Mazda CX-5 Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2014 and 2016 At least twice the 62 complaints of a typical CX-5 year. Most described: a cracked windshield (2014), headlight problems (2016).
Best years: 2017 and 2022 Under three quarters of the 42 complaints of a typical CX-5 year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2013 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 29 mpg combined, arrived in 2013.

CX-5 problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical CX-5 year drew 62 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (42). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (42), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2016 CX-5 Avoid Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	187	512	4
2014 CX-5 Avoid Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	132	377	3
2021 CX-5 Most described: excessive oil consumption	87	150	0
2015 CX-5 Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	76	133	3
2013 CX-5 Most described: the check engine light coming on, then stalling or shutting off	67	194	1
2018 CX-5 Most described: oil leaks	62	356	3
2023 CX-5 Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	44	67	0
2019 CX-5 Most described: oil leaks	40	273	2
2017 CX-5 Best Most described: stalling or shutting off	31	150	1
2020 CX-5 Most described: infotainment or touchscreen failures	30	110	0
2022 CX-5 Best Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	30	65	0

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your CX-5 for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Mazda dealers.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	0	19	Not rated
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	0	29
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	0	47
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	0	67
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	0	65
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	0	150
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	0	110
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Diesel	2	273
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Diesel	3	356	4 to 5 stars
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	1	150
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	4	512
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	133
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	377
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	1	194

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2016: 512 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Mazda CX-5
Model year	Complaints
2013	194
2014	377
2015	133
2016	512
2017	150
2018	356
2019	273
2020	110
2021	150
2022	65
2023	67
2024	47
2025	29
2026	19

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 26 to 29 mpg (every year from 2013 to 2026); highest in 2013. Diesel: 29 mpg (2018 to 2019).

Best gas version
Best diesel version

2026: gas 26 mpg · diesel not offered

Show as a table

Mazda CX-5 best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best diesel version
2013	29	–
2014	29	–
2015	29	–
2016	29	–
2017	27	–
2018	28	29
2019	28	29
2020	28	–
2021	28	–
2022	26	–
2023	26	–
2024	28	–
2025	28	–
2026	26	–

Every CX-5 year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Mazda CX-5 years should you avoid?

The 2014 and 2016 CX-5 are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 62 owner complaints of a typical CX-5 year in its first three years. Owners of the 2016 most often describe headlight problems. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Mazda dealers.

What are the best Mazda CX-5 years?

The 2017 and 2022 CX-5 are the best years: they drew 31 and 30 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 42 complaints of a typical CX-5 year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Mazda CX-5 years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2016 (187) drew the most, then the 2014 (132). Owners of the 2016 most often describe headlight or exterior light problems.

Which Mazda CX-5 years have the most recalls?

The 2016 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (4), then the 2018 (3). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2013 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Mazda CX-5 problems?

In the 2,482 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2013 to 2026 models, owners most often describe oil leaks (185 complaints, most of them for the 2018 and 2019); smoke or a burning smell (180 complaints, most of them for the 2018 and 2019); and stalling or shutting off (139 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Mazda CX-5 year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 29 mpg combined, first reached by the 2013 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.