Engine complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Car accelerates when idling in drive or reverse even with foot on brake. Causes many near accidents when parking or idling. Seems to be connected with ac compressor. This is very dangerous and should be recalled and fixed.
My car will lunge forward when idle and with my foot on the brake. It's very dangerous and has nearly caused an accident on several occasions. This has been occurring since I bought the car used in 2013.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Mazda CX-7. The contact stated that the front driver side window and both rear windows failed to operate as intended going up and down. The tire pressure monitor light illuminated and remained despite having the tires checked for proper tire pressure and following the instructions provided to reset the tire pressure light. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The check engine warning light was reset by an independent mechanic. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH the vehicle decelerated to 20 MPH and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic and was informed that the mass airflow sensor and oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 98,800.
The Mazda has multiple issues with turbo booster functioning and malfunctioning causing air pollution issues with billowing white smoke fr tailpipe, Mazda does not warranty this by ongoing issues with some repairs having to be done as early as 60000 miles,. My car is less than 100000 miles with extensive repair required to resolve issue, repairs as expensive as 3000 dollars. The smoke is so thick is impairs the vision of cars that maybe behind vehicles with this problem. This issue needs to be reviewed and resolved, car owners should be made aware when purchasing these Mazda of this heavily unreliable important part of the vehicle to make the decision beforehand if they will be responsible for these expensive repairs should they occur.
I'm mexican woman . The first of August 2010 to go on the road (towards the city of queretaro, Mexico, in a van Mazda CX 7 2008 model first and let the air conditioning running, then started to smoke the driver's side, suddenly the short time stopped the car and when we got off shore and we saw that was on fire, stopped the fire and water damage, according to the agency are of 46 thousand pesos as two months ago that ended our warranty does not want to be responsible for the incident . We were all family, including my sun of four years, I think that could had passed if the car had exploded, we took gasoline 30 minutes previous to the fire . I've gotten a number of forums to investigate complaints and there are scores equal to that of the same model. There are others in the CX 9 that even if you already acknowledged that the agency is also a risk of fire trucks were summoned ac. …
On my way to work I glanced in my rearview mirror and noticed white smoke coming out from behind my car. I looked at my gauges and noticed that my battery light was on and my temperature gauge was all the way on hot. Pulled to the side of the road and, as I pulled over my engine light came on and my power steering went out. I shut off the car and called my husband (who owns a collision repair shop and a tow truck) and told him to come and get me and my disabled car. As I sat in my car waiting, a police officer came to check that I was o.k. The officer sat in his car behind me for about 10 minutes and then backed out and left. Within a few minutes of the officer leaving a gentleman and his wife pulled over a good way up in front of my car. The gentleman got out of his car and started running to me shouting get out, get out, your car is on fire!? …
Frequently asked questions
Which Mazda CX-7 years have engine problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2007 (316), 2008 (84), 2010 (22), 2009 (20) and 2011 (6) model years. Engine complaints make up 60% of all complaints for the 2007.
Is there a recall for Mazda CX-7 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for any Mazda CX-7 model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Mazda CX-7 engine problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles; 34% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the cooling system (66 mentions), followed by the engine (33).
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.