2018 Mazda CX-5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 118 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Mazda CX-5 over 9 years — 0 per year. That is the fewest complaints per year among the 12 CX-5 years on this site. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Fuel pump, Engine, and Side and window.

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

Complaints

118

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (96 of 118), then Powertrain (17) and Engine and engine cooling (3). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 CX-5 has 148 complaints, 10 per year, and the 2019 has 270 complaints, 13 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019.

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 2018 Mazda CX-5. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Fuel pump 2021-11-12 · NHTSA campaign 21V875000

Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda3, Mazda6, 2019 CX-3, 2018-2019 MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and 2019-2020 Mazda2 vehicles. The impeller inside the low-pressure fuel pump may crack and deform, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.

Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2022. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 5321K.

Recall Engine 2019-06-27 · NHTSA campaign 19V497000

Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018-2019 CX-5, Mazda6, and 2019 Mazda3 vehicles. A software error in the powertrain control module (PCM) may cause the engine to stall.

Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 20, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 3719F.

Recall air bags, side and window 2018-06-25 · NHTSA campaign 18V426000

Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2018 Mazda CX-5 vehicles. In the event of a side impact or rollover crash, the side curtain air bags may not properly unfold during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."

Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began July 31, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2718F.

Complaints by component (118 total)

Engine

Powertrain

Engine and engine cooling

Forward collision avoidance

Electrical system

Fuel and propulsion system

Back-over prevention

Lane departure

Service brakes

Steering

Show 2 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"2018 Mazda CX-5 2.5L NA Engine Cracked cylinder head and blown head gasket with leaking oil onto exhaust manifold resulting in white smoke & burning oil smell. No engine light. Issue confirmed by dealer and independent…"
Engine · filed 2026-09-24
"The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was leaking engine oil, and there was white smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that upon…"
Engine · filed 2026-08-19
"The contact owns a 2018 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from under the hood. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's wife pulled…"
Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-07-23
"I am writing to formally document a significant engine failure on my 2018 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring (VIN: [XXX], License: [XXX], Odometer: 78,159 miles). The vehicle began exhibiting visible smoke from under the hood and…"
Engine · filed 2026-07-22
"Check engine light on when read it comes back with P0171 code"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-07-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2018 Mazda CX-5 SUV AWD Early Release	4 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2018 Mazda CX-5 SUV AWD Later Release	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2018 Mazda CX-5 SUV FWD Early Release	4 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2018 Mazda CX-5 SUV FWD Later Release	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	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	25	31	28 MPG	$2300
CX-5 two-wheel drive	2.2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	28	31	29 MPG	$3250
CX-5 four-wheel drive	2.2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Four-wheel drive	27	30	28 MPG	$3350
CX-5 four-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Four-wheel drive	24	30	26 MPG	$2500

Specs and fitment

2nd generation (KF), 2017–present

Body styles SUV

Oil SAE 0W-20 (gasoline SKYACTIV-G 2.5; 5W-30 where manual specifies) , 5.1 qt capacity

Tire size 225/55R19, 225/65R17 (trim dependent)

Towing capacity 2,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 19V-497 (Mazda 3719F) covers certain 2018-2019 CX-5 vehicles (and certain Mazda6 and 2019 Mazda3) whose powertrain control module software can stall the engine; dealers reprogram the PCM free of charge. Safety recall 21V-875 (Mazda 5321K) covers certain 2018-2019 CX-5 vehicles among other Mazda models whose low-pressure fuel-pump impeller may crack or deform and fail, which can stall the engine; dealers replace the fuel pumps. The published unit totals for both campaigns include other Mazda nameplates, not CX-5 alone. Safety recall 18V-426 (Mazda 2718F) covers a limited 2018 CX-5 build run whose side curtain air bags may not unfold properly in a side impact or rollover, failing FMVSS 226; dealers replace the curtain air bags.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Mazda CX-5 Next year 2019 Mazda CX-5 See every Mazda CX-5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Mazda CX-5 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2018 Mazda CX-5?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (96 of 118), then Powertrain (17) and Engine and engine cooling (3). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2018 Mazda CX-5 more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2018 Mazda CX-5 been recalled?

The 2018 Mazda CX-5 has 3 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 2018 Mazda CX-5?

Owners have filed 118 complaints about the 2018 Mazda CX-5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Mazda CX-5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Mazda CX-5 is 27.8 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.