Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 29,895 complaints for MAZDA
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
I have been experiencing unintended acceleration while in D (drive) but stopped with my foot on the brake. For instance, when fully stopped at a light, the car will suddenly experience a small burst of acceleration and propel forward. I see the engine rpm go up when this occurs even though I am stopped. This is very scary and uncomfortable as I feel like I lose control of the car during those time... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
Internal crack in center display. Mazda Mexico refuses to extend warranty since this model has not yet been called even though other previous models already have the warning
Incident date: Jun 15, 2021
The front wipers stopped working. Fuse is ok. No power to wiper motor. Washer still works. Rear wiper works.
Incident date: Jun 8, 2021
The front radar sensor failed and doesn’t work anymore rendering the FCW and ACC useless. There is a TSB out about water damage getting into the sensor. There are 2 warning lights on. They first appeared when I turned on my car one day.
Incident date: Jun 8, 2021
The front radar sensor failed and doesn’t work anymore rendering the FCW and ACC useless. There is a TSB out about water damage getting into the sensor. There are 2 warning lights on. They first appeared when I turned on my car one day.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2020
My exact make and model and year was recalled in 2017 for a driver seat problem. My specific vehicle avoided recall because it was manufactured in November 2010, as the recall only included those manufactured up until September 2010. How is it that my vehicle had the same EXACT problem of those models but was not included? The seat lifter clamp BROKE-the same exact problem warned about in the reca... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2021
Driving on highway, cruise control ser to 82, no cars in front. The car suddenly jolted twice, engine light and battery light comes, lost of power. Pulled over to shoulder in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. Tried to start the car, engine won't turn on, starter just kept cycling. Veh temp was just below 210 with a 1/4 tank of gas. Called dealership and service person asked is to use key to t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2021
Driving on highway, cruise control ser to 82, no cars in front. The car suddenly jolted twice, engine light and battery light comes, lost of power. Pulled over to shoulder in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. Tried to start the car, engine won't turn on, starter just kept cycling. Veh temp was just below 210 with a 1/4 tank of gas. Called dealership and service person asked is to use key to t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2021
Driving on highway, cruise control ser to 82, no cars in front. The car suddenly jolted twice, engine light and battery light comes, lost of power. Pulled over to shoulder in the middle of nowhere in Nevada. Tried to start the car, engine won't turn on, starter just kept cycling. Veh temp was just below 210 with a 1/4 tank of gas. Called dealership and service person asked is to use key to t... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
Dealer identified drive belt tensioner as leaking and in need of replacement on a Mazda CX-5 with less than 30k miles on it. Many owners have reported identical failures at or around 30k. An insufficient part that is failing so frequently, this early on with low mileage is a significant safety issue.
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
Dealer identified drive belt tensioner as leaking and in need of replacement on a Mazda CX-5 with less than 30k miles on it. Many owners have reported identical failures at or around 30k. An insufficient part that is failing so frequently, this early on with low mileage is a significant safety issue.
Incident date: Jun 13, 2021
hacker broke into my home network, laptops, cellphones and my vehicle. Settings keep being changed relating to Adas and bluetooth. poss using sql os sqlite
Incident date: Jun 13, 2021
hacker broke into my home network, laptops, cellphones and my vehicle. Settings keep being changed relating to Adas and bluetooth. poss using sql os sqlite
Incident date: Jun 13, 2021
hacker broke into my home network, laptops, cellphones and my vehicle. Settings keep being changed relating to Adas and bluetooth. poss using sql os sqlite
Incident date: Feb 1, 2021
For the last couple of months every time I place my car in park and press the PUSH START/OFF BUTTON- the car does not completely shut off. So I start the car again, move the gear shift out of park all the way back into drive and back into park again in hopes when I push off button it will cut off. It is a gamble. Now I am having to cut the car on and off almost 6 times in a row to get it to cut of... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2014 Mazda Mazda5. The contact stated that while driving over a minor bump in the roadway at any rate of speed, the brake pedal would depress to floorboard without warning. The contact stated that the brakes would resume normal operation soon after failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to three separate independent mechanics however, each mechanic was unable to determine th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
Ignition light stays on, car turns off but battery and dash lights stay on continuously. You have to repeatedly turn car off and on and raddle shifter to turn off, this causes depletion of batter and can DANGEROUSLY leave one or ones family stranded and in a bad situation. This problem has been stated by numerous consumers on the website. Contacted my mazda dealership and technitain agreed that th... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
Ignition light stays on, car turns off but battery and dash lights stay on continuously. You have to repeatedly turn car off and on and raddle shifter to turn off, this causes depletion of batter and can DANGEROUSLY leave one or ones family stranded and in a bad situation. This problem has been stated by numerous consumers on the website. Contacted my mazda dealership and technitain agreed that th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2021
The dashboard is melting and its causing a poor visibility due to the shiny reflection on the windshield
Incident date: May 22, 2021
There is a loud winding sound sound coming from the transmission and sound of metal (broken teeth) as well. We took it to a Mazda dealer and they quickly identified the issue as a failing transmission. As a result I was able to find that a service bulletin aligned with this issue (TSB No. 0500414) and confirmed this with the dealer. This service bulletin indicates a manufacturing issue but only a... Read more
Incident date: Jun 8, 2021
The car will not shut off. If you put it in park and press the start/stop engine button the car radio and accessories are still on. You have to shift gears several times keeping foot on the brake and keep trying until it turns off.
