Headlight complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
My headlights have a motor (or motors) in them. This feature is to adjust headlights in accordance with the steering wheel. I think it's referred to as AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting System). The left headlight's motor makes a noise. I do not always hear it when driving but when stopped or parking and exiting the vehicle, I can hear it until the lights turn off. The car has about 37,000 - 38,000 miles on it.
Faulty headlights. One was replaced at 35,678 miles (passenger side) The other one is going bad (driver's side) (approximate mileage: 55,000) A dealer has confirmed the problem. Quoted 19223.93 for the replacement on 04/21/26. Manufacturer informed. No help. No warning messages for faulty headlights.
My 2023 Mazda CX-5 (48,000 miles) is experiencing a loud mechanical whirring/grinding from the driver-side headlight assembly, a documented manufacturing defect involving foreign matter contamination of the internal LED cooling fan bearings (TSB 09-029/25). Despite the manufacturer acknowledging this factory-installed defect, Mazda has refused to proactively remedy the issue because the vehicle is nominally past its 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper period. I have been explicitly advised by service personnel to continue operating the vehicle until the headlight unit 'entirely fails' before further assistance may be considered. This 'fail-first' directive is a reckless disregard for public safety; the internal cooling fan exists specifically to prevent the high-intensity LED from overheating. …
I began hearing a loud engine noise similar to a lawn mower whenever my headlights would come on which includes just when I unlock my car. When I first took it back to the Mazda dealership for servicing and mentioned this to the service manager he told me it was an issue with the headlights that they've been seeing. They returned the car to me and said they did not hear it. Then after my warranty ended it got worse and when I brought it back to the dealership they stated they had never heard of this happening before and said that I brought my car for an air-conditioning issue. When identified that a service manager had told me that this is something they're saying they then agreed to pay to have the headlight fixed. Initially they told me I was gonna have to pay approximately $1500 out-of-pocket because my warranty had ended to have it replaced. …
The contact owns a 2022 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at nighttime at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the headlights. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with an unknown headlight fan bearing failure. The vehicle was not repaired because the warranty had expired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
I own a 2022 Mazda CX-5 Carbon Edition and have recently noticed a persistent noise coming from the left headlight. The noise resembles a fan or vibrating sound. Coincidentally, this issue started only a month after I bought out the vehicle following the lease expiration. Component/System Failure and Inspection: The issue appears to be caused by a malfunctioning auto-leveling or adaptive headlight motor. The component is still installed in the vehicle and can be inspected upon request by a dealer or manufacturer. Safety Risks: While this issue has not yet caused immediate driving hazards, a malfunctioning headlight system could pose a safety risk if the auto-leveling function fails, leading to improper headlight beam alignment. This could impact nighttime visibility or cause glare for other drivers, increasing the risk of accidents. …
My car is experiencing extreme ghost screen. Also when this happens I get a lot of warning lights when nothing is truly experiencing fault. My screen will jump, change settings, reset settings,become dark on it own, not turn on at all, flip through the system causing major distractions. For instance I was driving in my car with quiet no noise then my screen jump and without warning blasted am and scared the living heck out of me while on the highway. It has called people and hung up on its own. Lights flicker and one side of my top lights don't work. My plugin have no electricity coming to them.There are times I have trouble connecting to Bluetooth.
Purchased brand new 2020 Mazda CX-5 on sept 25, 2020. On sept. 29, 2020 with < 500mi: while traveling approximately 45 MPH on county road, pressed brake pedal and the pedal did not move. Several malfunction lights flashed including "power steering malfunction", "Smart city brake support malfunction". Repeatedly slammed on the brake pedal and it did not move at all. Tried to swerve to avoid a vehicle but the steering was unresponsive. Impacted a vehicle at a red light. Mazda service said that there was no indication that the brake was engaged before the impact except for a "hard brake event" which based on the cdr data was probably the impact avoidance system braking the vehicle. As an engineer familiar with this type of system but not this particular system specifically, I suspected a low voltage event that knocked out the brake booster and power steering. …
Related recalls (1)
Exterior lighting › Headlights
Mazda North American Operations (Mazda) is recalling certain 2016 CX-5 vehicles. The LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) may fail while driving.
Remedy: Mazda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlights, and replace the sealing gasket or headlight assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 20, 2020.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mazda CX-5 years have headlight problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2016 (161), 2022 (23), 2023 (11), 2014 (8) and 2018 (5) model years. Headlight complaints make up 32% of all complaints for the 2016.
Is there a recall for Mazda CX-5 headlight problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 20V-063 (headlights, Feb 6, 2020). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mazda CX-5 headlight problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles; 65% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the headlights (4 mentions), followed by the headlights › daytime running lights › bulbs (2).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.