Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Mazda CX-7 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My daughter was driving a 4 hour trip in Florida on I-95 Halfway into the trip she pulled into a parking lot to stop for lunch and before she could even turn off the vehicle, a fire erupted from under the hood. The car completely burned. There is a police report at Jupiter FL Police department # 22-184325
My daughter was driving the CX-7 on the highway and it caught on fire. There was a pop and then smoke and flames. My daughter moved to the left shoulder as soon as she heard the pop and the vehicle engulfed in flames. The vehicle was a total loss. At the time of the incident the vehicle was in great condition. The vehicle was at 94,000 miles. An oil change was completed recently as well as all regular maintenance.
Took car in for air bag recall (which was fixed). Dealer did a full circle inspection and found the timing chain needed replacement. We received a letter from Mazda January, 2012 stating they were extending the warranty to 7 yrs from the original warranty date or 70,000 miles whichever comes first for repairs to the timing chain. This letter leads me to believe they knew there were issues with the timing chain. Our car has 39,100 miles (obviously low for the age of the car). We were required to pay for the repair out of pocket because it was outside the warranty period. It seems very unfair that our car was not covered for an issue Mazda was clearly aware of in 2012. While it was not an actual recall, something was wrong with the timing chain and all owners should be compensated for failure of the chain. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-7. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle's temperature gauge increased. The vehicle shook and a popping noise was heard. The vehicle was driven back to the contact's residence and then stalled. A "warning state of shock" message appeared. In an attempt to cool the engine, the air conditioner was activated. The vehicle was towed to antelope valley Mazda (1015 auto mall dr, lancaster, ca 93534, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the engine needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired due to the repair cost. The contact was informed by the dealer that the repairs would be covered under the vehicle's warranty. The contact received a call from the manufacturer informing her that the engine replacement was not covered under the vehicle's warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.
Takata recall. My complaint is why there has not been a recall on the turbo charger for my vehicle. I was driving my car and the entire cabin filled with smoke that I had to pull off the road. I had to roll down all the windows because the it was so bad and thought the engine was on fire. This is not safe to have this happen. I've googled this and there are many complaints on replacement happening twice. This should be covered because I've kept my maintenance up and just did oil and fluids changed and have to have it done again because the oil leaked into the turbo charger. This is costing me $2,460.00 for repair and don't think I should have to pay for this fatal problem. I expecting coverage on this and will be contacting my lawyer.
Was driving and all of a sudden lost power and a howling noise no check engine light came on. Pulled over to see what it was and nothing visible no leaks nothing. Had my wife hit the has and no noise. Stared driving and noise came back and white smoke. Just had an oil change done and next oil change due in about 1000 miles. Drove about 20 MPH to get home check oil and it was OK. The white smoke makes me think the turbo went on my car. I just purchased this car in October of 2015. It's been back to the shop for electric problems with the key and radio that still not resolved. Radio shuts off and beeps that key is not in car.
I lost power to my 2010 Mazda cx7 while going 60 mp downhill in a mountain pass. My car went from 60 mp to 40 mp in about 30 seconds. I immediately pulled over as black smoke poured out of my tail pipe and had the car towed. My mechanic said the turbo was blown, which cause the car's oil to completely burn up, causing damage to the timing chain and engine. All of the oil was gone in a matter of a few miles. The car had been up to date on all maintenance. A new turbo and engine was needed on a car that had 74,000 miles on it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Mazda CX-7. The contact stated that while her in-laws were driving, the vehicle stalled and shutoff. Upon inspection, it was discovered that oil leaked under the vehicle and a hole was present on the side of the engine. The cause of the failure was not determined. Murray Mazda located at 85 griffith rd, muncy, pa 17756 was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,000.
I started getting noise from the engine for last 6 months. But when the RPM is greater than 2000. The noise decreases, when I took to the dealer service, they mentioned that timing chain need to be replaced. Mazda knows about the issue and admits it but never performs a recall.
When driving with the A/C on, the ECM seems to malfunction and increase the speed of the car when the ac compressor turns on. If you are in the process of braking, the car will not stop and it will require the driver to press harder on the brakes. The car gets and extra boost of energy and even though you are braking, the car lunges forward and continues to roll further. If the driver is caught off guard, this will lead to an accident. I crashed my car into a family members house as I was parking. Luckily, the parking bumper slowed down the car enough so as to only slightly bump the house. It has happened in regular traffic as well. Luckily, I keep a safe distance from cars and brake early but now I brake even earlier just in case. Volkswagen had the same problem and they did a large recall on the vehicle because of the safety issue it involves. …
Engine complaints in other CX-7 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2010 Mazda CX-7?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2010 Mazda CX-7, 14% of the model year's 155 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2010 Mazda CX-7 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2010 Mazda CX-7, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Mazda CX-7 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.