2018 Mazda CX-5 Reliability & Problems

1. 1.Cracked cylinder headSeriousAbout 1 in 3 complaints48,400–77,000 mi~$6,000 repair30%

   Owners most often describe an oil leak, a burning oil smell and smoke from under the hood, and some say there was no warning light. Reports are typically around 59,500 miles, with the middle half between 48,400 and 77,000 miles. No recall covers this problem.

   What owners describe

   • Oil leak49%
   • Smoke from under the hood40%
   • Burning oil smell31%

   Fix

   Most common repair owners describe: cylinder head replacement (8 reports).

   Repair worked in 80% of complaints that describe one (complaints lean toward repairs that failed)

   Mileage

   59,500 mi

   Middle half 48,400–77,000 mi · 48 reports

   Repair cost

   $6,000

   Middle half $5,065–$7,050 · 15 owner amounts

   How common

   30%

   104 of 350 complaints

   Crash, fire or injury

   0%

   of these complaints

   In owners' words

   “Three days later it started leaking oil, staining my driveway, with the leak getting progressively worse then my check oil light went on”

   “There was no indication light no warning light nothing to identify why the car was leaking oil and smoking”

   “No warning signs, no check engine light, nothing to indicate any issues until this occurred.”

2. 2.Oil leaks or low oilSeriousAbout 1 in 4 complaints49,600–76,000 mi28%

   Owners describe oil leaks, a burning oil smell, smoke from under the hood and oil leaking onto the exhaust manifold, and many of these reports end in a cracked cylinder head. Reports are typically around 60,200 miles, with the middle half between 49,600 and 76,000 miles. No recall covers this problem.

   What owners describe

   • Visible oil leak65%
   • Smoke from the engine46%
   • Burning oil smell29%
   • Smoke or smell in cabin8%

   Fix

   Most common repair owners describe: cylinder head replacement (7 reports).

   Repair worked in 65% of complaints that describe one (complaints lean toward repairs that failed)

   Mileage

   60,200 mi

   Middle half 49,600–76,000 mi · 47 reports

   Repair cost

   —

   Fewer than 10 owners report a repair cost

   How common

   28%

   99 of 350 complaints

   Crash, fire or injury

   0%

   of these complaints

   In owners' words

   “The only way I knew it was leaking was because I smelled burnt oil and then looked under the car to see the drops from the leak.”

   “The engine oil level light came on and the engine was low on oil and that’s when I started seeing that the motor was leaking oil”

   “The engine has a massive oil leak that seems to be more common than Mazda will admit.”

3. 3.Screen or infotainment glitchesMinorAbout 1 in 9 complaints40,200–57,000 mi11%

   Owners describe ghost touch, where the screen selects options by itself, the volume jumping to maximum and the touchscreen failing while moving. It most often happens while driving. No recall covers this problem.

   What owners describe

   • Ghost touch33%
   • Volume jumps to maximum18%
   • Touchscreen fails while moving5%
   • Random phone calls5%

   Fix

   Most common repair owners describe: screen replacement (2 reports).

   Mileage

   44,000 mi

   Middle half 40,200–57,000 mi · 3 reports

   Repair cost

   —

   Fewer than 10 owners report a repair cost

   How common

   11%

   40 of 350 complaints

   Crash, fire or injury

   0%

   of these complaints

   In owners' words

   “The touch screen is not touched, but the infotainment system still reacts and changes inputs, adjusts volume, and performs other actions.”

   “The screen goes crazy change station by itself make calls by himself and then goes black an the back camera doesn't work”

   “Have almost ran into back of cars/ ran off the road trying to get my destination on GPS back going again”

4. 4.Stalling or shutting off while drivingCriticalAbout 1 in 13 complaints28,900–55,300 mi7%

   Owners describe the engine stalling on the highway, at low speed or in a parking lot, sometimes with a check engine light, and some say it would not restart. Reports are typically around 36,000 miles. Owners mention the fuel pump recall (21V875000) most often, and the engine software recall (19V497000) too.

   What owners describe

   • Engine stalls while driving50%
   • Check engine light23%
   • Would not restart19%
   • Loss of power8%

   Fix

   Most common repair owners describe: replaced battery a c motor and a controller (1 report). Recalls 19V497000, 21V875000.

