with 'ghost touches' on the infotainment screen. We had it replaced under warranty in January 2020, and the same issue is happening again. Searches online show this is a widespread problem and Mazda wants to charge $1,000 to fix it this time. It is a distraction, turns music on/off volume up/down and can cause dangerous unexpected distractions.
Electrical system, Jul 8, 2024
Vehicle Infotainment Center - the touch screen will automatically select options and click options while driving, causing a distraction and most recently attempting to enable a child lock. It will do it while the car is both driving and while stopped. It will randomly do it on both the Radio Screen and the Navigation screen.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Lane departure, Apr 20, 2024
The center screen started self selecting on its own, and randomly choosing options that included going into the setting for Adas system and turning stuff off and on.
Electrical system, Apr 13, 2024
My touch screen, has been acting up. While driving, the navigation system will automatically change prompts while driving. It will change to music, random dials, consistently change to random dials. I am unable to stop the dials from changing. I have read on the internet people are calling this "ghost touching". The volume will randomly go up high while driving. I am unable to control the volume or prompts. This is dangerous while on the road. I am unable to hear first responders while driving in traffic. This is a huge distraction. Many people I am reading are going through this with their Mazdas... This is costing us more than 3,000 or 4,000 to get fixed. I am unable to get this fixed for this price. I am unable to get a new car.
Electrical system, Jan 6, 2024
The vehicle display registers false “phantom” touches, causing it to behave erratically. Mazda issued a service bulletin for 2014-2016 Mazda 3 models but this affects most Mazda models through at least 2020 including our 2017 CX-5. Mazda has not acknowledged this for other vehicles. My 2016 Mazda 3had the repair completed under a service bulletin. Unfortunately the dealer will charge a diagnostic fee for this vehicle. Mazda does offer a repair part for this issue, where they previously required complete CMU replacement, so they know it’s a problem. This results in sudden and random changes in volume, navigation, radio, etc with no intervention, causing a significant distraction and safety concern.
Electrical system, Dec 14, 2023
I have reported this same issue to NHTSA since 2021, and the issue persists to date. Other model years of Mazdas (2017, 2018) including my vehicle have been experiencing "ghost touch". This is an issue that Mazda addressed under a recall for the 2014-2016 models, however, has failed to extend. This poses as severe safety issue as the vehicle randomly increases the volume and will change settings that can either startle the driver and/or make visibility of the cluster impossible especially while driving at night. Please address this issue. There are numerous complaints with this specific year and model alone; but I am certain if searches were conducted on other models, the same issue will be found.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Sep 4, 2023
This particular Mazda model has a ghost touch issue with the infotainment system. It will start selecting buttons on its own, which includes changing stations, randomly calling people, hanging up on people, dimming back up camera, changing different settings within the infotainment system. This is a major safety hazard as I have almost gotten in several accidents from this distraction. This has happened so many times that I cannot pinpoint one specific date. Mazda is aware of this because there is a service alert currently for this issue.
Electrical system, Aug 6, 2023
There is an electrical issue with the infotainment system. It changes settings/programmed setup on its own. It is a known issue that mazda owners call “ghost touch”. This is becoming a safety concern for me as it has toggled for the smart city brake support and blind spot monitoring to toggle to off randomly. Although it is not relied on by myself, it can cause an accident or death if does not engage. Additionally, it has changed my display (driver gages) to the lowest setting which is extremely difficult to see at night. As well as the head unit (infotainment system). When this happened, I could not safely read the speed I was going nor reset the display brightness. Mazda needs to take responsibility of this as all system settings are located in the infotainment system. It has apparently also been a known issue for Mazda dated back to 2013 from researching online. Thank you.
Electrical system, Jul 28, 2023
The infotainment system is experiencing 'ghost touch'. It random selects options such as volume, track, adjust bass/treble, etc.... It is very distracting and I don't understand why the recall for this specific issue, is only covered until 2015. This electrical short continues to happening on later models.
Electrical system, Apr 18, 2023
The display operates by itself. This is a known issue commonly called “ghost touch” and Mazda has issued service bulletins for 2014-2016 model year cars. Unfortunately other cars including my 2017 CX-5 are also affected. This is a safety issue as the navigation will stop working and the constant beeping from the ghost clicking is very distracting and can lead to the driver not focusing on the road. Mazda should be required to recall all affected model years, not just the 2014-2016.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 6, 2023
I have made carmax aware of the issue I was driving on the interstate in PA, when out of nowhere the check engine light turned on and the car stalled and stopped working the speedometer went down drastically almost causing me to get into a car accident, I was able to continue going slowly on the emergency lane until the car stopped it was freezing weather and there was no one in sight to help not even an emergency vehicle they told me it was an 02 sensor that they fixed it and once again I am driving and pulling into my driveway the car shut off mid drive and the brake would not work I had to pull the emergency brake i almost got into an accident I would've driven the car into my neighbor's property this 02 sensor is bad there's a bad scent and also now all the electrical has gone haywire i have also made them aware of this since May i have videos of everything shutting on and off please help me I dont want to die because of this car and no one is helping me
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 21, 2022
Check engine light went on at 56mph and stalled the vehicle. Almost causing and accident all lights on dash went on and off. I stopped turn the vehicle off then on and only the check engine light went on but started stalling after accelerating again the after about 3 mile the lights and stalling happened again. This can cause a major accident