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).
At approximately 16:50 engine malfunction warning light appeared and dealership was notified. Appointment scheduled for 4 days after. At 17:21 car began swerving uncontrollably along I80 with warning "engine malfunction, have the vehicle inspected." The car was shaking violently and veered off the road into the ditch between the eastbound and westbound highway. The car was totaled. Review of the vehicle app indicated that just before the crash at 17:19 several critical vehicle malfunctions messages appeared. The vehicle crashed at 17:21.
Vehicle was parked in garage overnight in our house. At approximately 630AM, carbon monoxide detector alarmed indicating high CO levels inside the house. Source likely appeared to the vehicle- distinct odor of burned electrical wiring/insulation; vehicle felt warm to the touch. Vehicle was dead and would not start. Mazda app indicated critical warnings for ACTIVESENSE, hydrid battery, hydrid system malfunction, high voltage battery depletion, and charging system malfunction starting abruptly at 0210 hours and terminating at 0340 hours. Vehicle had simply been parked in garage and was not plugged in or charging. Last use of vehicle~930PM the night prior. There have been no prior warnings or indications of problems , vehicle has~1k mileage. Vehicle was purchased 7/5/23 and event occurred 7/30/23. Vehicle was towed and is in dealership currently. Mazada USA has been notified by us. …
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? "Hybrid System Malfunction. Stop Vehicle in a Safe Location." Car completely inoperable. Had to tow to dealership as would not start or go out of park. Hybrid and High Voltage battery issues reported by multiple owners. This happened less than a month into owning the vehicle and with less than 1200 miles. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Car deceleration on highway specific to this error reported by multiple owners. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Uknown. Currently being serviced by dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Currently being inspected by the Mazda dealership I leased the vehicle through. …
CX90 PHEV Premium Plus new purchase 12/2023. 1/24/2024: "Hybrid System Malfunction, Have the vehicle Inspected " On a busy freeway with big rigs and other cars during rush hour traffic (5:25pm), going about 70 MPH. Only 1700miles on car so far. 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit outside. 2mi left on charge, full tank of gas. Car completely unable to accelerate all of the sudden on busy highway once this light came on. Was able to pull off to shoulder, albeit challenging as unable to accelerate and navigate through fast cars in right 2 lanes. Was able to restart car, and go at limp speed but unable to get fast enough to merge back. Called tow truck. Car towed to Mazda dealership. Then unable to get off flatbed of the tow truck as would not go into reverse. Tow guy called me and the staff at Mazda called their Service Manager, had to reset that code. …
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. …
Ever since the lease of this vehicle on January 2025 we've had problems with the brake/rotors took it in twice for that. As of recent August 2025, we took it in for loss of power going up a hill, hybrid malfunctioning electrical system going out. Dealership gave it back saying everything was fine. We took it on August 29, 2025 to Colorado vehicle failed to perform loss of power going up the mountain almost got hit by a vehicle because I was in a fast lane with my family had to pull over with whatever power I had left in the engine (not the battery). I mean the vehicle just keeps failing to perform as it should as well on the way back. It had the same issues but as severe going to Colorado.Vehicle does not change gears going uphill. When we stopped in Vegas for fuel, fuel door did not open it & malfunctioned. …
While driving 35 mph on a busy street, our vehicle completely lost power. The vehicle started violently shaking until I came to a complete stop. Many warning lights came on. Two primary: "Hybrid Malfunction", "Engine Malfunction" along with a couple others. When I stopped the car completely, it took 5 minutes before I could change the car from park to drive to move the car out of the way of oncoming traffic. Sitting in the middle of a busy road with hazards on is not safe!! Also, Suddenly losing power on a very busy street caused car behind me to slam brakes and honk at us. Very lucky we didnt cause an accident. If this had happened in a different situation such as freeway at 75 mph, major intersection, on a long roadtrip etc... the risk for significant disaster increase significantly! The car is current at Tum Dahle Dealership in Murray, Utah. …
While driving CX90 PHEV vehicle, a "HAZARD" error displayed on the dashboard and the vehicle stopped driving/accelerating completely. Displayed error reported a Hybrid System Malfunction and instructed driver to switch from hybrid to normal setting. Vehicle would not accelerate despite switch to normal setting and power remaining. Driver powered off vehicle and error remained on display. Driver again powered off vehicle after short wait and error was no longer displayed. Vehicle could then be driven in normal setting. Dealership and manufacturer have been notified with a request for immediate assistance. Vehicle is new and has only been driven for approx. 6 months. No advance warning signs appeared. Internet search reflects a Mazda owners' forum page [redacted] suggests that error has been known for several months with no resolution or recall. …
4 weeks ago my wife was driving on a busy highway and lost propulsion. Hybrid System malfunction message. She was able to pull over before causing an accident and put the car in gas only mode. She never shut the car off and drove on to her destination. I met her and picked up the car and took it to the dealer. Car is new and has 5000 miles on it. Car has been at dealer for 4 weeks with no answers and several unanswered phone calls to customer service at Mazda Corporate. Been told that is is a software problem with no fix and no time frame of when there will be a fix. I do have a case number with Mazda. Today after threatening calls to invoke "Lemon Law" in my state Mazda has suddenly said that the car has a faulty inverter and that the part is available and will be replaced. My feeling is that they are just throwing parts at a problem. …
I was driving my 2024 CX90 PHEV when a warning about an electrical leakage in the hybrid system was detected. I brought it home and parked in my garage. I called the dealership and they told me to bring it in. When I started to leave, the car would not shift out of park and bricked up. A towing service had to drag it out of my garage. My concern is that there is no limp mode or any way to switch to the gasoline engine when this happened. Had there been a fire in the battery, I would not have been able to get it out of my garage, putting our house and children at risk. Also, had it locked up on a highway, an accident could easily happen. After the dealership dragged it off of the rollback, they couldn't even get the car to move. They told me that they would have to order special tools to be able to get the car to move. …
Engine complaints in other CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid, 32% of the model year's 95 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2024 Mazda CX-90 Plug-In Hybrid engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury 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.