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: power train
11 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Mar 16, 2026
My car only has 65k miles on it and the rear differential failed and needs to be replaced. I am seeing this posted online by many Mazda CX-5 owners well under the mileage this typically happenes but out of the warranty period. Mazda should start a recall or compensate owners for this. its never been in an accident simply a commuter car used around town
Power train, Oct 7, 2025
Rear differential failed around 97,000 miles. We were three months past our certified pre-owned warranty. Total cost to repair was around $4400 after a discount on parts and labor through our Costco membership. Contacted Mazda to see if they’d be willing to provide any assistance to cover the repair, they declined. Service advisor told us that it was a catastrophic failure that we did not cause. We purchased this car in 2020 and have always had it serviced at the dealership and at no point did they bring it up as it being an issue. The rear differential should not fail.
Power train, Jul 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2017 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, there was an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear differential needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Power train, Jun 4, 2025
Rear differential began to leak. Mechanics (3) looked at the part and discovered play in both right and left side axles leading into rear differential along with loud clanking noises inside the differential itself. Seal areas on both sides of unit had extensive play. Diagnosed with worn gears inside rear differential. Vehicle is only 8 years old (bought brand new) and has 74,110 miles. Complaint filed with Mazda claiming that gears and rear differential should not have failed given the mileage. Mazda has advised me that the car was out of warranty (5yrs/60k mileage) that the repairs were not covered. They wanted me to drive my car to a local Mazda dealer but I declined since driving it may/would have caused more damage to differential. Advised them to have their mechanic go to my local repair facility where part was replaced and pick up the differential for verification. Research online has indicated other owners has suffered identical issues. Have not heard anything back from Mazda. Total cost to replace $3,993.49
Power train, Mar 1, 2025
Rear differential failed at roughly 80,000 miles. Depending on failure, unexpected loss of traction or a locking up of the drivetrain could occur. We were lucky to catch it before then. Dealer confirmed issue with no clear cause. No warning lamps/messages/etc indicated that the part was failing. The only thing we noticed was increased highway noise, which could easily be ignored by someone who is not as aware of good/bad car noises.
Power train, Feb 27, 2025
Car was making popping noise, got it checked out at mechanic. Said rear differential had metal in the oil.
Power train, Nov 2, 2023
Sudden jerking started when driving on a 45miles/hour with vehicle stopping suddenly. The issue was diagnosed by the dealer to be a transmission related and was asked to replace with a new transmission. There was no prior warning.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 24, 2023
While driving on the interstate (continuously for about 4 hours) the vehicle suddenly lost power and the engine stalled. Power steering and power brakes were impacted and the vehicle was difficult to get off the road safely. Once stopped, it would not restart over a 30 minute period. A tow truck was called and it was taken to the dealer. A couple hours later when the dealer checked it, the vehicle started normally and drove without issue. A P0192 code was stored in the ECU so the high pressure fuel pump was replaced even though they could not reproduce the problem. The vehicle has 63000 miles on it now, but a similar sequence happened at 15000 miles. In that situation while driving at a steady speed all power cut out and the engine abruptly downshifted to the point where the tires squealed. After pulling off the road and stopping/starting the vehicle it seemed to drive normally again. We were traveling at the time with no dealer nearby, but when we returned back home we took it to the dealer and they found the same code P0192 and ran various tests and decided to replace the high pressure fuel pump even though it was driving properly. In only 63000 miles this vehicle has twice failed dramatically and without warning in ways that could easily cause an accident or injury. I am lacking in confidence that the root cause has ever been identified.
Power train, Feb 13, 2019
THE SHIFT LOCK LEVER ON THE TRANSMISSION GEAR SELECTOR GETS STUCK WHEN ITS COLD.
Power train, Oct 18, 2018
MY CAR UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED ONCE ABOUT A MONTH AGO.AND TODAY 10/18/2018 IN PARKING BOTH TIMES. I AVOIDED HITING A VEHICLE EACH TIME BY QUICKLY STOMPING ON MY BRAKES.TODAY I TOUCHED ANOTHER CAR.LUCK HAD IN STOPPED IN TIME WITH NO DAMAGE. I WAS PARKING REARWARD THE FIRST TIME AND FORWARD TODAY 10/18/2018 IN MOTION.ON A CITY STREET.
Power train, Apr 4, 2018
WHEN SLOWING DOWN, AS SOON AS VEHICLES HITS 25 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION JERKS. GETTING WORSE, DISTRACTS FROM DRIVING