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2020 Mazda CX-5: engine and transmission complaints

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
28%
27 of 98 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2020 Mazda CX-5. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 28% of relevant complaints.

Better than 74% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 8 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 25%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
27
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
106
this model year
Fires reported
0
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
0
9 crashes · 6 injuries

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM30 · 28%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER25 · 24%
ENGINE17 · 16%
SERVICE BRAKES14 · 13%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE11 · 10%
POWER TRAIN8 · 8%

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.

What owners reported

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM11/09/20201 INJURED
MY 2020 MAZDA CX-5 WAS 2 DAYS OLD AND THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DRAINED AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. I PICKED IT UP AND THEY DID NOTHING TO THE BATTERY. THEY TOLD ME NOTHING WAS WRONG AND THEY REPLACED THE KEY FOB BATTERY. TWO MORE DAYS AFTER THAT I PARKED IT IN MY GARAGE AND PUSHED THE BUTTON TO TURN IT OFF. AP…
ENGINE06/19/2026
Cylinder Head has failed at 53,000 miles. Mazda has a technical service bulletin acknowledging that this is a common occurrence with this part. They have an extended warranty for the turbo engine but not for the standard engine. Looking through online forums, there are hundreds of not thousands of these issues for thi…
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM04/08/2026
The car has signs of current recall in other Cx-5 Models. Hesitation with acceleration or driving at high speed, reduced power, not responding appropriately when accelerating or would accelerate on its own, strong smell of gas after the car has been driven and is parked. I know there is currently a recall for a gas pum…

Three of 27 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Before you buy a 2020 Mazda CX-5

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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.