Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On 12/09/23, my 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV, purchased on 11/11/23, just got out of the driveway to make a left turn around 500 feet from the driveway when there was resistance in turning the steering wheel left, causing vehicle to swerve to the right and hitting the fire hydrant on the side of the road located just around the corner. Both airbags deployed causing extensive damage to the passenger front side of the car. The automatic emergency braking did not engage to avoid collision with the fire hydrant. One of the passengers suffered avascular necrosis of the hip as a result of the accident. The vehicle was towed to a collision center, then towed to the Mazda dealership, but according to the dealership, no inspection report was available in their system as of 03/19/24. The insurance company declared the vehicle a total loss. …
The backup camera did not beep as I backed into a mailbox. The emergency braking also did not activate. The following day when I used the backup camera it was displaying an image of somewhere I had parked prior (it was not the real time image). The wrong image stayed displayed despite turning the car off and back on multiple times.
1. Gear Shift Issue in EV Mode: The transition from 1st to 2nd gear is not shifting properly in EV mode. At times, the gear jerks during critical situations, which compromises control. 2. Power Output on Highway: While driving on the highway, there are instances where there is no power output when flooring the accelerator to overtake. 3. Engine Malfunction Light: The engine malfunction light has come on and off three times. 4. Radar Malfunction: The radar system is intermittently not working or working improperly. The radar malfunction light also came on and off once (i-ACTIVSENSE system malfunction). The last safety recall was completed a few weeks ago, but the issues are still ongoing. Since then, I have visited the Mazda dealership twice, but they let me go, dismissing my claims and saying they couldn't duplicate the problems. I have a case with Mazda corporation. …
When using adaptive cruise control on multiple lane highways/freeways the vehicle detects other cars/trucks that are in other lanes as being in your lane. (Shows on the dash display as in your lane). This fools the vehicle into believing it needs to make an emergency brake as a vehicle is in your lane and a crash is imminent when no such maneuver is necessary. This could cause a rear end crash or loss of control of the vehicle when it brakes unexpectedly with no real world cause. This has been an issue since vehicle is owned (July 2023) it is also widespread with this specific model [redacted]
steering wheel locks into the direction of turning (sometimes more than needed for the corner) and causes over-steering at all speed (from 20mph to 45mph). at low speed the steering can be forced to turn back, but at higher speed such as onramp or offramp, after fighting the oversteering, the steering disengages for a brief second while fighting oversteering which I think can/will cause inexperience driver to turn the steering wheel too much in the opposite direction. also the lane departure/centering feature also causes the steering wheel to jiggle while driving straight (incorrectly trying to move the car while going stright). this is going to cause accident.
I am reporting a safety problem with the adaptive cruise control feature of my 2023 Mazda CX-90. The adaptive cruise control system does not detect the lanes correctly and applies the brakes unnecessarily, even when there are no cars in front of me. This happens especially on curves and when there are trucks on other lanes. This is very dangerous and I have been close to be rear-ended several times. I do not feel safe driving this car with this feature on. I haven't contacted my dealer, but it seems to be a well known issue for many owners. [redacted]
When radar cruise control is on, the car sometimes brakes hard totally unexpectedly when it's about to overtake to a slower-moving vehicle in the adjacent right lane, and despite the fact that the CX-90 does not have any vehicle directly in front of it in its lane. This happens quite regularly at highway, when I am guetting within 100-200 ft of a semi located on the adjacent right lane, even when the road is at right. I almost got rear ended at 75mph by another vehicle because of that, as they did not expect my car to brake while overtaking a semi at that speed with no car in front of me. Very dangerous and needs to be fixed by Mazda.
This vehicle at highway speeds will suddenly brake when intuitive cruise control is engaged. It mainly does this when the hwy is not straight and there is a vehicle ahead in a different lane or if there is a concrete median on either side. It's not safe to be going 70-78mph and have your vehicle brake and bring speed down to 50-60. I've had intuitive cruise control on 3 other vehicles and none of them did this. Vehicles following become upset when vehicle brakes with no vehicle ahead of us. Also, it's a danger of being rear ended or causing a road range incident when someone behind you thinks you are brake checking them.
with lane-keep assist /lane-centering enabled, the steering will try to straighten the car while turning. experienced this during on-ramp and off-ramp of highway. this is super dangerous. even experienced it at low speed in the neighborhood. steering wheel will fight me during turn and disengage for brief second - this is very disconcerting while making a turn. even with lane-keep assist disabled, I can still feel the wheel (very minor feedback) trying to change course while turning. this issue began immediately after dealer performed all active recalls.
The vehicle incorrectly sensed a large truck in the right lane, next to the lane I was in, as being in my lane causing the vehicle to slam on the brakes and caused me to nearly get rear ended by following vehicle. Other vehicle had no notice, as my lane was completely clear. Further testing on my part found that numerous vehicles had incorrect lane placement on the provided graphical display. Dealer says everything checks out normal. This is a major safety issue for me.
Collision Avoidance complaints in other CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid, 24% of the model year's 95 complaints. The component named most often is adaptive cruise control (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid collision avoidance problems?
No. NHTSA lists no driver assistance recall for the 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to driver assistance 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.