Incident date: Jun 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2007 Mazda Mazda3. The contact stated their daughter was driving at 15 mph, when making a right turn the steering wheel locked up causing the driver to hit a curb and crash the vehicle into a mailbox. There were no warning lights illuminated on the vehicle, however, the driver stated there was a beeping noise coming from the vehicle once the steering wheel locked up. There was n... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 20, 2021
Transmission slips out and shift shock in first gear to second year. Over revving and bucking on the freeway. These are BAD transmissions
Incident date: Jan 20, 2021
Transmission slips out and shift shock in first gear to second year. Over revving and bucking on the freeway. These are BAD transmissions
Incident date: Jan 20, 2021
Transmission slips out and shift shock in first gear to second year. Over revving and bucking on the freeway. These are BAD transmissions
Incident date: May 20, 2021
Spider crack screen on the infotainment system. I got the vehicles pre-owned at Major world. When we got the vehicles there were small cracks already showing not bigger than the size of a dime but the cracks got bigger and I'm afraid that the whole screen will complete not work in time.. I just had a diagnosis done for the infotainment system at Koeppel Mada yesterday and they told me that they c... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2021
I think it is unfair that a manufacturing problem has been unnoticed and left to people to pay for. I am already paying enough for this car to also have to worry about a manufacturing problem that has been left unattended by the company. This certainly is very dangerous as I might have the cars battery die and have no way of getting immediate help and right now it's just the car not acknowledging ... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2021
I think it is unfair that a manufacturing problem has been unnoticed and left to people to pay for. I am already paying enough for this car to also have to worry about a manufacturing problem that has been left unattended by the company. This certainly is very dangerous as I might have the cars battery die and have no way of getting immediate help and right now it's just the car not acknowledging ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 29, 2021
On March 29, 2021, I had my 2018 Mazda 3 serviced, oil and filter chance, and inspection, at my local Auto repair shop. They indicated that the belt tensioner and belt needed replacement, due to oil leaking, from the tensioner, on to the belt. I got concerned because the vehicle only had 11,523, and the warranty ran out a few weeks earlier. I emailed Mazda several times, and asked, due to the low... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2021
I was driving 35MPH on a side street in “sport” mode. Car system beeped, car auto stopped, red circle with explanation mark and the word Break appeared on my center console. My drive shift popped out of Drive. No object was in front of my car, nothing ran out in front of it. Fortunately, there weren’t any other cars behind me or an accident would have followed.
Incident date: May 28, 2021
When I shifted into reverse the back up camera wouldn’t come on and instead a screen that said check your surroundings stayed on the screen. I reset it using the 3 button reset method and it came back on. Drove it to the grocery store, and then it sat in my driveway for 3 hours. When I went to go back in to town, the car was completely dead. No power whatsoever. We tried jumper cables and those ... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2021
When I shifted into reverse the back up camera wouldn’t come on and instead a screen that said check your surroundings stayed on the screen. I reset it using the 3 button reset method and it came back on. Drove it to the grocery store, and then it sat in my driveway for 3 hours. When I went to go back in to town, the car was completely dead. No power whatsoever. We tried jumper cables and those ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2021
Rear CONTROL ARM broke off the REAR SUBFAME due heavy RUST. I had to replace the entire rear subframe plus both control arms. This incident occurred WHILE I WAS DRIVING! Now I find out that the front end is shot as well and that Mazda is only recalling the front subframe and not the rear and I want to know why. Somebody could have been killed. The repair cost me $700 plus rental fees for a vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2021
Rear CONTROL ARM broke off the REAR SUBFAME due heavy RUST. I had to replace the entire rear subframe plus both control arms. This incident occurred WHILE I WAS DRIVING! Now I find out that the front end is shot as well and that Mazda is only recalling the front subframe and not the rear and I want to know why. Somebody could have been killed. The repair cost me $700 plus rental fees for a vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 MAZDA CX5. The contact stated while attempting to shut off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off due to the transmission not being fully in PARK. The contact stated that there was an unknown flashing red warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was awaiting a response. The failure mileag... Read more
Incident date: Apr 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 MAZDA CX5. The contact stated while attempting to shut off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to turn off due to the transmission not being fully in PARK. The contact stated that there was an unknown flashing red warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was awaiting a response. The failure mileag... Read more
Incident date: Apr 9, 2021
Sudden, enexpected emergency braking when there was no vehicle or any other obstruction in front of me. Luckily, the distance between me and the car behind me was great enough to prevent me from being rear ended.
