2019 Mazda CX-5 Reliability & Problems

1. 1.Cracked cylinder headSeriousAbout 1 in 3 complaints38,500–67,000 mi~$5,600 repair37%

   Owners describe a cracked cylinder head, oil leaking onto the exhaust manifold, a burning oil smell and smoke from the engine. Many say it happened while driving, and some say there was no warning light. Reports have a median of about 54,300 miles, and none of these complaints mention a recall.

   What owners describe

   • Oil leak under the car55%
   • Smoke from the engine41%
   • Burning oil smell29%

   Fix

   Most common repair owners describe: cylinder head replacement (11 reports).

   Repair worked in 54% of complaints that describe one (complaints lean toward repairs that failed)

   Mileage

   54,300 mi

   Middle half 38,500–67,000 mi · 46 reports

   Repair cost

   $5,550

   Middle half $4,825–$6,947 · 30 owner amounts

   How common

   37%

   100 of 270 complaints

   Crash, fire or injury

   0%

   of these complaints

   In owners' words

   “I also felt a slightly reduced engine performance and could see the car emitting smoke from the engine bay.”

   “Service advisor told me that my car is having a blown cylinder #3 and oil leaks from cracked cylinder head”

   “Oil started leaking while car was idling causing smoke to enter the cabin as well as all under the hood.”

2. 2.Oil leaks or low oilSeriousAbout 1 in 3 complaints35,800–72,000 mi34%

   Owners describe oil leaks, a burning oil smell, smoke and oil dripping onto the exhaust manifold, often while driving. Some also report a low oil light, and many of the repairs mentioned are cylinder head repairs or replacements. Reports have a median of about 51,700 miles, and none of these complaints mention a recall.

   What owners describe

   • Oil leak or drips70%
   • Smoke from the engine45%
   • Burning oil smell27%

   Fix

   Most common repair owners describe: cylinder head replacement (9 reports).

   Repair worked in 54% of complaints that describe one (complaints lean toward repairs that failed)

   Mileage

   51,700 mi

   Middle half 35,800–72,000 mi · 44 reports

   Repair cost

   —

   Fewer than 10 owners report a repair cost

   How common

   34%

   92 of 270 complaints

   Crash, fire or injury

   1%

   of these complaints

   In owners' words

   “A burning oil smell began, then thick white smoke came from under the hood while driving and after stopping.”

3. 3.Screen or infotainment glitchesMinorAbout 1 in 5 complaints4,700–40,000 mi19%

   The most common report is ghost touch, where the screen taps, changes settings or places phone calls by itself, usually while driving. Others say the center screen goes blank or CarPlay and navigation stop. None of these complaints mention a recall.

   What owners describe

   • Ghost touch on the screen34%
   • CarPlay or navigation stops34%
   • Unintended phone calls8%

   Fix

   Most common repair owners describe: parts replaced (1 report).

   Mileage

   24,000 mi

   Middle half 4,700–40,000 mi · 9 reports

   Repair cost

   —

   Fewer than 10 owners report a repair cost

   How common

   19%

   50 of 270 complaints

   Crash, fire or injury

   2%

   of these complaints

   In owners' words

   “The screen is experiencing frequent “ghost touch” or phantom button presses, where functions are activated without any input.”

   “Pressing random buttons, drastically increasing the volume, the carplay disconnecting while I'm following GPS directions”

   “They will not cover the display which they allege is the problem in my car and told me it is a $600 replacement fee”

Watch for oil leaks, a burning oil smell, smoke from the engine or a low oil light, and have them checked right away. If smoke appears or the oil light comes on while driving, pull over safely rather than continuing. Check the oil level often. Confirm with a Mazda dealer that the fuel pump recall (21V875000) and the engine stalling recall (19V497000) were done on your car.

54 problems found in all 270 complaints. One complaint can describe more than one problem, so counts add up to more than the total. Not counted as a defect: 6 about recall paperwork or parts delays, 2 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 2019. 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 while driving, fuel pump and injector failures, misfires and head gasket failures), 6% of complaints; safety-related complaints are 9% (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 270 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.