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
148 reports, newest first.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 15, 2023
On April 15th, 2019, Mazda made the public aware of Recall Campaign 3219D which involves a failure of the Front Body Control Module on Mazda 3 vehicles, which renders the front windshield wipers inoperable. That document indicates that the part number of replacement for the faulty module is KDY5-67-5XX. On July 10th, 2023, a Mazda dealership serviced a 2017 Mazda CX-5 as the windshield wipers were not functioning. They determined that the Front Body Control Module was faulty and causing the issue. With the new module, part number BAYS-67-5XX, the issue is resolved. The above part numbers are remarkably similar, especially given the added factor that the Front Body Control Module of this vehicle failed in the exact same way as is described in the recall. Mazda, in their filing of the Part 573 Safety Recall Report for campaign 3219D for the Mazda 3, indicated that there may still be an issue with the wiper motor's "condenser" (sic, capacitor) being undersized. Mazda refused to reimburse for these repairs when detailed and requested in writing.
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.
Engine, Jul 30, 2023
When I was pulling into my driveway, approx. 5-10mph with my foot barely on the accelerator, the car started accelerating on its own, almost hitting the fence. I was able to slam on the brake pedal and it stopped. It was such a hard stop, left a tire mark on the asphalt and took out some patches of my grass.
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.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Engine, Jul 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle jerked and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The dealer retrieved DTC code: P0192 with a faulty fuel pump. The contact added fuel, and the vehicle operated as designed. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 6, 2023
I purchased my Mazda CX5 in July of 2017. In August 2018 I was driving on an expressway and the car started balking and cut out completely on the side of the road. The engine light was on. I called roadside assistance which I had purchased at the time I bought the car. They had no one in the area. After sitting at the side of the road with the hood up the car started. I took the car to an Auto Zone. They put the car on their computer and did not find a problem other than the engine light coming on. Since that incident the car has had identical problems in city driving and expressway driving. There is absolutely no warning other than the sudden balking and stalling. Twice I have been driving on the expressway at 75 mph in New Mexico and have had to limp to the breakdown lane with semitrucks going by within a foot of my disabled vehicle. We never let the car go below a quarter of a tank of gas. Mazda had recalls on fuel pumps in 2018 and 19 CX5s. The description of the problems on the recalls are identical to what happens with my car. That doesn't seem to impress Mazda as the dealership dismisses my problem as not being under the companies recall specifications. I checked with the dealership each time I brought the car in and got the pat answer, 'not covered under the recall list". I finally took the car to Crippen Mazda where I purchased the car specifically to check the problem. They had the car for the day, did not find anything and although they said they road tested the car it hadn't gone 1 mile according to their records. $130 charge.The answer, "bring it in when the engine light is on". The engine light does not stay on. I called "Mazda customer service" and was told to take a picture when the car stalled. Take a picture of what? They told me they would send an email which never happened. I wrote a letter to Mazda headquarters and have not gotten a response. I now have a car which has intermittent problems and no help from Mazda.
Other or unspecified, Jun 22, 2023
While driving 65 mph on a highway the sunroof glass shattered. The car was not hit by debris from a truck or other car as there were none within 50 ft. I heard a loud boom and shattered glass rained down on me, the passenger seat and backseat. Fortunately I kept control of the vehicle.
Fuel/propulsion system, May 18, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Sudden loss of power (and speed) on interstate highway at ~65 mph. Fuel level was under 1/4 tank level. Weather was clear and approx. 60-70 deg F. Cruise control was on and vehicle working normally for hours on the road trip with cruise control on and functioning properly on the highway. Suddenly, the vehicle lost power, check engine light came on, and vehicle was running very sporadic. P0192 code thrown. Low fuel pressure which resulted in car suddenly going into reduced power mode. Sudden loss of high pressure pump would have resulted in complete loss of propulsion, which did not occur in this case - this indicates low pressure from the in-tank LP fuel pump. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Sudden and unexpected loss of power on the highway which could have resulted in rear end accident or loss of control while trying to get the vehicle off the highway. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes - if fuel tank level gets below 1/4 tank the problem will occur. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No - sudden loss of power and then engine light came on (constant, not flashing) and vehicle had sporadic power issues until we could get off the highway. Certified technician put scanner on car. Code was P0192 - low fuel rail pressure. Filled fuel tank to full, cleared code, and continued to drive car. Issue did not reoccur until fuel level fell below 1/4 level (approx.). 2017 Mazda CX5 is believed to have the same or similar low pressure fuel pump in tank, OEM = Denso, which is on recalled Mazda models from 2018 and newer. I believe older models of Mazda's with the same pumps should also be recalled!