Incident date: Jan 3, 2018
In 2018, the car was part of a trade in for a certified used car at my dealership. The car had over 350,000 miles and could no longer run.
Incident date: May 22, 2021
After only 3 years and less than 17,000 miles of driving, the soul red crystal metallic paint is chipping in many spots on the front of the body. There are at least 100 small chips on the hood, bumper, and front fenders. All of this occurred under normal driving conditions.
Incident date: May 12, 2021
The Mazda Connect infotainment system will begin to press random buttons and continue to perform its own actions, at one point resulting in it dimming my screen so low I could not see my backup camera screen, which is a huge safety hazard.
Incident date: May 12, 2021
The Mazda Connect infotainment system will begin to press random buttons and continue to perform its own actions, at one point resulting in it dimming my screen so low I could not see my backup camera screen, which is a huge safety hazard.
Incident date: May 23, 2021
The entertainment display starts going haywire when the car is stopped. Changes channels on and inputs totally randomly. Very dangerous when I start driving. Cuts off phone calls etc.This happens everyday since I purchased the vehicle about six months ago.
Incident date: Mar 30, 2021
Within 6-8 months of purchasing the car we noticed the brakes squeaking and vibrating. At that time the car was under 25,000 miles. At our maintenance check it was advised that we have the brakes resurfaced at the next appt. Back brakes were done in 3/2019 and the front were done in 6/2019. We noticed the squealing and vibration returned again. At our recent maintenance check, we asked to have the... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2021
When I put the car in park and push the button to shut it off only the engine shuts down. The auxiliary power (radio, etc) stays on and drains the battery. I have to restart it and drive it around, sometimes many times, before it will finally shut down. I looked online and found tons of complaints with many model years of this car for this same issue. Why is Mazda not doing a recall to fix thi... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2021
Approximately 9:15am 5/16/21 I was driving on the road when my engine stalled and went out. Was stuck in the middle of the road for a couple of minutes while I tried to restart the car. My vehicle was recalled for this very purpose but 13 days prior I went into the dealership to fix the issue and get a software update. After said update I experienced the recall issue on my vehicle.
Incident date: May 16, 2021
Approximately 9:15am 5/16/21 I was driving on the road when my engine stalled and went out. Was stuck in the middle of the road for a couple of minutes while I tried to restart the car. My vehicle was recalled for this very purpose but 13 days prior I went into the dealership to fix the issue and get a software update. After said update I experienced the recall issue on my vehicle.
Incident date: May 7, 2021
My Mazda 6 control screen, that displays and is used to control entertainment, car settings (lights, brakes, warnings, etc.), GPS, and various safety and control applications failed and was unusable. My car, like so many reported on social media, was just out of warranty. I was forced to pay $1,254 to replace this CMU at my dealership. This defective unit, and it's associated computer, is a known ... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2021
Turn the car off--but it does not turn off. I put my foot on the brake and turning it off does not work. I have to shake and move the gear shifter aggressively for it to turn off and moving the car and reversing to get the car to turn off.
Incident date: May 13, 2021
Turn the car off--but it does not turn off. I put my foot on the brake and turning it off does not work. I have to shake and move the gear shifter aggressively for it to turn off and moving the car and reversing to get the car to turn off.
Incident date: May 17, 2021
On 17-MAY-2021 after sitting unused for 1 day my Mazda CX-5, mfg year 2021 with about 1,500 miles did not start. All electrical systems failed, there was no indication of any power present. The vehicle is presently at the dealership it was purchased at about 90 days ago, 495 Mazda in Lowell MA and is available for inspection. The sudden loss of all electrical systems has the potential for st... Read more