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2013 Mazda CX-5: engine and transmission complaints

ELEVATED COMPLAINT SIGNAL
36%
70 of 194 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

36% of relevant owner complaints on the 2013 Mazda CX-5 are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is elevated. Worth an independent inspection before you commit to one.

Better than 59% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
70
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
194
this model year
Fires reported
1
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
1
6 crashes · 8 injuries

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM58 · 30%
ENGINE42 · 22%
POWER TRAIN38 · 20%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER28 · 14%
SERVICE BRAKES26 · 13%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL22 · 11%

The years either side

2010
no data
2011
no data
2012
too few complaints
2013
36%
70 of 194
2014
23%
84 of 377
2015
27%
33 of 133
2016
30%
99 of 510
2017
23%
32 of 148
2018
93%
109 of 117
2019
59%
153 of 269
2020
28%
27 of 106
2021
63%
87 of 144
2022
39%
15 of 63
2023
23%
25 of 125

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other compact SUVs with no elevated signal

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

ENGINE08/23/2022
The car battery will not turn off when I turn off the vehicle.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE03/14/2022
My car won't shut off! I put it in park and turn it off and the accessories stay on. It is getting worse and worse and has taken up to 7 times of turning it off and on, backing it up and forward before it will just turn off for me. I get scared that it won't turn off. I found this forum online and it seems this is a v…
POWER TRAIN10/19/2021
The contact owns a 2013 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while shifting into the park the electronics failed to turn off. The contact vigorously shifted the gear shifter in several positions for approximately 10 to 15 minutes to turn off electronics. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The contact was co…

Three of 70 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (1)

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles manufactured November 18, 2008, to June 8, 2013, 2012-20…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2013 Mazda CX-5

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.