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 5, 2023, crash
On February 14, 2023 around 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (EST), I drove to the local WAWA. Upon entering the driveway of WAWA at a very low speed and depressing the brake the car failed to come to a complete stop. I pressed down on the brake as hard as I good, but the car did not come to a stop until hitting the security/safety bollard in front of the WAWA store. I did not get injured and no one else was injured. The front end of my car sustained over $4000 worth of damage. The insurance company repaired by car. I was asked by the insurance company what caused the front end damage. As I played the accident over and over in my head, I just could not see what I did wrong. My foot was on the brake. Also, I entered the entrance of WAWA at a very slow/low speed. After a few weeks I took the car to the Mazda dealer to let them know the car accelerates and engine revs. Also, the car jolts forward while decelerating from about 20mph to 10mph. The car dealer/repair shop could not replicate the problem. Was told to bring the car back in, if problem continues.
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.
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.
Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 14, 2023
There is currently a recall for faulty fuel pumps in Mazda CX-5 models 2018-2019. We currently own a 2017 Mazda CX-5 with less than 80,000 and had the same faulty part as the recalled years cause us to stall on a highway going 75 miles an hour. We were towed to a Mazda dealership who told us the running issues on our car were the following; Code P0171-fuel pump was damaged and sent debris into the high-pressure pump Code-P01792. The dealership knew we were aware of the recall in other model years and they informed us it was the same exact part in our car. So are big questions is why wasn't 2017 included in this warranty. I have reached out to Mazda and they are totally disregarding our claim and questions as to why 2017 wasn't included in the recall. A couple days before we stalled we experienced a engine hesitation which we believed was due to high winds and a roof rack while traveling. We did not have any lights on or warnings prior to being stalled. After we stalled the Alachua please department pushed our car to safety.
Other or unspecified, Mar 10, 2023
Infotainment system randomly starts navigating (as if someone is pushing the touch screen) through menus and selections. Suddenly changes volume to full volume startling me while driving. This was also an issue in 2016 models that was already corrected via safety recall but was not extended to the same Infotainment system in 2017 models. Been ongoing issue since I purchased my pre-owned CX5 in 2021
Other or unspecified, Feb 9, 2023, crash
The infotainment center has been randomly changing settings and radio channels. When it is taken over, I cannot regain control of it until it stops. I've seen online this called "ghost" controlling. It will increase the volume so lout, that I jump sometimes. Also, the rear camera mode of the system froze while I was backing up causing me to hit a vehicle parked across from me.
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
Lane departure, Jan 27, 2023
2017 MAZDA CX-5. CONSUMER WRITES SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS MADE TO VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM KEEPS REBOOTING ITSELF. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE CONSUMER WANTS TO BE REIMBURSED FOR ALL REPAIRS.
Back over prevention, Dec 17, 2022
Navigation/backup camera screen reboots constantly. This problem often occurs when I'm backing up. Mazda is aware of the issue as I have found many complaints on forums. It is not exclusive to the CX5. It appears to be all Mazda's, cars and SUV's.
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
Electrical system, Nov 20, 2022
The infotainment 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.
Other or unspecified, Oct 4, 2022
The media system glitches and has what Mazda calls "ghost touching". It is very common on 2017 Mazda CX-5 models. When driving, the entertainment system starts to spaz as if someone is switching back and forth through media, phone, navigation, system settings, etc. It is extremely distracting when driving, and can lower/increase the volume as well as call contacts when driving. There is no way to stop this from happening which is a huge safety issue if you are driving and have to try and get it to stop working or it increases the volume so much so that you cant hear whats going on around you.
