Transmission complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2025 | 3 | 11% | — |
| 2024 | 3 | 7% | 39,000 miles |
| 2023 | 3 | 5% | — |
| 2022 | 5 | 8% | 4,000 miles |
| 2021 | 17 | 11% | — |
| 2020 | 8 | 7% | 140,000 miles |
| 2019 | 32 | 12% | 17,000 miles |
| 2018 | 42 | 12% | 2,000 miles |
| 2017 | 11 | 7% | 19,000 miles |
| 2016 | 51 | 10% | 5,000 miles |
| 2015 | 19 | 14% | 60,000 miles |
| 2014 | 50 | 13% | 50,000 miles |
| 2013 | 38 | 20% | 38,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I pulled the car into garage, and realized it's not inside enough. So I moved the car forward, but forgot to place the shift to P position. With the shift in D position, I shut off the engine, opened the door, ready to get out. I did not notice the car was moving backward, until the open door hit the garage frame. I file a claim with my insurance, had the front door replaced in a local body shop. I confirmed that in D position, with engine shut off, the car can move freely in my drive way. I did have this issue in my other two cars, I occasionally forgot put the shift from D position to P position, but the car did not move. This issue - a car can move freely without driver's awareness - is a serious and dangerous issue. If this happens in the street, a serious crash can occur. …
Life-threatening, unoccupied rollaway vehicle with personal injury. Possible and/or suspected issues: "Not-P" switch circuit malfunction; "false park"; lack of cross-module redundancy; lack of BCM and PCM redundancy; Diagnostic Blind Spot; lack of Occupancy-Brake interlock; systematic safety failure culminating in unintended, driverless, runaway Zombie vehicle with personal injury. Background Info: * Low mileage, mainly in-town errands driving. * Not previously reported quirks, possible latent defects: liftgate opening that was hit-or-miss requiring multiple unlock trunk-unlock doors + get out of the car manual attempts; intermittent off-shutdown double-tap issue to power off car; ill-timed "rear seat alert". * Reported "engine won't start" resulting in three key FOB battery replacements and a locked key FOB. Day of Incident: * Auto-lock and the EBS were not used. …
This vehicle belongs to my friend, but I was the injured party. She was visiting me and realized she forgot her phone,.the vehicle wias at the top of my driveway and in park. She wanted to go back in the house to look and got out of the car & left the door open., I leaned into the car to press stop engine and immediately the car began to roll down the hill, dragging me 50'. Car still in park slammed into the stone wall of my garage.I had injuries to my right leg. aplit lip, frctured nasal bone, nerve damage to my thigh and torn meniscus. The Ambulance arrived, I was taken to the hospital and treated. Witnesses signed affadavits confirming vehicle still in Park. …
The contact owns a 2024 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the check engine light illmiunated. The contact mention when depressing accelerator pedal, the RPM's get suck independently and the vehicle fails to respond as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, however the dignanoses was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified on the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 39,381.
Brand new 2023 Mazda CX-5 with 150 miles on it experienced unintended acceleration while braking. Pulled into a parking spot with my foot on the brakes but the car didn't stop & even accelerated over a sidewalk and into a building. I experienced a bruise from the seatbelt. Airbags did not deploy. Someone could have been killed if they had been on the sidewalk. Car is currently at an auto body shop to fix the cosmetic damages, and once released, will have the car towed to our local Mazda dealership/service center to get the car inspected. In doing research on NHTSA's website, at least 4 vehicles (2-2023 Mazda CX-5s and 2-2023 Mazda CX-30s) have experienced this issue. Mazda needs to recall these vehicles and investigate.
Slowly and cautiously entered parking lot of a small strip mall. Proceeded to a parking space located in between two parked vehicles.Maneuvering into parking space I removed foot from gas pedal toward the break pedal; before foot made contact with break pedal the vehicle accelerated on its own surging over the cement parking bumper, over bushes, through the grass, down the curb and into the street. I jammed on the breaks. Lifting foot from break pedal I did not touch the gas pedal in fear the surge might happened again. Instead I allowed the vehicle to coast as I guided vehicle to the curb. In all the commotion, while trying to control vehicle safely I noticed the dashboard transmission indicator lights flash from park to drive to neutral. Safety issues for me and family at risk because we had no control over the acceleration of the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2022 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving from a stationary position, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact indicated that the vehicle would not immediately respond and would drive very slowly before accelerating. Additionally, while driving around corners the steering wheel was very difficult to maneuver, making the vehicle difficult to control. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to identify a cause for the failure of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 100.
The contact owns a 2022 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved loudly while the RPM fluctuated above 5,000 RPM. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the control valve body assembly and control valve were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the dealer replaced the transmission. The failure recurred, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,963.
Related recalls (1)
Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mazda CX-5 years have transmission problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2016 (51), 2014 (50), 2018 (42), 2013 (38) and 2019 (32) model years. Transmission complaints make up 10% of all complaints for the 2016.
Is there a recall for Mazda CX-5 transmission problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 19V-497 (control module (tcm/pcm/tecm), Jun 27, 2019). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mazda CX-5 transmission problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 33,000 miles; 67% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the automatic transmission › park/neutral start interlock switch (3 mentions), followed by the automatic transmission › lever and linkage › floor shift (3).
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.