2012 Mazda Mazda6 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 99 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Mazda Mazda6 over 15 years — 3 per year. The other Mazda6 years sit at about the same rate: their median is 3 complaints per year. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Inflator, Structure, and Fuel system, gasoline.

2012 Mazda Mazda6
Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

99

Per year

3

Recalls

6

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (30 of 99), then Exterior lighting (28) and Electrical system (12). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Mazda6 has 23 complaints, 1 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

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 2012 Mazda Mazda6. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2019-10-31 · NHTSA campaign 19V782000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2007-2012 CX-7, CX-9, and 2009-2012 Maza6 vehicles. These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Remedy Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 16V356 and 17V012.
Recall Structure 2019-04-25 · NHTSA campaign 19V323000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The front cross member may corrode after exposure to road salt.
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the cross member and either install a side member and drain hose and apply wax to protect from rust, or install a drain hose and an improved front cross member, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500 Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 2818I. Note: This recall is an expansion of Recall 18V-631.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2018-10-12 · NHTSA campaign 18V717000
Summary Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Mazda CX-9 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, unless covered in "Zone A," Mazda is recalling certain 2011-2013 Mazda6, 2011-2012 CX-7, and 2011-2015 CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless covered in Zone A or Zone B, Mazda is recalling certain 2010-2013 Mazda6, 2010-2012 CX-7, and 2010-2015 CX-9 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500, Option 4. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F.
Recall air bags, frontal, passenger side, inflator 2017-07-18 · NHTSA campaign 17V457000
Summary Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2012 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Mazda is recalling certain 2009 CX-7, CX-9 and Mazda6 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Mazda is recalling certain 2007-2008 CX-7 and CX-9 sold, or ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Remedy Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is performed. Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began October 4, 2017. Owners may contact Mazda customer service at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's number for this recall is 1317F. Note: This recall supersedes recall 17V-012.
Recall Fuel system, gasoline 2014-03-11 · NHTSA campaign 14V114000
Summary Mazda North America Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured September 14, 2009, through May 2, 2011, and equipped with 2.5L engine. In the affected vehicles, spiders may weave a web in the evaporative canister vent hose, blocking it and causing the fuel tank to have an excessive amount of negative pressure.
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module and inspect and clean the canister vent line. If a web was found in the line, the fuel tank and check valve on canister vent line will be replaced. These repairs will be done free of charge. The recall began on April 30, 2014. Owners may contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's recall number associated with this campaign is 7214C.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2013-09-24 · NHTSA campaign 13V425000
Summary Mazda is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Mazda6 vehicles manufactured February 4, 2008, through August 24, 2012. The door latch mounting screws may become loose.
Remedy Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will apply a thread locking adhesive to the door screws and retorque them, free of charge. The recall began on October 29, 2013. Owners may contact Mazda at 1-800-222-5500. Mazda's recall number is 7013I.

Complaints by component (99 total)

Air bags
30
Exterior lighting
28
Electrical system
12
Structure
12
Suspension
8
Steering
4
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Engine
2
Service brakes
2
Visibility and wipers
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Seats
1
Wheels
1
Show 7 more Show less
Crash-flagged

5

Fire-flagged

2

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

120111201372014152015920163220171020185201942020120211202232023720241202522026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Passenger dash has cracked some and dash is very very sticky..why has this happened..I feel if airbag had to deploy it would not because of this situation"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-01-19
  • "The rear subframe and suspension parts are rusted so bad that the car is not safe to drive. Looked up recalls and found out the front subframe had a recall and was taken care of before I bought the car. Also found…"
    Suspension, Unknown or other · filed 2026-01-12
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH and crossing a bridge, the vehicle stopped unexpectedly after driving over several expansion joints. The contact stated that the vehicle had…"
    Suspension, Structure · filed 2025-11-07
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Mazda Mazda6. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the steering wheel began to shake violently, with the low tire pressure warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to inspect the…"
    Suspension, Structure · filed 2024-07-30
  • "Front subframe completely rusted out causing loss of steering. I believe this should have been covered by Safety Recall 2818I which addresses the issue. Mazda inspected and said because the recall was performed in 2019…"
    Suspension · filed 2024-07-18

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Mazda Mazda6 4 DR FWD 4 stars 3 stars 4 stars 5 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.

Specs and fitment

2nd generation (GJ, late), 2012–2013
Body styles Sedan
Oil SAE 0W-20 (gasoline SKYACTIV-G 2.5; 5W-30 where manual specifies) , 4.5 qt capacity
Tire size 215/55R17

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA recall 17V-393 covers certain 2014-2015 Mazda6 vehicles where water could enter the electric parking brake actuator and corrode it, so the parking brake may not hold. Recall 14V-170 covers certain 2014 Mazda6 vehicles for a fuel tank that may crack and leak. Confirm open campaigns by VIN.

Compare

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Mazda Mazda6 reliable?

Owners have filed 99 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Mazda Mazda6 over 15 years — 3 per year. The other Mazda6 years sit at about the same rate: their median is 3 complaints per year. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Inflator, Structure, and Fuel system, gasoline.

What are common problems with a 2012 Mazda Mazda6?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (30 of 99), then Exterior lighting (28) and Electrical system (12). Those filings include 5 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Mazda Mazda6 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Mazda6 has 23 complaints, 1 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Mazda Mazda6 been recalled?

The 2012 Mazda Mazda6 has 6 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 2012 Mazda Mazda6?

Owners have filed 99 complaints about the 2012 Mazda Mazda6 with NHTSA.

What engine oil does a Mazda Mazda6 use?

US Mazda6 manuals specify SAE 0W-20 for SKYACTIV-G 2.5L engines (5W-30 where the manual specifies).

What does NHTSA campaign 17V-393 cover on the Mazda6?

Certain 2014-2015 Mazda6 vehicles (with 2014-2016 Mazda3): water can enter the brake caliper so the parking-brake actuator shaft corrodes and binds; dealers check and replace corroded shafts.

What tire sizes does the Mazda6 use by generation?

Second gen (2012-2013) lists 215/55R17. Third gen (2014-2021) lists 225/45R19 on this site.