   Mileage

   36,000 mi

   Middle half 28,900–55,300 mi · 8 reports

   Repair cost

   —

   Fewer than 10 owners report a repair cost

   How common

   7%

   26 of 350 complaints

   Crash, fire or injury

   4%

   of these complaints

   In owners' words

   “The vehicle stall at very low speed in a parking lot could not restart it was turning over the battery was fine”

   “Our mazda cx5 lost thrust, stalled and came to a complete stop while driving on a highway going 55 MPH”

   “Second time I was taking kids to school where can just stopped in the middle of road and restarted.”

5. 5.Misfires or head gasket failureSeriousAbout 1 in 19 complaints43,400–79,400 mi5%

   Owners describe cracked cylinder heads, oil leaks and misfires on cylinder 4, sometimes with smoke from under the hood or a loss of power while accelerating. Reports are typically around 61,100 miles, with the middle half between 43,400 and 79,400 miles. No recall covers this problem.

   What owners describe

   • Oil leak44%
   • Cracked cylinder head39%
   • Misfire on one cylinder17%
   • Loss of power17%

   Fix

   Most common repair owners describe: cylinder head replacement (4 reports).

   Mileage

   61,100 mi

   Middle half 43,400–79,400 mi · 12 reports

   Repair cost

   —

   Fewer than 10 owners report a repair cost

   How common

   5%

   18 of 350 complaints

   Crash, fire or injury

   0%

   of these complaints

   In owners' words

   “They recognize that this crack is not part of normal wear and tear but due to the VIN number not being included in the recall are unable to provide full coverage.”

   “Cracked cylinder head and blown head gasket with leaking oil onto exhaust manifold resulting in white smoke & burning oil smell.”

   “Cylinder head suddenly cracked, causing heavy oil leakage onto hot exhaust manifold.”

Check your oil level regularly and watch for a burning oil smell, smoke from under the hood or oil spots under the car. Have a mechanic look at any of these promptly, because some owners report no warning light. If the engine stalls while driving, pull over safely and have it checked. Confirm with a dealer that recalls 21V875000 and 19V497000 were completed on your vehicle.

77 problems found in all 350 complaints. One complaint can describe more than one problem, so counts add up to more than the total. Not counted as a defect: 15 about recall paperwork or parts delays, 4 describing no vehicle defect. Typical miles, repair cost and fix rate show only when enough owners report them.

• Complaints. NHTSA's owner complaint file, counted as unique complaint numbers for make MAZDA, model CX-5, model year 2018. Data through Oct 4, 2026.
• Verdict. Judged from this model year's own complaints, not against other models, using shares rather than counts. Serious known problems: one serious problem (transmission, engine or stalling, steering, brakes, airbags, fire, fuel leaks) is in a quarter or more of complaints; or a smaller but clear cluster comes with an unusual share of crash, fire, injury or loss-of-power reports or early failures; or an urgent recall or NHTSA investigation matches a top complaint. Some known problems: one of those signals on its own. No pattern of serious problems: none of them; this doesn't mean the vehicle is trouble-free. Too few complaints to judge: under 50 complaints. Why this verdict: Checked: the largest serious problem class is engine failure or stalling (stalling, misfire or head gasket failure, fuel pump and injector failures), 13% of complaints; safety-related complaints are 13% (typical: 17%), and there's no do-not-drive or park-outside recall or open serious NHTSA investigation..
• No grade or class ranking. Raw complaint counts favor models that sell fewer cars, so we don't score or rank this vehicle against other models until we can adjust for sales.
• Trouble spots and history. Complaints grouped by the part owners chose when filing. The history grid counts complaints filed in each model year's first 3 years so older and newer years compare fairly; years with fewer than 3 complete years are marked too new.
• Named problems. Every one of the 350 complaints was researched and classified by its problems, severity, symptoms, repairs and any cost the owner mentions; the counts, costs and fix rates on this page are tallies of those classifications. Quotes are verbatim excerpts, checked against the original text. Engines are decoded from partial VINs with NHTSA's vPIC service.
• Repair costs and fix rates. Shown only when at least 10 owners report a repair cost, or at least 10 complaints describe whether a repair worked.
• Not adjusted for sales. Not affiliated with NHTSA. Page updated Nov 5, 2026.