Reliable Auto DB

2015 Mazda CX-5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 133 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Mazda CX-5 over 12 years — 25 per year. That is more complaints per year than most CX-5 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 15. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Liftgate, Steering, and Filler pipe and cap.

2013 Mazda CX-5
Photo by EurovisionNim, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

133

Per year

25

Recalls

4

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (27 of 133), then Powertrain (19) and Engine (14). Those filings include 11 that report a crash and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 CX-5 has 377 complaints, 44 per year, and the 2016 has 510 complaints, 62 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2015 Mazda CX-5. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall structure, body, liftgate 2016-09-06 · NHTSA campaign 16V644000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 vehicles manufactured November 18, 2008, to June 8, 2013, 2012-2015 Mazda5 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2010, to June 22, 2015, 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 26, 2015, and 2013-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured December 15, 2011, to December 26, 2015. On the affected vehicles, the lift gate support struts may corrode, possibly causing the struts to break and/or the lift gate to drop unexpectedly.
Remedy Mazda dealers will replace the both lift gate supports, free of charge, however parts are not currently available. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9916H.
Recall Steering 2016-04-11 · NHTSA campaign 16V203000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CX-3 vehicles manufactured June 1, 2015, to December 2, 2015, 2013-2014 Mazda2 vehicles manufactured July 3, 2013, to August 8, 2014, 2014-2016 CX-5 vehicles manufactured January 19, 2013, to December 2, 2015, and 2013-2015 CX-9 vehicles manufactured December 6, 2012, to July 31, 2015. The lower mounting nuts and bolts that attach the front strut assembly to the steering knuckle may loosen, allowing the steering knuckle to separate.
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lower mounting nuts and bolts that secure the front strut assembly to the steering knuckle. If the bolts are loose, they will be replaced and then correctly tightened, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 20, 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 9316D.
Recall gasoline fuel system, storage, tank, filler pipe and cap 2016-02-03 · NHTSA campaign 16V064000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Mazda CX-5 vehicles manufactured June 27, 2013, to February 2, 2016. The affected vehicles have a fuel filler pipe that may rupture in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will alter the attachment between the fuel filler pipe and the left rear side of the bracket of the fuel filler pipe, free of charge. The recall began on February 25, 2016. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 6. Mazda's number for this recall is 9216B.
Recall visibility, windshield 2016-01-19 · NHTSA campaign 16E002000
Summary Pilkington North America, Inc. (Pilkington) is recalling certain replacement windshields, model FW04026 GTY, manufactured November 23, 2015, to December 16, 2015 for use in Mazda CX-5 vehicles that are equipped with the Smart City Brake Support system. The affected windshields have a bracket mounted on the inside to hold a laser sensor or LIDAR device for the Smart City Brake Support system. These brackets were improperly affixed with only tape instead of tape and urethane and therefore may loosen.
Remedy Pilkington will contact the wholesalers and retailers that purchased the windshields to try to identify the affected customers. The affected windshields will be replaced, free of charge. This recall began on February 15, 2016. Owners may contact Pilkington at 1-844-278-7230.

Complaints by component (133 total)

Structure
27
Powertrain
19
Engine
14
Service brakes
14
Speed control
12
Visibility and wipers
10
Electrical system
8
Visibility
7
Air bags
5
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Seats
5
Suspension
5
Wheels
5
Exterior lighting
3
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Lane departure
2
Steering
2
Tires
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Seat belts
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

11

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

5

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

102014182015182016302017102018920191220205202162022920233202432025
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "With a heavy downpour of rain the bsm flashes off, then after sitting for a few hours the car battery dies and the key fob is not recognized in the vehicle. Took it to a dealership and it stopped doing it. Code that are…"
    Electrical system, Lane departure · filed 2025-09-10
  • "I was near a red light and applied the brakes, but the car accelerated and ran into the truck stopped in front of me. This happened around May of 2024. I took the car to the Elk Grove Mazda dealer. They ran diagnostic…"
    Unknown or other, Service brakes, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-07-17
  • "Air bags came out on own"
    Air bags · filed 2025-01-21
  • "While driving on the freeway the check engine light came on. I was able to drive the car home the remaining 20 minutes but there was some noticeable difficulty accelerating. When I went to turn on the car later that day…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2024-08-01
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while pressing the brake pedal the engine had experienced very high revving and the vehicle would lurch forward. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2024-02-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Mazda CX-5 SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 Mazda CX-5 SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
CX-5 two-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 26 32 28 MPG $2300
CX-5 two-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 34 29 MPG $2250
CX-5 two-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 31 27 MPG $2400
CX-5 four-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Four-wheel drive 24 29 26 MPG $2500
CX-5 four-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Four-wheel drive 25 30 27 MPG $2400

Specs and fitment

1st generation (KE), 2013–2016
Body styles SUV
Oil SAE 0W-20 (gasoline SKYACTIV-G 2.5; 5W-30 where manual specifies) , 4.8 qt capacity
Tire size 225/65R17
Towing capacity 2,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 16V-644 (Mazda 9916H) covers certain 2013-2016 CX-5 vehicles among other Mazda models: liftgate support struts may corrode, break, or let the liftgate drop unexpectedly and strike a person. Dealers replace both liftgate supports free of charge. The campaign also lists certain Mazda3, Mazdaspeed3, Mazda5, and CX-3 vehicles under the same number.

Compare

Previous year 2014 Mazda CX-5 Next year 2016 Mazda CX-5 See every Mazda CX-5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Mazda CX-5 reliable?

Owners have filed 133 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Mazda CX-5 over 12 years — 25 per year. That is more complaints per year than most CX-5 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 15. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Liftgate, Steering, and Filler pipe and cap.

What are common problems with a 2015 Mazda CX-5?

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (27 of 133), then Powertrain (19) and Engine (14). Those filings include 11 that report a crash and 5 that report an injury.

Is the 2015 Mazda CX-5 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 CX-5 has 377 complaints, 44 per year, and the 2016 has 510 complaints, 62 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Mazda CX-5 been recalled?

The 2015 Mazda CX-5 has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2015 Mazda CX-5?

Owners have filed 133 complaints about the 2015 Mazda CX-5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Mazda CX-5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Mazda CX-5 is 27.4 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Mazda CX-5 use?

US CX-5 manuals specify SAE 0W-20 for SKYACTIV-G gasoline engines.

What generation is the 2018 Mazda CX-5?

2nd generation / KF (2017-on).

What tire sizes does a Mazda CX-5 use?

First-gen pages often list 225/65R17; second-gen trims also use 225/55R19 among other sizes.