Structure, Sep 12, 2022
I was driving on the freeway, going about 65 mph at 7:30 am. I heard a loud BANG sound and my sunroof glass exploded into pieces. I had the inside cover closed so the glass did not get in the car. The sound was frightening, loud and caused me to pull to the side of the highway. The vehicle has been inspected by insurance representatives and I had used the sunroof the day before - it worked fine.
Electrical system, Aug 2, 2022
The navigation display turns fails / turns off and on throughout the drive. It turns on then goes off while backing out with the rearview camera in use. It goes off during drives, while directions are in use, while calls are in session, and with no active use at all. After checking online I found that numerous Mazda owners experience the same with thief CX5-s but there is no collective effort by Mazda to find a solution. I paid for extended warranty with Navigation Display covered and they still cannot find a solution. This is more than inconvenience. It is a serious safety issue when physical distraction is caused by manufacturer defect which can lead to accidents on the highway at high speeds relying on the navigation, while backing up viewing the camera, while driving on windy roads and the screen goes out. The auto response for most drivers is to try and reach for the phone to continue directions, stop abruptly if backing up and the screen goes out, reach for the phone to take it off blue tooth so the hands free conversation is not dropped. It is not to much to expect a major auto manufacturer to have a stable navigation screen. The local dealerships do not take it seriously. How can this matter be escalated as a matter of safety?
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 15, 2022
My Mazda has a feature called SBS (Smart Brake Support). It is touted as a safety feature, as it will brake the car when it approaches an object without driver braking. It can be disabled by the driver via the navigation panel; however, it automatically engages again upon engine start up. On a few occasions, when approaching a vehicle, I have braked and release, upon seeing the vehicle ahead begin to move. On such occasions, my Mazda's SBS activated, screeching my car to a near stop, scaring me and the vehicle behind me nearly rear-ended me. This action scared me, which affects my ability to control the situation and conduct appropriate action. I have contacted Mazda to ask for a permanent deactivation of this dangerous feature. They have been unable/unwilling to assist. They have concern that if a different driver should drive my vehicle, it would be problematic. I explained that this is my vehicle and I fear their SBS feature will cause me to be rear-ended and seriously injured. I have requested that the Mazda Customer Service rep submit a safety complaint on this issue. An Internet search finds that there are other customers with the same safety concern on Mazda's SBS feature. It is time that this be addressed.
Electrical system, Jun 15, 2022
The main screen in the middle of the vehicle experiences “ghost touches” or acts like it’s being controlled sporadically without any buttons or the screen being touched. It does it so aggressively that it causes major distraction while driving and will even change navigation routes while driving and make calls while trying to navigate. This is a huge safety issue especially for younger drivers that can’t handle this well. It makes beeping sounds and changes the screens very quickly and many times I’m unable to stop it. I’ve researched ways to fix it online with no success without spending a large amount of money at a dealership. I’ve seen many many people online with the same issue. I bought the vehicle new, and it began doing this within the first year.
Electrical system, Air bags, Lane departure, May 1, 2022, crash
Blind spot monitoring system warning appears on dashboard of vehicle after driving for about 50-60 miles. This occurs only when I drive >50-60 miles in one trip without shutting off my vehicle. Speed does not matter. My sensors will not work until I turn off my car and turn it back on. This started as soon as I purchased my vehicle in July 2020. 1 previous owner (lease) before I purchased the vehicle. No prior accidents. Got the vehicle at ~30,000 miles. In January 2021, I drifted off the freeway and hit a tree going 35 mph during a snow storm. It was only myself (driver) and a passenger in the front seat at the time of the incident. Both were wearing seatbelts. The seat belts locked up, but airbags never deployed for myself or the adult passenger in the front seat. Driver sustained no injuries, but the passenger smashed their knee into the glove compartment and smacked their head on the window/seatbelt holder on the side of the interior wall. The passenger was asleep during the incident, which may have explained why they did not brace themselves. One minute we were on the freeway, then we hit a slippery spot, and within seconds we were head on with a tree. Drove away to avoid the possibility of any vehicles following my path and smashing into us. Car was still driveable somehow. Car was repaired after 3 weeks at Caliber Collision and looked great. Sensor issue persists still, but unrelated to accident. Mentioned it to Caliber Collision when vehicle was being repaired and they had a Mazda service person come out with a sensor machine and they could not find the issue.